Chapter Announcements

Super Show Page Finalized

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:08:00 EST

The Bill Rapp Super Show page has been finalized with all the information about the show, including entry fees as well as a printable show flyer and entry form.

Pictures from February Meeting & Newsletter Posted

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:04:00 EST

To see February's meeting pictures click the link above.
To view the newsletter for February click HERE.

Art Johnston receives commemorative Pontiac clock for his awesome service -Video-

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:33:00 EST

At the January meeting our new President Joe Britt presented 2006-09 President Art Johnston with a commemorative neon Pontiac clock for his great service as President. Missed the unwrapping or care to see it again?
Click the above link
P.S. Natalie, pay extra close attention!

Newsletter now online too

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:27:00 EST

We talked at the last meeting about putting the monthly newsletter online, so starting this month the newsletter will be e-mailed out along with being sent out in print. Wanna save the club some money or do ya just hate paper? Let Natalie know and you can just receive the newsletter via e-mail.

Super Show Page Updated

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:24:00 EST

June 13th is coming up fast, at least I think it is, so I've updated the Bill Rapp Super Show page with information for this years show along with a printable show flyer. I'm also working on a printable application which will be up soon...

Plainville's Nature's Fare Restaurant closes after battle with economy, salmonella

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:17:00 EST

Cicero, NY -- Plainville's Nature's Fare Restaurant, an institution in Cicero since 1974, shut down abruptly and permanently today.

Owner Mark W. Bitz said a combination of hard economic times and the difficulty in cooking and preparing between 100 and 200 fresh, raw turkeys a day while avoiding food-borne illness led him to the decision.

The restaurant served its last meal Monday night and the company's 35 employees began learning of the closure when they arrived for work this morning.

Customers who had reservations to dine received calls from the restaurant canceling them. A sign greeted those who walked up to the door at 8450 Brewerton Road: "We are closed permanently. Thank you for your patronage."

Bitz said he made the decision after learning from the Onondaga County Health Department this morning that two suspected cases of salmonella in January had been traced to the restaurant.

"We've done everything we can think of to prevent it," Bitz said.

Cases of salmonella traced to the restaurant had declined from about 20 in 2008 to seven in 2009 as the restaurant hired a quality control person, instituted new sanitary and washing procedures and took other steps, he said.

"We've not been able to drive it to zero," he said.

Bitz said the restaurant had seen business decline 15 percent with the recession, and that without growth in the area, he saw little prospect of that business returning.

"We just reached the decision that the model no longer works," Bitz said.

Bitz said he planned to contact people in the restaurant business to see if they wanted to buy the site and operate it under a model that does not involve working with fresh, raw poultry.

Hopefully, a restaurateur would hire at least some of his staff, he said. The workers will be paid their unused sick, vacation or personal time.

County Health Commissioner Dr. Cynthia Morrow said she learned late Monday afternoon that two county residents had contracted salmonella of a subtype that had previously been associated with Plainville's Nature’s Fare. Interviews revealed that both patients had dined at the restaurant, she said.

When she called Bitz with the news this morning, Bitz told her he would close, she said.

Bitz and his staff had worked closely with her department for more than a year and aggressively addressed all concerns, but poultry is susceptible to bacterial infection, she said.

“It’s really unfortunate,” Morrow said. “We know how important Plainville's Nature’s Fare has been to this community. But I really respect Mr. Bitz’s decision because above all, we don’t want any harm to our residents’ health.”

Bitz helped his father, Robert, open the restaurant in 1974 as an adjunct to their Plainville Turkey Farm business. The Bitz family sold the farm in 2007 to Hain Celestial Group, but retained the restaurant under the new name. It served about 250,000 customers annually, he said.

Bitz is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 25th Congressional District, the seat now held by Democrat Dan Maffei.

January meeting pictures added

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:28:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

And the people were seen

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:24:00 EST

At our January meeting Jim Patterson had an idea, an idea to put faces with people's cars. So I took some pictures of some of you and now you, yourself and your significant other are on your designated member page.
Didn't get your picture taken? Let me know at the next get together.

Bob & Barbara Conniff's member page updated

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST

After our last meeting at the Spaghetti Warehouse Bob Conniff sent me over some great factory-like photos of his cars.
Click on over and check out his new Camden Gangster Ride.

