We have multiple social events during the year, either a fun run to some local attraction or on rural roads where we can operate our cars in an “enthusiastic” manner. We also put on one Corvette centric event a year we call the Blast. We invite Corvette owners from all over the area to join us for two days of fun. This includes an evening of socialization, food, drinks and games, a car show, a poker rally, funkhanna, a gimmick rally, raffles and an awards banquet.
April 11, 2026 – On what was supposed to be a sunny day, members Clay, Chuck, Cecilia, Brian, Rick and Gerry met up at the Pismo Outlets. Driving thru multiple rain squalls, the group followed Clay to the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles. There we toured the military displays and aircraft scattered around the grounds. Of course, we spent most of the time looking at the cars in the Woodland Auto Display, discussing personal events attached to cars similar to what we owned or knew of when we were younger. Then we went into town to Bubba’s Smokehouse and Spirits for a tasty lunch. We continued chatting about cars, sports and where we were when some of the theme songs playing in the background were first released. The group then dealt with more rain and heavy traffic on their way back home.
A sunny March 21st brought a respite from the record high temperatures the central coast had been experiencing. Members gathered in Santa Maria and headed out Betteravia to Foxen Canyon Road, then Palmer Road and onto the 101 and down to Los Alamos, where we had a great lunch at Charlie’s. The on-shore breeze kept everyone cool and we all enjoyed the great food. There was lively conversation as we caught up with what had been going on in our lives. Afterwards we drove over to the county park to take pictures of the cars and members.
On Feb 25th, Clay hosted a garage day at his place. Marc, assisted by Rick, took the opportunity to get his new (to him) car up on a lift and check out the underside and suspension. Gary polished the car he bought from Clay and was kidded about having to stop and re-polish it when he got off the dirt road in front of Clay’s place. Kathy made up some deviled eggs and Brian grilled hot dogs for the group. Chuck Pat and Gerry just hung out and chatted with everyone.
January 10, 2026 was our first Drive and Dine event of the year. Members met up for a easy drive down the coast to Jalama Beach County Park. The road from highway one to the beach twisted thru the coastal hills, letting us enjoy the handling of our great cars. The weather was cool and clear. Lunch at the Jalama Beach Store and Grill was very good. They have a great view of the beach and the hills from the dining room and we watched several surfers riding the waves. Heading out, we stopped along the road to get some pics of our cars before heading home.
December 10th saw members gathering for the annual Christmas Party. We enjoyed great company and good food. The gift swap and steal was as much fun as ever.
On November 11th, members Clay Beck, Chuck Robertson, Gerry White, Larry Wright and Brian Phillips joined the Central Coast Corvettes Club in lining up to parade our cars to the Veterans Memorial building in Santa Maria as part of the Veterans Day celebration. We enjoyed chatting with the members of the other club while waiting for the parade to start. Once we were at the building, we listened to the host of the event, Michael Clayton, talk about the reason for the event, singing from the Young Voices of Santa Maria Youth Choir and music provided by the Pioneer Valley High School marching band. There was also a display of marching by the California National Guard Grizzly Youth Academy. Afterwards we had lunch and a social time before heading home.
On November 2nd members met up and drove down to Nojoqui Falls State Park to attend the 53rd annual car show put on by the Central Coast Streetrods club. There we wandered around some 50 pre-1972 cars enjoying the view and talking about our experiences with and memories of similar cars in our past. We all had our favorite 2 or 5 cars from the show. Afterwards we drove up to Buellton and had a great lunch at the Firestone Brewery. We spent the time talking about sports, cars and everyday activities.
Our Drive and Dine event for October was on the 25th when members met at the Pismo Beach Outlets and then followed Clay up thru SLO and around Morrow Bay to Canbria where we had lunch at Main Street Grill. Then it was on up to Hearst Castle where we enjoyed viewing the documentary film on Hearst and the building of his estate. Afterwards we made our way back home, members peeling off from the drive as we passed their homes.
On “September 27, members met up in Pismo beach for a drive up the coast to Morrow bay. Brian led the way to show a new portion of the route that was deliciously twisty. We ended up at the Bay Side Cafe where we enjoyed good food and company. Afterwards we went to several locations to take pictures of the members and their cars. Although the overcast really never went away, we enjoyed the mild temps and views of the Morro Bay.
On July 4th, 2025, club members and friends gathered to participate in the Solvang 4h of July parade. We adorned our cars with some interesting decorations and had a blast throwing candy to the kids (and oldsters) that lined the parade route. Afterwards, those without prior commitments, gathered in Buellton for the usual lunch and conversation session.
Taking advantage of some great weather, club members gathered for the first social event of the year, a drive down to Santa Ynez via the back roads of the central coast. We stopped at the Maverick Saloon and enjoyed a good meal and great conversation.
