Eight members, Chris Espitia & Liz Zaninovich, Don & Jeanne Allen, Bill & Janice Dean and Bruce and Veronica Powelson, and two past members, Roger & Lillian Buckles, made the trek to Prescott Arizona last week to participate in the 15th annual Corvette Car Show 2021 held in beautiful historic Prescott Arizona around the Prescott Courthouse Plaza.
We started out from Bakersfield on Thursday morning and arrived in Prescott in the early evening. After checking into our rooms at the Hotel St. Michael on Whiskey Row, we walked down to the historic Hassayampa Inn in time to enjoy the welcome dinner. The next morning we all started up our cars and joined the Poker Run which highlighted the entire Prescott area, what a beautiful place it is. Friday night we enjoyed a great Italian dinner at Lemoncello’s, then patronized a few of the many historic bars and pubs along Whiskey Row, reminiscent of the Old West. We were delighted to be joined by Tom Jones, President of the host club, Prescott Vette Sette, along with his board of directors and their spouses for some lively conversation and libations. What a great group. Saturday’s car show was no disappointment. There were 275 Corvettes entered and all classes were well represented with entries from all across the country. There were no two cars alike, so many different body styles and colors made a very impressive display.
That all being said, the highlight of the weekend for us was yet to come with the awards presentation. Two out of the five cars in our group from Bakersfield earned awards! Bill Dean was presented with the C6 Judges Choice Award and Liz Zaninovich earned the C7 Best of Class Award. We were all very proud of them and celebrated at the evening’s Concert on the Square and another delicious celebration dinner. It was an all around fabulous time.
The fun continued Sunday with some local shopping after breakfast, then on to Laughlin NV for a night at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino and dinner at the renowned Mojave Steakhouse.
All in all it was a fantastic, action packed, fun trip. Can’t wait til next year’s event!! Thanks to all the Corvette Owners we met and the hospitality of Prescott Vette Sette. It’s a real pleasure to be a part of this group.
Corvettes of Bakersfield had its annual wine run to Paso Robles this weekend. What a great run this was. The club didn’t do a wine run last year due to Covid and things were still a bit subdued with mask requirements and a lower than normal turn out. We generally have 25 to 30 cars on this run but this weekend we just saw 11 cars plus a couple of support vehicles. Nonetheless, we had a great time and visited some beautiful and friendly wineries.
We left dirty and the sooty Bakersfield (due to wildfires) on a cool early Saturday morning and drove to Sculpterra Winery; quite possibly the most beautiful winery in Paso Robles. The whole landscape is beautifully manicured and speckled with metal sculptures and beautiful works of art and murals. We didn’t spend nearly enough time there to look around and enjoy the beauty of the scenery. Heck, even the roads were paved which is unusual with the many wineries that we have visited that have dirt roads leading to the tasting rooms. The Somaliers where very friendly and informative.
Then, onto Stillwater Vineyards where we tasted some great wines while informed and educated by the very friendly Paul Hoover, the owner of the Winery. He and his wife grew up and lived in Bakersfield and knew some of our members and talked about old times. We had our lunch there and enjoyed the lectures in winemaking.
Our last stop was Bovino Vineyards and, again, were treated to some excellent wine while sitting high in a patio overlooking the vineyards. The scenery was fantastic and the weather was perfect and breezy, albeit a bit smoky high in the sky; also due to the wildfires. The owner, Dan Souza, is very hospitable and generous in his approach to life.
By then it was around 3 o’clock and we headed for our motel where we had our drawings for a variety of prizes. We enjoyed each other‘s camaraderie and had our dinner late before turning in for the night.
Thank you Tony and Chevy for planning a great event. Always looking forward to the next one.
Click here for lots more photos
Corvettes of Bakersfield had 18 Corvettes and, ahem, one Porsche converge at the Mamma Mia‘s Italian Restaurant where we enjoyed our choice of steak or chicken dinners. Mamma Mia‘s is located at 1804 18th St. in downtown Bakersfield. They were voted the best new restaurant in the 2019 Bakersfield Californian readers poll and the quality of the food confirms this prestigious honor. The food was served very efficiently by the friendly staff who served our 46 or so COB members that attended.
A big thank you to Liz and Chris who arranged for Mamma Mia‘s to open on Sunday to cater to the Corvettes of Bakersfield Brunch of Corvettes event. They were also great at parking cars as the club members were arriving.
After a very filling meal which included ice cream as dessert, a small group of ice cream fanatics enticed other members (a total of 18) to go to Rosemarys Creamery for more ice cream. Boy this club sure knows how to have a good time. Everyone had a great time as there was lots of loud conversation and laughing at both locations.
This past Saturday was an eventful evening for the Corvettes of Bakersfield club members who celebrated their annual Christmas dinner and gift exchange held at the Brighton Estates Clubhouse. The drinks were flowing and after dinner, there was a lot of nefarious thievery going around as we were allowed to steal a chosen gift from one other person as your number came up as an alternative to grabbing a new gift from under the tree. Once that item was stolen, it could not be stolen again. The thievery was all in good fun, though. All I know is that a lot of liquor changed hands. After the gift exchange, a variety of gift baskets and poinsettias were raffled off as well as all the centerpieces on the tables.
The dinner was catered by Too Fat Catering and consist of prime rib, chicken, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls and cheese cake. Wow, was it ever good! Everyone had a great time and boy was the Corvette camaraderie ever present.
Unfortunately, many members couldn’t make it for a variety of reasons and hopefully they will enjoy going through these pictures. Thanks to Gregg Brott and Adrian Medina for all the photography. If you click on the link you’ll see over 440 pictures on our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157712224502361
Bakersfield toy run. What a wild morning it’s been as we waited for the toy run to begin at 10 AM. We get up early in the morning and discover that it’s been raining all morning long. It continued pouring down as as Mark and Tina and Chris and I were driving to Beach Park. We were amongst the few earlybirds at the park in what is, normally, usually starting to pack up with bikers and other vehicles.
Corvettes of Bakersfield Board Agenda Date: First Tuesday of the Month Time: 6:00 pm Location: Miller’s Home Board Meeting Call to Order Time – President ___________ Welcome – President Flag Salute – Sergeant at Arms[...]
COB General Membership Meeting Meeting will be at Salty’s 5:00 PM – Banquet Room opens. You can order your food and eat at the restaurant or you can take your food to the banquet room[...]
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Corvettes of Bakersfield Board Agenda Date: First Tuesday of the Month Time: 6:00 pm Location: Miller’s Home Board Meeting Call to Order Time – President ___________ Welcome – President Flag Salute – Sergeant at Arms[...]
COB General Membership Meeting Meeting will be at Salty’s 5:00 PM – Banquet Room opens. You can order your food and eat at the restaurant or you can take your food to the banquet room[...]
Corvettes of Bakersfield Board Agenda Date: First Tuesday of the Month Time: 6:00 pm Location: Miller’s Home Board Meeting Call to Order Time – President ___________ Welcome – President Flag Salute – Sergeant at Arms[...]
COB General Membership Meeting Meeting will be at Salty’s 5:00 PM – Banquet Room opens. You can order your food and eat at the restaurant or you can take your food to the banquet room[...]