Another site to get lost in

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

Here's a site our new president, Joe Britt, sent me.
For those of you looking to procrastinate at work or to lose track of time and you realize it's time to make the morning coffee, this is a site for you...

I came across this site while browsing the interwebs, pretty neat stuff.

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:50:00 EST

The DetroitYES project began with the 1996 launch of the "Fabulous Ruins of Detroit" tour.

This guided tour of the contemporary ruins of Detroit is accompanied by brief notes which, woven together, tell the story of the precipitous decline of the great city of Detroit in the late 20th Century.

Along away the visitor will discover a snapshot of the ruins of Detroit in the mid 1990's meant to stimulate and energize discussion of the questions, "What went wrong?" and "Where to do we go from here?"

The "Classic Tour" forms the core of the DetroitYES project, an endeavor that has grown to over 2000 pages and has become home the most active forum for the discussion of Detroit, its problems and its promise -
The Discuss Detroit Forum.

Now, as for centuries, tourists behold those ruins with awe and wonder. Yet today, a vast and history laden ruin site passes unnoticed, even despised, into oblivion.

Come, travel with me, as I guide you on a tour through the fabulous and vanishing ruins of my beloved Detroit.

December Meeting Minutes

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:54:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

Christmas Party Pictures

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:08:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

November Meeting Minutes

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:08:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

Pictures from October Meeting Posted

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:22:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

October Meeting Minutes

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:04:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

September Meeting Minutes

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:32:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

Cash-for-clunkers gems: Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs and one infamous Bentley meet the end of the road

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:22:00 EST

By now, the high-profile casualties of cash-for-clunkers are well documented: a Bentley Continental R and an Aston Martin DB7 Volante from 1997 and a 1985 Maserati Quattroporte all perished under the government-funded incentive program.

But scratching beneath the surface reveals that scores of everyday enthusiast rides such as Mustangs, Camaros and even some Corvettes met ignominious endings by having their engines destroyed and their bodies crushed.

While it’s likely that many of the nearly 700,000 clunkers turned in actually were at the end of their roads, the final report released by the government reveals the demise of plenty of affordable, likely still-fixable cars that could have been enjoyed by collectors of all ages.

Ford’s sales were boosted considerably by the clunkers incentive, and the Focus was the fourth best-seller among new cars bought under the program. But many of its favorite cars of yesteryear were scrapped--most notably, the stable of Mustangs on the nation’s roads is considerably smaller. A total of 1,611 pony cars from 1984 to 2008 were turned in, including--surprisingly--one ’08 model. Yes, many of these were the forgettable rides of the 1980s and ’90s, before the car was remade similar to its original iconic form earlier this decade, but it’s still a considerable figure of sportier-than-average cars taken off the road.

The Blue Oval also saw the end of 107 Taurus SHOs from 1993 to 1999, and a whopping 3,061 Thunderbirds from 1984 to 1995. Stunningly, a 2005 T-Bird, one of the 1950s-styled coupes Ford brought back on a limited basis, also was slated for scrapping.

Luxury cars were not immune to the crusher, either. A 1999 Mercedes C43 AMG, a 2000 Jaguar XK8 convertible and a 1998 BMW Z3 Roadster will not be buffed or polished again. Additionally, two 1991 BMWs, a M3 and a M5 never again will be ultimate driving machines, and a slew of 7-series, including 100 from 1988, are done.

The Continental R was perhaps the single most infamous car taken off the road. In addition to its inglorious clunkers ending, the car also is notable because 70 percent of all Bentleys ever built are still in existence, though that’s a pre-clunkers figure released by the company.

Other top-shelf rides that saw the reaper included a 1989 Maserati 222E and four 1985 Biturbos.

The Cadillac of clunkers was the Escalade, as 72 copies of the hulking, fuel-hungry luxury ute are toast, with 68 of those from the 1999 to 2000 model years. More than a little surprising: a 2006 STS sedan also received a death sentence.

The General Motors brands also lost plenty of rides favored by car guys and gals. Corvette fans will miss 131 versions the sports car from 1984 to 1995, including 34 convertibles. And though the Camaro crowd rejoiced at the car’s return this year, 1,007 of its predecessors are now history, including at least eight from every year from 1984 to 2000. The early ’90s were particularly brutal, with 127 from 1991 and 116 from 1992 getting handed a blind fold and cigarette.

