A spectacular program of sightseeing, socializing and car-oriented fun is on tap for this year’s LCOC Western National Meet July 10-14 at Grand Junction, CO, graciously hosted by LCOC’s Rocky Mountain Region. Jake Dout and his gang have been toiling tirelessly for months to make this year’s meet an unforgettable experience for all. Warm, sunny weather, scenic wonders and the famed Colorado western-style hospitality all combine to welcome our group.
But you must act quickly—registration for exhibition or trophy competition for your Lincoln or Continental at the meet and for reservations at our special rate at the HQ hotel, the DoubleTree Grand Junction, both close June 19. That is just days away!
The room rate is $119.00 per night (plus taxes) for a standard king or double queen. The hotel offers free Wi-Fi, pool & whirlpool, fitness center, Bistro 743, and a lounge. To reserve your room call the hotel directly at (970)-241-8888 and ask for the “Lincoln and Continental Owners Club” rate. If you wish to arrive before the 10th or stay later than the 14th, please call Alex at 970-241-8888.
Click here to view and download the registration form for car owners and all meet attendees. Right click the form to download it.
The Schedule of Events is below:
Wednesday July 10 Welcome
Registration will open at 10 AM and close around 6 PM. Starting at 6 PM, a welcome reception held outside on the Peachtree Terrace, with free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, will run until sunset.
Thursday July 11 Colorado National Monument Tour:
The Colorado National Monument is a treasure near Grand Junction that typifies the Colorado Plateau’s dramatic mesa and canyon topography. The plateau that forms the “mesa” part is a high desert-scape at the edge of the Uncompahgre Uplift, some 6,000 feet above sea level and 2,000 feet above the Colorado River. Side canyons into the mesa created by its tributaries make it something of a mini-Grand Canyon, albeit a smaller, more manageable, and less crowded version.
The National Monument designation signifies a natural or cultural feature that is part of the US National Park Service. Its scenery is grand: sweeping vistas, imposing monoliths, wind and water carved pillars, spires and turrets, and layered cliff walls that are a geology text come to life all below the big blue dome of the Colorado sky.
Friday July 12 Gateway Tour & John Hendricks car collection:
On Friday we will start with a driving tour. As we leave the valley and climb our way up to the top of plateau, the view back across the whole valley is a sight to behold. As we start our descent and work our way through Unaweep Canyon, the true beauty of the area starts showing you her wonders. We will arrive at Gateway Canyons Resort and make our way to the car museum.
The Gateway Canyons Auto Museum features a brilliant display of American ingenuity. Spanning every era of the auto industry, the museum houses the privately owned Hendricks Collection of nearly 60 spectacular cars. The models and surrounding displays offer a rare glimpse into the beauty and history of the American automobile. Featured among rare and historic automobiles is the 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 concept car. The museum is devoted to offering and celebrating the history, design and social impact of the American automobile.
Gateway Canyons is located in Unaweep Canyon, one of the most unique red rock canyons in the world. The word Unaweep is a Native American term meaning “canyon with two mouths.” It is thought that the ancestral Colorado and Gunnison rivers may have cut through the soft red sandstone of the Uncompahgre Plateau, exposing stone dated to Precambrian times. This is said to be the only canyon in the world that is drained by two creeks, East Creek and West Creek, sending water off in opposite directions. Much like the nearby Colorado National Monument, our area has special recognition in Colorado geology. Ancient rivers eroded the rock away, and exposed more than a hundred million years of geologic records and fossils of dinosaurs and early amphibians. After we complete our visit, we will head back to the host hotel.
Friday evening we will have a cocktail hour, then a banquet and auction.
Saturday July 13 Car Show and Banquet
Saturday will be our traditional Lincoln car show with judging and exhibition. We are working with the hotel to hold a wine tasting of local wines in the afternoon. Later that night we will have the cocktail hour and the awards banquet.
Sunday July 14 Photos
Sunday morning John Walcek will be photographing the award winners, so get up early and polish those trophies.
The dramatic winter weather is living up to the Boston motto “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” It seems this is the norm across the country with frigid weather followed by abnormally warm weather. The only certain fact is that spring is just around the corner, and our Lincolns can start to peek out of the garage, longing to be on the open road. The Winter Board meeting, held in Tucson in January, was exceptionally constructive. The two and half days were full of productive discussions and improvements as suggested by your representatives, the National and Regional Directors. This year we had a number of changes in leadership positions due to retirements. The updated board worked very well together, so I expect there will be good progress this year improving the LCOC. Many thanks to Gary Birk for arranging the hotel, meeting room, wonderful lunches and of course the popular hospitality suite. Even after adjournment for the day, business continued in the hospitality suite as evidenced by the level of noise emitted from the room! Thanks, Gary!
The board members were greeted with a binder containing all the information needed for the meetings thanks to Executive VP Paul Temple. While it is a significant effort to collect the information and make copies, the binders facilitate discussions as everybody has a copy to reference and make notes on. This is something that Bob Johnson started, and Paul is continuing. This allows us to use every minute of these meetings to best advantage.
Steve D’Ambrosia is retiring as Chief Judge after five years of stellar service in this position. Steve improved the functioning of this office both behind the scenes and to the membership on the show field. I, along with the membership, were fortunate to have Steve provide his expertise in this important position. A big thanks to Steve for all your support as Chief Judge. I am happy to report that Tony Russo has accepted the Chief Judge’s position. Tony brings great enthusiasm to this position, knowledge of Lincolns and organizational skills. We are all familiar with Tony’s award winning 1927 L Judkins Coupe. Tony has additional changes planned to the process to optimize his team’s strengths to continue the improvements that Steve initiated.
VP Regions, Jon Wessel, retired early this year due to time and travel constraints. Jon has many great ideas for aligning regions based on the current size of the Club and the changing demographics. I will miss Jon’s ideas in our ever-changing hobby and hope to engage Jon in areas where we can utilize his knowledge base. Jon is heavily involved in the collector car hobby and has written many technical articles for Comments focused on driving our Lincolns. Jake Dout from Colorado, has agreed to take over as VP of Regions. Jake has experience in growing regions, as he and a team have shown with the Rocky Mountain Region. He is willing to share this knowledge with other regions to grow members and interest across the LCOC family.
I would encourage you to note how easy it is to contribute to our Foundation when renewing your membership. All amounts are appreciated, so don’t be bashful, as all contributions are greatly appreciated to assist in perpetuating the Foundation and the Lincoln Museum.
Until next time
John
