MG '98. A Drive
Through History
Six couples from the CMGC attended the North American MGB Register's annual convention, which was held this year in Hagerstown, MD. Simply put, a great time was had by all. The MGs of Baltimore hosted this truly enjoyable event.

The theme was drawn from the rich Civil War history of the area and from events that concentrated on what our cars were built for- driving. So there was driving school at Summit Point (ask Bill Hedrick or Reinout Vogt), there were not one, but three rallyes, and there were driving tours to Harpers Ferry and Antietam Battlefield. It was obvious how successful these were, because the parking lot was nearly empty of MGs during the day. There were also bus tours to antique malls and historic Parking lot "lubrication", MG '98 Fredrick, technical sessions, a night at the local ball park (a Hagerstown Suns double header for a bargain admission of $3 and half price beer and soda), valve cover racing, a Friday night cookout with a musket firing demonstration, a parking lot party with DJ, and, of course, the car show and banquet, with a great rock and roll band afterward for dancing. (A real treat was hearing NAMGBR chairman, Robin Weatherall, sit in on drums for a few numbers.) The host club researched the area well and found a perfect site. The hotel has two sections, and rooms were reserved for the convention in both. But the older section was reserved entirely for the convention. It is two stories, with outside balcony, and forms two sides of a square enclosing a large swimming pool, with lots of parking. In short, it was the perfect parking lot.

There were other details that made this convention great. Confirmations, with maps and instructions, were mailed to all preregistrants prior to the convention. Popular vote awards, with the exception of best of show, were presented at the car show, eliminating this usually tedious business from the banquet. Another nice feature was the inclusion of the names, addresses, and club affiliations of all the preregistrants and a list of attending club contacts in the program. A separate packet included route instructions for all the driving events, as well as to the cookout and the car show.

CMGC members who helped with the convention in Chicago (ok, it was actually Oakbrook) in 1991 know just how much time and effort is involved, how many unforseen problems can arise at the very last moment, and that host club members finally get to relax and have fun, if they're lucky, in the parking lot after the Saturday evening banquet. Each succeeding year that we attend one of these conventions, we become more and more impressed by how many great MG people there are out there. The MG's of Baltimore received a standing ovation at the banquet, and it was well deserved. The real reward for any club that puts forward this effort is in knowing that it was all appreciated. We know that everyone from the CMGC who went to MG '98 appreciated all the careful planning, hard work, and true hospitality shown by MGs of Baltimore, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them, one and all.