One Camaro sibling, a 1989 20th Anniversary Trans-Am, also a bit unexpectedly was on the list, as was a 2002 Firebird. They’re joined by a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX, an intercooled, turbocharged marvel highly sought after by collectors.

Perhaps a bit less iconic, 61 Pontiac Fieros from 1985 to 1988 were turned over, and one of the ultimate beater cars, the 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, was trimmed by 185 models.

The third Detroit-based automaker, Chrysler, was the victim of four of the newest clunker trade-ins. One 300 all-wheel-drive model from 2008, two from 2007 and a Hemi-powered ’05 all won’t live to see what plans Fiat has in store for their maker.

One owner of a 2006 Nissan 350Z also turned over the keys, as did those of two 2006 Roush Stage 3 F-150s. Two 2008 Foose F-150s also were among the customs that had a date with the crusher.

Thirteen Porsches and 28 Alfa Romeos also are off the road.

All told, cash-for-clunkers resulted in almost $2.9 billion in rebate claims and boosted the economy considerably this summer. The nation’s fleet is undoubtedly more fuel-efficient, but fewer Mustangs, Camaros and even the random Bentley means it’s also a bit less fun.

Pictures from September Meeting Posted

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST

Click the above link to view them.

Updates here and there

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:39:00 EST

Pictures from the National Co-Vention contributed by John & Rita Downing have been added to the Nat'l' Convention page along with information about next year's show that will take place in Charleston, West Virgina.
More pictures & video from the Co-Vention coming soon.
July's meeting pictures can be found here.
The meeting minutes for the July meeting have also been added
they can be found by clicking here.

June Meeting Minutes

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:32:00 EST

Click to view them

All pictures from the Bill Rapp Show are up

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:05:00 EST

All the pictures that I took at the show on Sunday have been posted, if you have any pictures that you took and would like to see them on the page as well feel free to e-mail them to me.
I'll be updating the member's pictures next.
Stay tuned...

Video walk through of the Bill Rapp Show posted

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:25:00 EST

Pictures & new members to be listed soon.

May meeting minutes

Sat, 30 May 2009 13:56:00 EST

Click the above link to view them

What we're up to next

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:08:00 EST

New feature added to the home page as suggested by Joe Britt. If you have an event you're attending and would like to meet up with fellow club members let me know, I will post the event information along with contact info for you and the others that plan on going too.

May meeting pictures & audio added

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:04:00 EST

Pictures & audio have been added to the 'Activities Archive'.

April meeting minutes

Wed, 06 May 2009 18:31:00 EST

Click the above link to view them

2007 Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals Pictures & Video are up

Fri, 01 May 2009 19:23:00 EST

These pictures/video weren't posted when I did the revamp on the site, now they are, so go peek and waste some time!

Audio from April 26th Meeting added

Fri, 01 May 2009 19:21:00 EST

In case you missed April's meeting the audio has been posted, this isn't the entire meeting, just a summary.

More cars needed for Crystal Ball Cruise

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:45:00 EST

Hi I spoke with some of the Seniors from the Marcellus high school & they told me they are short a lot of cars for the crystal ball cruise. This is a very worthy cause & a very high profile event getting a lot of media coverage. This year PINKS will be involved too! This school has gone the distance to be sure the kids have a very SAFE & fun prom. There is a goodie bag provided for each driver full of treasures, a dinner for the drivers @ the Lakeland fire dept. A police escort for the cruise from the high school, through the village to the state fair grounds. This draws quite a crowd in the village for this event. I was hoping our club would show support for this great event. You have to sign up by calling Michelle Lester 673-9126. Please let me know if your signing up to cruise I am sure we could arrange to have all our club cars together. Thank You! Natalie

Articles added to 'Dealer News'

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:40:00 EST

News articles about GM and Pontiac's future have been posted

April meeting pictures added

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:35:00 EST

Pictures from the meeting this past Sunday have been added to the activities archive, audio of the meeting coming soon.

CNYCCA shows added

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST

All of the shows that are listed on the CNYCCA schedule have been listed on our calendar

'Members' updated w/ new member

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST

The 'members' page has been updated with our newest member John F. Smith who owns a 1967 Tempest Convertible

Website Updated

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:04:00 EST

I've updated the site, again. Will give ya'll a more in depth list of what's modified/ changed later. I need a nap...