What has your local Model A club done recently?

[atch]

I'm interested in hearing what other Model A clubs do or have done.

The Mid Missouri Model A Restorers Club (MMMARC) has a club meeting on the first Thursday of every month (excluding December) at 6:00 pm. We used to have it at 7:00 but we're all getting older so we moved it forward to eliminate a bit of after-dark driving.

Then on the third Thursday of each month (again excluding December) we have a social luncheon where the members and wives/girlfriends/etc. meet at a restaurant somewhere in the Columbia/Jefferson City/Fulton area for lunch and a gabfest.

This year I'm the VP but have been acting president for most of the year due to the president's wife's medical problems precluding him leaving her at home by herself. Note: I was the elected president for 2025 so acting this year is a natural. The president chooses where the monthly luncheons will be held. I always consult with Sherry, my sweetie/wife, about destinations. A couple of months ago she said "why don't we have the September social at our house?" Sounded like a good idea to me so I started emailing the membership stating so. I asked everyone to fill in a sign-up sheet at the September meeting regarding how many would be coming and what side dish they would bring. The club paid for burgers, brats, and dogs which I grilled. Sherry and I supplied various items.

So our September luncheon was held at the Atchley homestead this past Thursday. We had 26 people here. Three folks drove their Model A's and I brought mine around the house from its storage spot in my shop. We parked all four of them in the front yard.

I had originally requested everyone bring lawn chairs so we could sit on the patio &/or front porch. As it's still unseasonably hot I figured everyone would stay inside. Well, most of the men ate on the front porch under roof and open on three sides which facilitated a nice breeze, even though the temp was at or near 100°F. I had told everyone to begin showing up at 11:00 and stay as long as anyone wanted. We ate at 1:00 and the last group left at around 3:30. To my way of thinking it was a roaring success.

As is the case nearly every time a group gets together like this the side dishes brought were the best that folks know how to prepare. I tried to sample everything and I can tell you that it was all superb.

Once or twice a year we try to have a tour to someplace within about a 75 mile radius where folks drive their Model A's. I'll report on the next tour when it happens. Typically these are spring and fall when weather is neither hot nor cold.

The A's:

 

[nkaminar]

My Tar Wheel A's club does the usual things but here is one that is unusual.

September 20th (Sunday) Show our Model A's to the residents of Gracious Living Retirement Center in Cary. <This is a> fun event showing our Model A's and providing rides to the residents. <> This event will run from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and refreshments and snacks will be provided by the Center.

The residents really enjoy getting to ride around in the old cars.

 

[atch]

Well, speaking of retirement centers, last Tuesday a group of us did the annual parade at the Lenoir Center here in Columbia. This was not a strictly Model A event, and the MMMARC wasn't specifically invited, but two of us took our Model A's. They put Phil and me, in our Model A's, at the front of the parade.

 

[J Franklin]

The McKensie A's in Eugene Oregon meets on the first Thursday of the month. We recently set up a specialty tool library for members, to share and use tools for Model A repair.

 

[Ayers1]

Our club meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month. We have visited 2 senior living communities this summer. We get invited to show our cars at a local middle school in the fall when they are discussing assembly line production and how much it changed how America works. We have had 3 tech\tune up days and will have a 4th one in October. We also meet for breakfast 1 Saturday a month and go for a couple hour tour afterwards. We will finiish up the year with a Christmas party.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Our local club, -the East Tennessee Model A Restorers Club is down to about 15 members now. The proverbial '-one foot in the grave!' seems pretty applicable in this scenario. So to answer your question, I guess that answer would be they held on for one more month.

The sad thing is this Chapter of MARC was founded in 1958. Sadly, many members have passed and the club has just fallen stagnate over the past decade. Ironically there are several younger Model-A owners that are active with their A's in the area however they tend to prefer participating on more of a broader scale than on the local or even regional scale.

 

[Fullraceflathead]

Atch I wish I lived closer to you I would like to attend some of those model A. meetings but I'm live far from Columbia Missouri I'm in Chillicothe Missouri which is northwest.

 

[mleder]

The Twin Cities Model A Ford Club ( Minnesota) We have about 235 members, we have what we call restoration clinics from September thru May at a church once per month, an annual Pancake breakfast, tune up clinic in the spring, and members meet for lunches or breakfast possibly once per week, We usually have a tour where there is 2-4 nights stay in a hotel, We have a tool lending library, book library and video lending library, we record our clinics and have a youtube page where we post most of them on, we stream our clinics to members who are snowbirds or cannot attend in person. Recently we have started a pair of Model A's for a member that have sat for 29 years and was a clinic presentation We also started another A in a barn sat untouched for 10 -12 years a few weeks after. These are learning projects that we like to use as a teaching moment. We also have a nomination banquet and an end of the year banquet. We have a budget and with our board and caring members we have a strong treasury and what I believe is a great club with generous members sharing knowledge and creating good programing.

 

[Synchro909]

Our local club, -the East Tennessee Model A Restorers Club is down to about 15 members now. The proverbial '-one foot in the grave!' seems pretty applicable in this scenario. So to answer your question, I guess that answer would be they held on for one more month.

The sad thing is this Chapter of MARC was founded in 1958. Sadly, many members have passed and the club has just fallen stagnate over the past decade. Ironically there are several younger Model-A owners that are active with their A's in the area however they tend to prefer participating on more of a broader scale than on the local or even regional scale.

