| California Healey Week 2001
By Rick Snover |
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| I arrived late Thursday night for my first California Healey
Week, at the Rio Bravo Resort in Bakersfield. Driving up in the evening
I missed most of the dayís horrendous heat in the Valley, but the resortís
lounge had closed by the time I got there, so I didnít see anybody until
breakfast Friday morning. I did see a whole bunch of Healeys in the parking
lot, though.
After a short stop in Kernville for refreshments, some of us continued on around Lake Isabella [see cover], while the rest returned down the canyon. Back at the resort, we relaxed and enjoyed some ìBlue One Seven Aleî (my first attempt at home brewing) until it was time to head into town for an excellent dinner Benjiiís Basque Restaurant. Saturday dawned bright and slightly cooler, and everybody was busy primping their cars for the car show. Before the show everybody brought their car past the resortís entryway to have their pictures taken, and I took the opportunity to snap shots of all the AHCSD members: |
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Ron & Sandy Davies |
Ralph & Ann Comito |
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Jim Albeck |
Roland Wilhelmy |
Kirk Kvam, w/ buddy Paul Turner |
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Warren Voth |
Ron Rader & Debi Nichols |
Ken & Jeanne Deringer |
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Once the shutters stopped clicking, it was time for the Car show. I guess there were 25-30 cars in all, but still no Sprites! I kept kicking myself for not trucking mine up. I coulda been a contender! |
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The Nasty Boys |
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After the Car Show and lunch, Ron Phillips staged a ìHealey
Fealeyî game in the resort restaurant, where various Healey parts and tools
were sewn into in red shop towels and players tried to guess what they
were. Given my non-existent familiarity with the fiddly bits of a Healey,
I didnít stick around (besides, I felt a nap coming on), but I guess it
was quite a hoot. The winners, announced at dinner that night, were:
1st Place Jim Albeck 24.5 points out of 40  Saturday
night brought the Awards Dinner, where I think the most excitement was
generated by the auction of the quilt Jan Schmidt donated, made from logos
cut from past California Healey Week tee shirts.
The Long Distance, Hard Luck, and Car Show awards were then presented, with AHCSD members sweeping the first two and taking half of the Car Show awards, including a sweep of the Modified class, plus Best Of Show! |
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Warren Voth receives the Long Distance Award from AHASC President Ralph Comito |
Ken Deringer receives the Hard Luck award (oil-clogged air filter sponges, only diagnosed after several hours of several folks trying everything else to get his Healey to start) |
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Modified (Nasty Boy) Winners: Ron & Sandy Davies, Ralph & Ann Comito, and Kirk Kvam |
Hundred winners: Gil & Jeanette Daab, Brian Mix, and Ron & LaRae Phillips |
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3000 Convertible Winners: Bob & Gloria Baron, Ron Rader & Debi Nichols, and Mike & Lida Grant |
Best Of Show: Ron Davies |
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| The final event of the ìweekî was Sunday morningís breakfast
and raffle. The breakfast buffet really helped dull my hangover (I wish
I wasnít quite so fond of Scotch!) and our table really cleaned-up in the
raffle. Mike Williams won a few prizes, including a Victoriaís Secret gift
certificate, Brian & Kathy Mix won several, and I even won some wine.
The big winner was Warren Voth though, taking the Grand Prize: a free pass
for next yearís CHW at the Royal Scandinavian Inn in Solvang.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I got to meet some new folks (including Mike Grant, Moss Motorsí Healey guy), share my homebrew with an appreciative audience (including Carroll Goldsworth, whose Brewers Resource was the source of my equipment and ingredients), see some great Healeys, and even ride in one. My drive home was uneventful, which was just fine by me, given my condition. Other folks seem to have had a much more fun and adventurous return trip. [See Kurt Mayís story, ìBound By The Marqueî.] Next year, Iíll be driving my own Healey to Solvang, so maybe I can have an ìadventureî, too. |
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