From the President

As we head into the fall season MARCOM members are preparing for several signature events. September will bring the New England Meet with close to 200 Model A’s registered to attend this year’s event. The New England meet will be hosted by the Minutemen in beautiful Westwood, Massachusetts. We hope to see many of you there. In October we will head to Martha’s Vineyard for the 10th annual Wine & Food festival which is the 1st visit to the island for our club. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for event details going forward.

The September meeting program was a “Show & Tell” format prepared by Bruce Ketchen. A number of MARCOM members shared their technical and non-technical experiences with the Model A Ford. It was fun to hear how many of our members and friends are engaged in the hobby. We also discussed our upcoming annual auction which will occur at the November meeting. So please begin to rummage around your home for items you want to pass on for others to enjoy. Remember all proceeds go to the club treasury and help support future events that we all enjoy. The November meeting will also bring our 1st Annual Pie Extrav”A”ganza! Club members will bring their favorite pie to share with others. So far we have 11 distinct pies to sample, don’t miss it!

Our 1st call for club officers & board members will occur in the month of September. All positions are open as we look to encourage member participation. A nominating committee will be formed to guide the process and the board will solicit members to participate. Our club has many capable members so please consider helping to sustain this vibrant club by offering your time and energy. Please reach out myself or any board member to offer your support.

Our website committee has met to outline a plan to maintain the site content going forward. Thank you to Bruce Madio and Bruce Ketchen for volunteering their time to support this effort. Our goal will be to insure all newsletters are posted in the member’s only section and maintain a fully populated events calendar. I have noticed many new inquiries of our club come via the website. Please take some time to visit the site and become familiar with the content and how to navigate. It will be a great source of information going forward.

See you down the road,
Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

The month of July proved to be a good one for MARCOM. In addition to our annual blueberry picking tour, our club prepared to celebrate its 60th anniversary. On July 30th the sun was shining on MARCOM and its guests as 65 Model As and 128 people celebrated at the Holmes Transportation center in Norfolk, Mass. All of the hard work and preparation paid off as the local Model A community thoroughly enjoyed the sights & sounds of the day.

The goal of our 60th Anniversary was to bring out 60 Model As. As the morning progressed, it was evident we would make our goal. In addition to MARCOM members, other regional clubs such as the Cape Cod Model A Club, Blackstone Valley, Minuteman, Little Rhody, and MAFC of Connecticut members arrived to join the fun. When we reached our 60th car it was time to relax and enjoy the day.

The Holmes Transportation Center offers many ways to enjoy our hobby. In addition to the interesting memorabilia, toy cars, and tractors, the site includes a miniature train for kids young and old. Most of the attendees did decide to take a ride through the woods to another collection of transportation related antiques. Several unique tractors and a rare Ford school bus were on display for everyone to enjoy. Judging by the number of smiles, I would say the train rides were a big hit.

As the celebration continued, we all enjoyed our anniversary cake and picnic lunch under the tent and of course kicking some tires in the parking lot. Many photo opportunities were had as the event brought out many longtime members and their Model As. 8 past president were in attendance and a nice photo was taken of the group in recognition of their efforts to lead the club over the years.

Special thanks to the MARCOM board of directors for their efforts to organize and run the 60th Anniversary event. I also want to thank Pat Zwicker for her efforts on registration and Jane Ketchen for the wonderful cake provided for the event. And of course, all the folks who stepped up that day to lend a hand with the raffle, set up and clean up. Your efforts were recognized and resulted in a memorable event for all.

Our August meeting was a chance to learn a bit about the Model A distributor. Ed Hunt shared his experience and knowledge on this critical system. Ed also handed out a nice fact sheet to provide members with tips on this critical system. We thank Ed for his effort to share his knowledge with fellow MARCOM members. August will also bring some of us to Stowe Vermont for the annual flea market and car show. This is always a great event in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Hope you can make it.

MARCOM will celebrate its 1st annual Pie Extrav”A”ganza! What is that you ask? Members will be baking/buying a variety of pies to enjoy at our November meeting. A signup sheet is available at our monthly meeting to list what type of pie you are willing to bring. Our goal is to have a wide variety to sample. Please consider signing up and joining in the fun.

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

The summer is proving to be a memorable one for MARCOM members as beautiful weather continues to entice members to drive their Model A’s and enjoy the many events planned for 2016. Our tour to Blithewold in Bristol, RI was an enjoyable outing as members experienced the luxury of a time gone by at this well preserved mansion and grounds. We also enjoyed the comradery of our friends from the Cape Cod Model A club and look forward to future outings with our fellow Model A’ers from the region. Our tour was followed by lunch at Blount seafood’s clam shack where we all indulged in the best summer has to offer. Once again we want to thank Charles & Gloria for their effort to plan this tour.