Realizing it had been too long since the last social event, on June 7th members joined up for a run to Parkfield. This place claims to be the earthquake capital of the world. The rid up was a mix of busy freeway and entertaining back roads. We all enjoyed a great meal and talking about cars, health issues and life in general. Then back out on the back roads and the freeway home.
On December 19th, members met at the Santa Maria Boy’s and Girl’s Club to hand out gifts that we had purchased. There were over 100 kids from 5 up to 12 years old that were anxious to see SANTA and receive their gifts. Hector Paz again ruled as Santa! The kids were instructed to wait until everyone had received their gift and when the club leader gave the OK, it took about 5 nanosecond for the wrappings to be removed. The pictures below are just a sampling of all that were taken.
The club held a holiday party at Hapy Bistro in arroyo Grande. We had a great time talking about thanksgiving and upcoming Christmas/ New Year’s plans. The food was very good and spirits were high as we indulged in our White Elephant gift giving. After much opening and stealing of gifts we finished up the years social scene. Unfortunately, the photographer did not bring a flash and the dim lighting resulted in unusable photos.
The last Wednesday in October was our last Drive and Dine event. Members gathered in Santa Maria for a scenic run down Foxen Canyon and Alisos Canyon Roads to Los Alamos’ County Park where we enjoyed lunch, games and chatting in a relaxing environment.
On September 18th Mary Carson led some members on a Drive and Dine to Jalama Beach. They had a great time on the route and the conversation during lunch. The drive in and out offers great views of the local landscape.
We tried a weekday Drive and Dine and had a good turnout. On August 21st we gathered at the Pismo Beach Outlets parking lot and then drove up the coast to San Simeon to have lunch at Sebastian’s Cafe. As always, the views along highway 1 were fantastic. The socializing during lunch was a nice break from our daily routines. Afterwards we walked across the street to the Hearst Ranch Winery terrace that overlooked the cove. Next door were buildings left over from when Hearst built his famous castle. One was a warehouse that stored items brought in by boat that he had collected from around the world. There was also a church for the workers who were building the estate. Afterwards we headed south to Cayucos to enjoy ice cream and look around a bit. After that repast we made our separate ways home.
As we have done for many years, Club members and friends gathered to adorn their cars in preparation for the Solvang 4th of July parade. We decked out our cars in festive colors, chatted, compared adornments and waited for the start of the parade. We were lucky that most of the cars were in the shade as the temps were in the 90’s. Missing this year was permission to throw out candy to the children lining the parade route. We honked horns and revved engines instead. Afterwards we quickly took the decorations off and most drove over to Buellton to have lunch and socialize.
On June 22 several members convoyed down to the Murphy Auto Museum in Ventura. The group stopped to have lunch before going to the museum. They enjoyed the socializing opportunity. When they got to the museum they found that a model kit club was having a special event, so many of the cars had been moved outside or moved next to each other to make space for the event. The members still had a great time looking at the cars and discussing what they liked/disliked or memories of similar cars in their past. Driving back up the coast they enjoyed the scenery and seeing a Ferrari, Aston Martin and Bentley as they passed thru Santa Barbara.
April 27th saw us enjoying a Drive and Dine gimmick rally laid out by Mary Carson. This took us to many places along the coast as participants gathered names of places, streets and answered trivia questions. Everyone ended up at Depalo & Sons where lunch items were purchased and then on to Ebb Tide Park for social time.
We started the year on January 27th with a Drive and Dine run up to Creston for lunch at the Loading Chute restaurant. Once we were able to get off the freeway, we enjoyed the back roads of central CA. Lunch was good as always and the social time was great as well.
On October 28th, members convoyed down to the Mullin Automotive Museum in Ventura, stopping in Carpenteria for a meal and social time. The main exhibition at the museum was “L’epoque des Carrossiers: The Art and Times of the French Coachbuilders”. The cars were all very special 1920 & 1930 era cars with frames from manufacturers like Bugatti, Avions Voisin, Delahay and Hispano-Suiza. The coach builders included Bugatti, Citroen, De Villars, Figoni and Falaschi, Henri Chapron, Henri Labourdette, Million, Guiet & Cie., Pourtout, Jacques Saoutchik, Vanvooren, and Gabriel Voisin. Needless to say, the cars were fantastic and we all came away with a greater appreciation of the artistry from the height of the coach-built car era.
