had their annual dinner at a restaurant in St. Charles. Most MMM drivers left their MG at the Pheasant Run but Gene and I took Emma and parked right in front of the restaurant, making it easier to find for the guests arriving after us.

Later that evening was the auction. The auctioneer was a MG fan himself and led us through the many lots. It was very hard to differentiate between an auction and a comedy club. It was the first time that I saw an auctioneer who spoke loud, clear, and slow enough to understand every word. And it was also the first time that I heard an auctioneer who could have a side career as a comedian - a comedian who made fun about MG's, their drivers, and some of the typical British auction items.

Thursday morning was the car show. Dino and some of our club member volunteers had laid out the field the day before and assisted in parking the cars in the various classes. Of course the T-Types were in the majority and took up most of the inside of the field. But in the outside rows was room for almost 20 pre-war MG's, Several A's and B's, each in their own class. There was also a small area with vendors. The scoring was by popular vote.

One of my favorites was the 1934 NA race car (No 41) and the only other M-Type at the event. It looked so much like Emma that it fooled several attendees. It even had the same autometer, the aftermarket temperature gauge in the radiator cap. There are so many different models and styles of autometers that I don't remember seeing the same one twice, let alone on the same MG Model.

After the car show there were funkhana and valve cover races. Emma did well in the funkhana with Gene as the co-driver. But during the valve cover races we packed everything up, put Emma and Gene's TD back in the trailers so that we could leave first thing on Friday morning. After the banquet and awards ceremonies, we had a few more drinks on the parking lot with MG friends from the Chicagoland MG Club and the Vintage MG Car Club of Chicago.

It was a fantastic event. The weather participated well from the perspective of rain - just a few drops during the night and absolutely dry during the outside events. (The temperature and humidity were a little bit too high to be comfortable for some). The events were all perfectly organized and the whole event ran like a clock. I was very much impressed with the quality and the amount of work that the committee and event teams put in. Thank you very much to all the members and volunteers of both clubs, under the direction of event chairman Jerry Cihak, for a Mighty Great GOF.

~~Reinout Vogt

Upcoming Events

Lands End Rally
August 5, 2012

We will be starting out in Sugar Grove, IL - meet at McDonalds on Route 47 next to the Chase Bank (489 Illinois Route 47, Sugar Grove, IL 60554). Both of these businesses are in front of the Jewel grocery store; on Route 47 between Galena Blvd and E. Park Ave. (From I-88 West-bound, take Route 56 exit into Sugar Grove to Route 47 North. There is no exit from I-88 East-bound.) This rally will take us on a southwest course over meandering roads and through small villages before shooting into Ottawa. Then a pit-stop near the end at Starved Rock Park before finishing with a short drive to Duffy's Tavern in Utica for lunch and refreshments of all types. Our route should take a couple hours to complete. Meeting time is 9:30 AM on Sunday, August 5th with the first car off at 10:00 AM sharp. Please let me know if you plan to attend so I can get a preliminary head-count. RussAmy57MGA@hotmail.com ~~Russ and Amy Mehaffey     Hope to see you there!