Recap of the West Coast American Lancia Club Reunion
The 2019 ALC West Coast Reunion was held on May 17-19 in the town of Oakdale, California. The hosts and organizers for the reunion were our illustrious club VP, Leif Neuman and wife, his Barbara. As always, the event kicked off with a meet and greet around the motel pool area where we drank wine, chatted with one and another and where many Lancia enthusiasts shared their progress and…frustrations, with Lancia projects. Barbara and Leif surprised us with an array of Barbara’s home-cooked dishes, a complete dinner meal appreciated and enjoyed by all. It was a lovely evening spent eating, drinking and chatting. The weather, at this time, was very cooperative for our outdoors event.
Following Breakfast on Saturday, we met with Leif for our rally instructions. Our destination was Ironstone Winery in Murphy’s for Lunch with a prior meet-up at Columbia State Historic Park. (I think that “most people” made it to either Columbia or the Ironstone Winery without getting lost)
The return trip back to the motel suggested a stop in the historic mining town of Copperopolis and also afforded a more “adventurous” drive for map challenged navigators. Our automobiles had two great opportunities to line up for photographs on the lovely grounds of the winery (See photos).
The chatting and commiserating of mechanical issues continued at the motel prior to meeting for dinner at the Firenze Ristorante in Oakhurst.
I forgot to mention that our Saturday drive was accompanied by rain as we maneuvered the twisty, meandering roads returning to the motel. Rain continued intermittently through the late Sunday morning. However, the rains did not stop “the People’s Choice Car Show” and mini lunch planned at the Oakdale Cheese Factory. It was not surprising that the People’s Choice Award went to one of the club’s newest members, Carol Athanasiu with her beautifully restored Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe’. Carol is understandably enthusiastic about her car and we hope her enthusiasm will continue as she promises to be a valuable asset to our club.
The reunions are always an enjoyable event for meeting up with individuals who share our interest in Lancia automobiles, many known to us for many, many years, and new members who, we hope, will continue to share their interest at these events for many years to come. We would like to acknowledge the ongoing dedication to attend the West Coast ALC Reunions by our friends from Australia, Shellagh and Alan Hornsby. Thank you both for your friendship and support to our club.
Finally, we encourage more members to join in the After Tour that immediately follows the ALC Reunions. Hopefully Hank Koning will continue to be our “Tour Master” for future rallies. He adds humor to the tour, seeks out the most exciting, beautiful and (sometimes) challenging routes, and he is always there to make sure the caravan is intact and that no one is left behind. Thank you Hank!
Submitted by Vicki and Paul Tullius