We got the word out by a special mailing and also the Studebanner but would they come? With 18 Studebakers on a rainy Saturday and 22 on the Sunday shows that we can deliver a great Studebaker show for all to enjoy. The Holtz family from Morven had all three of their Avantis on display and it was great to see all of the special effort our members did to make this car show happen. Norm had his Studebaker Memorabilia Museum on display which was very well received and this being the 100th Year of Studebaker in Canada made it even more special.
We had Chapter members from many parts of Ontario and they all made it to their motels driving a Studebaker to Napanee with no problems. We had stiff competition for the Farthest Distance award which was eventually won by George & Fran Christie from Collingwood - 331 Kms. Bob and Joanne Easton from Welland (229 Kms) were a very close second and Roy Ionson and Sophi were a close third at 226 Kms. In front of Norm’s Studebaker Display was Harold & Betty McKendry’s 1951 Champion Convertible which won People’s Choice for Saturday while on Sunday saw Bob & Joanne Easton’s 1960 Lark Convertible take 1st while Marilyn Simpson’s and Ralph Lemke’s 1955 Regal Coupe took 2nd. All of the Studebakers on display deserve a special mention and the hundreds of people who saw our display were very impressed.
We held both our dinners at The Smiling wilderness which proved to be a great decision as the food and service was second to none. The lasting memory I have is what we are in this hobby for and that is the enjoyment of driving our Studebaker(s) and the great camaraderie that is present at all of our events. Thanks to Gerald Benn and Norm McWaters for their hardwork in arranging this event and hope to see you all at Studefest in August. Last but not least while having coffee the next morning I was pleasantly surprised to see Norm McWaters with his 1956 Commander on the Front page of the Kingston Whig-Standard. Can’t get any better then that.