Despite the threat of passing storms MARCOM members showed up in force at our summer ice cream tour on July 1st at Crescent Ridge in Sharon, Mass. This family farm has been in existence since 1932 and continues to be one of the premier dairy farms in our region. Who doesn’t like ice cream? Just another reason to get out and enjoy the ride and a bit of tire kicking. Members also discussed upcoming parades in both Squantum and Duxbury as we look forward to celebrating the 4th of July.

This month MARCOM plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary on July 30th at the Holmes Transportation Center in Norfolk, Mass. We are all ready to go! Commemorative gifts have been purchased for all who bring a Model A. Please encourage all our Model A friends to attend as our goal is to bring out 60 Model A’s for the event. We are also planning to photograph the event for an article in the national magazines. We hope to see you all there. Don’t forget July is our blueberry picking month and that tour has always been a popular outing. Please look for further details in the newsletter.

Do you have an idea for a tour or monthly meeting program? We are always looking for members to share their knowledge and experience and welcome any thoughts or ideas. If you would like to share or suggest any ideas please let me know. We rely on our members to participate to make our events enjoyable for all.

Enjoy your summer,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Summer is here and MARCOM is in high gear. A great turn out for our June meeting as we all enjoyed the Edison-Ford video “Into the Wild”. As with everything these great innovators attempted, they combined their fascination with the natural world, business interests, and inquisitive nature to share ideas and advance their work. With 5 personal chefs and the company of the president of the United States, seemed like a nice camping trip to me. I hope everyone enjoyed the video.

Our touring season is in full swing. Charles and Gloria Jacobsen have prepared a tour on June 26 to the beautiful Blithewood mansion, gardens & arboretum in Bristol, RI. There is a $8 entry fee (discounted rate) to be paid to Charles & Gloria at the time of entry. July 4th parades are also on the schedule in both Squantum & Duxbury. The Duxbury parade is a paid event for our club if we are able to enter 5 cars. Please consider supporting this event for the good of the club. Look for further detail on these tours in the newsletter, website, and email.

Our July 1st club meeting will be transformed into an Ice Cream Tour. Members are encouraged to drive their Model A’s to Cresent Ridge Dairy, 355 Bay Road, Sharon, Ma. for 7:00 PM. There will be plenty of parking and from what I am told some great ice cream. We are asking everyone to tour from their home to Cresent Ridge as we will not meet at the church that evening. We hope to see many of you there.

MARCOMs’ 60th Anniversary is coming together nicely. Our venue is set, tent & chairs secured, and gifts purchased for everyone who brings a Model A. Our goal of 60 Model A’s is very achievable as we have invited other regional Model A clubs to join our event. To date we have 28 cars and 55 people registered and folks continue to sign up. Your board members continue to work behind the scenes to pull this event together. However, we are in need of several volunteers that day to assist with parking. Please let me know if you can help.

The 1st half of our year has been fantastic! I want to personally thank the MARCOM board members, and club officers for their efforts to administer club activities. We are always in need of your support to offer tours and programs. We also encourage our members to consider accepting board or officer roles going forward. Many hands make for light work and our goal is to have fun with our cars so please consider joining in.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Wow! What a great turn out for MARCOMs first event of the season. 36 members enjoyed the Presidents’ Tour to Factory 5 Racing to visit the world leader in kit car manufacturing. Every step of the process was described during the tour from frame welding to body panel molding. It was easy to see the care and precision applied to build these fine American built kit cars. MARCOM would like to thank Factory 5’s Director of Engineering, Jesper Ingerslev for the personal tour through the factory and process. After the tour, members enjoyed lunch at Vel’s in Wareham and I received many complimentary comments afterwards on the meal and restaurant staff.

On May 7th MARCOM members attended the annual “Sticker Day” hosted by Paul and Kathy Lucchetti at the family business in Marshfield, Mass. MARCOM members enjoyed coffee and donuts and the comradery of other members in the car hobby. In addition to Model A’s, members were able to view Packard’s, Model T’s, Buick nailheads, T-birds, and a very rare Hudson Terraplane. Needless to say a little rain could not keep our club members from enjoying the day. We want to thank Paul & Kathy for continuing to host “Sticker Day” and supporting MARCOM and the local car community.