The ageing out of members is a problem in clubs like ours all around the world. That includes the Model A movement here. We have held a National Meet every even numbered year for many years but we have just learned that 3 out or the 5 states have withdrawn from staging another, That leaves only 2 and they are on opposite sides of the country with about 2,000 miles between the capitals. 2028 (the centenary of Model As) looks like being the last.
In the other club my wife and I belong to, we have made a concerted effort to attract younger members and we have had some success. The most successful action has been what we call the B40 rally run each year. The only rules are that the driver must be under 40 (ish) and the cars older than 40 years. Non club members are welcomed. Many of the participants use dad's or granddad's car and are surprised at how much they enjoy the weekend. They do all of the things that the ageing out members used to do and have a ball. We have picked up several new (youger) members that way.

 

[Mulletwagon]

Here in the Florida Panhandle, the only thing my club did was fold up !! The lesson learned was not a new one. As the number of Model A enthusiasts continues to decrease, the importance of bringing in younger members cannot be over emphasized. The average age of our club membership was over 70 with no new members in years. The day finally came when the few remaining members sadly determined the club was no longer sustainable. After 60+years of good times and great comraderie - it was over. Strongly recommend every club develops a recruiting campaign to maintain interest in the Model A - America's most notable time machine.
FL Panhandle

 

[Keith]

Our Worcester County Model A Club just finished hosting the 69th Annual New England Model A Meet in Southbridge, MA. We had 150 registrations with Model A's from all six New England States including NY, NJ, PA, TN, MN longest distance and Ont. Canada.
Next event is our ladies day tour in Oct.

Check out our FaceBook page New England Meet 2026

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4052921674976104

 

[Bob Bidonde]

The Model "A" Ford Club of Long Island is very active year round. The Club has 150+ members, but only about 40 are active. Our Activities VP keeps us busy with 2 to 3 activities per month. The Club has:
> An annual Model "A" Day club car show & picnic;
> An annual Model "A" Club Picnic held jointly with the local Early V8 Ford Club;
> An annual Club Auction;
> An annual Installation Dinner & Christmas Party;
> Many holiday & special occasion parades;
> Lots of tours to Long Island attractions;
> An annual Fall Foliage Run;
> Participation in the annual Model "A" New England Meets;
> An annual Inspection Clinic;
> An annual Wheel Alignment Clinic & Barbecue;
> An annual Meet & Greet for automotive students at the Suffolk Community College;
> An annual Cracker Barrel Run to see restoration projects & car collections;
> Joy rides always with lunch at a restaurant
The Club has monthly club meetings wherein its is my job as the Technical VP to do a PowerPoint slide show & tell. Visit The Club's website at https://www.modelalongisland.com/

 

[German guy]

My Model A Südliches Weinstrasse 'club' did a sort of 'end of summer'two week long marathon of events. 13 A's plus one 'B', and one V8. We started out participating in a classic car event ending in a parade through Bornheim with lots cheering classic car fans along the route...followed by another classic car show in Albersweiler....followed by 4 days of drives through the mountains and forests along the French border and toward the Rhine River. Each day was about 135-150 km with stops at interesting sites. Lots of steep inclines and wild switchbacks through the mountains serving as an excellent steering and brake test and highlighting the advantage of having added a 6.1 head. One highlight was a stop at the early 11th century castle , Trifels in which Richard Lionheart was held captive on his way back from the crusades. Perfect weather! That was followed by Germany's largest classic car event (Heidlauf) with over 3000 classic cars including our 15 'A's' driving along the Weinstrasse (Wine Street) through the vineyards...about 140 km on Saturday and Sunday 12&13 Sept. Some of the cars came from as far away as Thuringen (former East Germany)requiring a 8-10 hour drive with a few (including a charming couple in their upper 80s) even daring to drive some of the way on the Autobahn (never going to happen in my 'Henry' with cars whizzing past at 180+ kmph).


Lots of tech info and 'A' stories shared.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbrYqR_nRLo

 

[Bob Bidonde]

Most recently my Model "A" club attended the 69th New England Model "A" Ford Meet in Southbridge, Massachusetts. The Nor'easter caused the rescheduling of our annual club auction.

 

[atch]

I imagine that most of your clubs have a Christmas party Let's hear about yours.

The Mid Missouri Model A Restorers Club usually has a lunch meal. Meat and veggies catered and everyone brings a side dish also. The catered food usually is chicken, ham, mashed 'taters, green beans, and rolls. After we eat we have a gift exchange. All the men bring a present marked "for men" and all the ladies bring a gift labeled "for ladies." We draw numbers from a hat and use those numbers to take turns opening gifts. You're all familiar with the "take a new (unopened) gift or steal one already opened" deal. That's what we do and no gift can be stolen more than two times. Men open "men" gifts and ladies open "ladies" gifts. We normally start arriving at 11:00, eat at noon, and are ready to leave by 2ish. This is the setup we've been doing for several years. Some members have suggested changing up somewhat for 2027. Maybe we will and maybe we won't.

f-w-i-w: this slide hammer came from one of these Christmas parties. I was fortunate enough to be the second one to steal it so got to keep it. It's made from a Model A brake rod, Vise Grips, and a weight made by welding thick washers together. If you zoom in enough you can make out the date Wes stamped in the weight the day he made it. I think it's December something of 2006.