We held the 17th Annual Vapor Trail Vettes Blast on September 15 & 16. There were entries from clubs all over southern CA. The Friday night meet and greet was held in the cabana next to the pool. Everyone had a great time talking about how they spent the past year and finding out what others had been up to. As in past years, the Car Race game proved to be a lot of fun. The weather on Saturday cooperated with a cool morning during the tech inspection and Car Show. The Cornhole and Rolling Thunder games provided entertainment as well. Then the sun came out so that participants could enjoy the countryside as they tried to follow the clues in the Gimmik Ralley, and Poker Run. Then folks had a bit of relaxation time until the banquet started. After an enjoyable dinner the Car Show winners were announced, followed by the Raffle Prize winners and the 50/50 winner.
Congratulations to our WINNERS:
C2 – Greg Allington
C4 – Charlie Huereque
C5 – Steve & Karen Stevens
C6- 1st Place ~ Tom Catone
2nd Place ~ Phil & Sheena Caughey
C7 – Juan & Martha Ortega
C8 – 1st Place ~ Bill & Ursula Van Tongeren
2nd Place ~ Charles & Gail Boekenoogen
Games:
Rolling Thunder Bud & Shannon Norris
Cornhole Barry & Karen Misiuk
Poker:
Hidden Hand 1st Place ~ Bud Norris
2nd Place ~ Charles Boekenoogen
Poker Rallye 1st Place ~ Charles Spetnegel
Poker Rallye 2nd Place ~ Steve & Karen Stevens
Gimmick Rallye: 1st Place ~ Bud & Shannon Norris
2nd Place ~ Mark Gheno & Jeannie
Furthest Distance Traveled John Schembari
Club Participation Pomona Valley Corvette Association
The club and fellow Corvette owners joined to drive in the annual 4th of July parade in Solvang. We decorated our cars and tossed candy to the children lining the streets along the parade route. After the parade we drove over to Buellton to have lunch and social time.
The last social event of the year was the Christmas Party. Members met to enjoy their company and a fine dinner. The gift exchange was a hit with several takes amid much anticipation of who would take what.
The 16th Annual Blast was held on 14 -15 October. The Friday night social saw the participants enjoying catching up on what everyone had been doing over the last few years. As usual, there were a lot of raffle prizes and the 50/50 game was very popular. As always, the most popular game was the car race. As in prior years, everyone crowded around to participate or just watch. The Saturday car show is always a hit with attendees cleaning up their cars in preparation for the event. The Cornhole and Rolling Thunder games were also a hit. After lunch, the cars were sent out on a combination poker rally and gimmick rally which took the cars through some of the back roads around Santa Maria. The banquet was a great time. The food and service was excellent and everyone enjoyed talking about the day’s events. The following awards were handed out: (Missing some names)
Car Show
C5 1st place – Steve & Karen Stevens 2nd – Bob & Diana Davis
C6 1st place – Charles & Patricia Johnson 2nd – Richard & Jan Royal
C7 1st place – Juan & Martha Ortega 2nd – Bill & Ursula Van Tongeren
C8 1st place – Scott & Nancy Erickson
Cindy Orrico Award for Best of Show – Juan & Martha Ortega
Gimmick Rallye
1st Place – Doug & Sue McElroy 2nd Place – Steve & Karen Stevens
Hidden Poker Hand
1st Place – Mark Gheno 2nd Place – Bill & Ursula Van Tongeren
Poker Rallye
1st Place – Doug & Sue McElroy 2nd Place – Barbara Potter & Jean Alba
Furthest Distance – Daniel & Gina LeSueur
Club Participation – Pomona Valley Corvettes
Members and friends met up in Solvang to drive in the 4th of July parade. We enjoy dressing up our cars and throwing candy to the children along the parade route. Afterwards we drive over to Buellton to have lunch and chat.
Members gathered for the first Drive and Dine of the year, a drive up to Paso Robles and a tour of the Firestone Walker Brewey followed by a lunch at the Taproom Restaurant. The tour was very nice and the size and number of tanks used in the process awed all. Lunch was a time of chatter and enjoying each others company.
Members met for the 2021 Christmas party. Great conversation and good food was the order of the evening. We hope that next year more members will be able to join the event.
For the October Drive and Dine event club members Clay Beck, Holly & Jeff Palmer, Larry Wright and Chuck Robertson met up for a Drive out to Creston for lunch at the Loading Chute, a club favorite. We took some of the very twisty driving roads in the hills East of Santa Margarita up to Creston. We had a great time chatting about cars and past events.
Club members participated in the 9/11 memorial event at the Lompoc airport. There were four sets of parajumpers, each representing the impacts to the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and the brave passengers on Flight 93. Each event on that day was remembered with a minute of silence at the time the event took place. Club member Jeff Palmer flew his Citabria as part of the Missing Man formation honoring the first responders who lost their lives trying to save others.
With the restrictions lifting in June some members participated in the Solvang 4th of July parade. As in the past, we enjoyed showing off our cars and tossing candy to the children along the parade route.