At the May meeting we were able to present the Richard L. Morgan award to Frank Dent for his extraordinary effort with the new MARCOM website. As with most Morgan Smith recipients, Frank will be leaving a lasting imprint on MARCOM and the membership thanks him for his dedication and support. As Frank will be relocating to the mid-west this year, we were proud to have his contributions recognized.  Best of luck in your new adventures Frank!

MARCOM continues to plan several exciting events for the upcoming months. Our first ever tour to Martha’s Vineyard continues to shape up and we thank Ken Trudel for his efforts to date. Next steps are to book the Ferry ride and consider some of the activities we will be participating in during our stay. Please look for additional information via email over the next several weeks.

The club also voted to fund the 60th Anniversary of MARCOM which will be held on July 30th 2016. Many of our current club members have dedicated many years to MARCOM and we look at our 60th anniversary as a celebration of those individuals who helped sustain the club to this point. Board members have agreed to supply a tent/chairs in addition to a commemorative anniversary gift to everyone who brings a Model A. Remember our goal is to get 60 Model A’s at the event. Registration is required, so please sign up at the next meeting or email Pat Zwicker to register at a29lady@aol.com.

Thank you to Bruce & Jane Ketchen for providing the monthly meeting program. We all enjoyed the video of Luis Matar’s adventure of non-stop travel across the country in his custom Cadillac. A lot of laughs were had as we witnessed tires being changed at 35 MPH, running board showers, and a custom barbecue in the back seat. This was definitely a unique adventure not taken by many but revealed some ingenuity and brought a lot of smiles to all who witnessed. Next month we will show a video on Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone vacationing in the wilderness as they pondered their next great innovations. Don’t miss this interesting American documentary of people who in many cases shaped our current lifestyle.

Many thanks to our members who continue to support our monthly meeting. We had over 40 people at our May meeting. Members contributed food items, raffle gifts, and most importantly their time to make our meeting fun for all. Your generosity and contributions are recognized and appreciated. We encourage all of our members to participate and are open to ideas and suggestions. Please reach out to me if you are willing to help in any way.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Spring is finally here and the Model A’s are getting prepared for a full season of tours and events. Our monthly meeting was well attended as we continued to celebrate the volunteer spirit. We awarded a number of our members who were not able to attend the awards brunch with specialized service pins recognizing their contributions in 2015. We were also able to present Luke Dent with the Richard L. Morgan award for his efforts to rejuvenate our website. Our member’s generosity continues in 2016 as our April meeting had a great abundance of food and raffle gifts which made for an enjoyable evening.

MARCOM recorded its highest attendance ever for its March events as member enjoyed both the annual awards brunch and the flea market. Dean Zwicker reported on flea market success and thanked all the members for their support. Members participated not only as vendors, but by donating food items, staffing the food table, and setting up a membership drive. Thanks again to Rick Coffey for his effort which resulted in 5 new member families joining on that day.

Long time members Charles & Gloria Jacobson delivered the April meeting program. It was easy to recognize Charles & Gloria have a long history in the Model A hobby. Charles chronicled his involvement in the hobby and some interesting Model A’s along the way. We also reminisced over some older MARCOM events and member photos enjoying the various events and tours over the years. Thank you to Charles for taking the time to assemble the program and we look forward to seeing the second chapter at an upcoming meeting.

The touring season is underway with the President’s tour on April 30th. The club will travel to Factor 5 Racing in Wareham, Mass. to witness the construction of a number of kit cars and car haulers. This is a real factory tour were members will be able to get up close to the manufacturing process and actually sit, touch and feel the finished products. Afterwards, we will the enjoy lunch at Vel’s restaurant and look forward to a good turnout for this event.

Planning continues for two other major events as we plan for our 60th anniversary event and the Martha’s Vineyard tour. There is a lot of excitement for each event and we encourage you to participate. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for further detail over the next several months. If any member would like to offer a tour or meeting program please let us know. We encourage a variety of activities and are open to ideas and suggestions.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

The month of March has been very busy for MARCOM members. Our monthly meeting program revealed the inner workings of the Hershey Antique Auto Flea Market with a slide show of my walk through of 25 miles & 9000 vendors displaying parts/memorabilia and anything else you could have imagined. We also viewed the Hershey high wheeler races which are truly one of a kind. MARCOM members at the meeting recorded a cumulative 100 years of attendance to date. Our own MARCOM flea market recorded the highest attendance ever! 393 people paid to attend and thanks to the efforts of Rick Coffey setting up a membership table we were able to attract 5 new members. We thank the Holmes family for their support and Dean Zwicker for continuing to organize the annual event.

March also brought our annual awards brunch with 78 members in attendance. Thank you to Ben Johnson for providing an historical perspective on both Richard L. Morgan and Marie L. Smith. Frank & Luke Dent each received the Morgan award and Laurie O’Conner received the Smith award for their dedication and service over the past year. Also, many of our members received special recognition for their continued support throughout the year with a customized service pin. The Fireside Grille appeared to be a big hit and the food and feedback from members was excellent. Please congratulate our winners next time your see them at one of our events.

It’s time to dust off the Model A and get ready for touring season. What a great line up of tours and events on 2016. The Presidents tour will take us to Factory 5 Racing in Wareham, Ma. A remarkable company building a number of kit cars and car haulers right here in Massachusetts. Don’t’ forget our 60th Anniversary Event at the Holmes transportation center on July 30th. Our goal is to get 60 Model A’s at the event which will also have train rides, picnic, and a special gifts for anyone who brings their Model A to the event. And a 1st for MARCOM as we head to Martha’s Vineyard with our Model A’s. Please see the details within this newsletter and watch for update overs the next several months.

If you are interested in participating, running a tour, offering a program, or supporting our monthly meeting please jump in. We rely on our members to participate and your support is truly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting or event.

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Hello everyone,

It looks like Mother Nature has the final word as snow forced the cancellation of our February meeting. The snow however has not stopped all the work behind the scenes to prepare for a very busy year for MARCOM. On February 10th our club will host a tour committee meeting inviting all members to contribute their ideas and lead Model A tours which are fun for all who participate. Thank you to Lou & Rose Zadra for opening up their home to host this meeting. We are also preparing for our annual awards brunch on March 13th at the Fireside Grille in Middleboro, Mass. To enjoy a good meal and honor our fellow club members with the annual Morgan-Smith Award. The board has prepared guidance for the nomination process which can be found in this newsletter. I encourage you to take some time to nominate your fellow members for this prestigious award as the volunteer spirit is truly what makes our club work.

For all the treasure hunters out there, the MARCOM annual flea market is scheduled for March 6th at the Holmes Transportation Center in Norfolk, Mass. Yet another chance to find items you may need for your restoration or add to the collection of Model A parts and pieces you may need some day.  At our upcoming March meeting we will present a slide show of the largest antique auto flea market in the world, yes, Hershey. Please mark you calendars

Finally, the board has established June 11th for MARCOMs 60th anniversary celebration. The Holmes transportation center will be our venue. In addition to the potential of 60 model A’s on site, the Holmes family will open up their antique auto and memorabilia collection, provide miniature train rides for the kids and the open field for our drone photos. The board continues to investigate gift items for all who drive a Model A to the event. Remember our challenge is to get 60 Model A’s for our 60th Anniversary!

Enjoy the snow and I hope to see you at our next meeting,

Best Regards,

Bill Brum
President
Model A Restorers Club of Massachusetts

Welcome to 2016!  I want to introduce myself to members who may not know me. My name is Bill Brum and I have been a member of MARCOM since 2009. Born & raised in Dartmouth, Mass. I have lived in this region my entire life. I currently live in Raynham, Mass. with my wife Kerrie and two kids Carolyn & Bill. (Some of you have met my family at past club events and tours) The kids are 20 now and making their way in the world. It has been great to include my family in the Model A hobby and MARCOM members were very welcoming along those lines.

As a 30 year (and counting} Mechanical Engineer my interest in automobiles started as a teenager working in the family auto business. Spending the summers during my grade school and high school years doing both mechanical and body work and anything else that needed to be done in the shop. After a long hiatus through college, raising a family, and working in my profession I decided it was time to get back into the car hobby. There is just something about the Model A ford that attracts us all.  Whether it’s the styling, sound of the flathead, or just the fun of driving this era car, the Model A continues to lure car enthusiast. 

I hope to continue to lead MARCOM through another year of fun with our cars and the club. This year we celebrate our 60th year as a club. We intend to mark this celebration with a special anniversary event with a goal of bringing 60 cars out for our 60th anniversary. We will also prepare unique anniversary gifts to commemorate this event for all who participate. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this special event! (More detail to come in the upcoming months) 

I also want to thank Chuck Marchewka for his dedication and effort over the past few years as our past president. Indeed we thank all the volunteers in 2015 for their support during meetings, tours, and events. It is through your collective efforts that the club continues to attract new members and remain vibrant for all to enjoy. I want to encourage all of our members to consider contributing in 2016 and add to the fun and legacy of our club.

See you down the road,

Best Regards,

Bill Brum