Vintage @ Vineyard Roundel article (Rant - long)

[m-racer]

V@V is my favorite car event of the year. Scott Sturdy has done a magnificent job and is on a mission to make sure the event stays well attended, casual, and free. My hat is always off to him. I got my Roundel yesterday and flipped the pages quickly to find the V@V article. It SUCKED. It was written by (I hope I am right here) a Tarheel chapter officer who is not a vintage BMW guy - 02 or otherwise. The article made this event sound like a BMWCCA event which it is not (I think the Tarheel chapter does make a contribution) and spent more time on demographics (which the author clearly does not understand) and the role of SIG's than on the event. There was a mention that someone was from PR, but no mention of Harry and his involvement in the 02 community. There was no mention of the winners or pics of those cars, much less that Bo Black drove his car from Ar. for the event (in my opinion, that's what makes this a great event). No discussion of the more interesting cars (and there were a bunch - Alpina cars, A4 02's, s14 02's, supercharged 02, perfectly stock and original, even two 02's that were national concours/ people's choice winners). If the author wanted a framework, he could have used the coverage of SE Sharkfest, which was quite complete. The article simply didn't give Scott, his team, and the event the coverage they deserved. Typical sub-optimization by the BMWCCA in allowing someone to write an article that lacks the subject matter expertise to cover it correctly. My rant for the day. Just one man's opinion. I could be wrong. Tim Jones

[Otis]

Indeed, here's to Scott - the Fearless Leader himself. Salute, my brother! (Scott -- Good news -- after seeing the article, DeNiro signed on to reprise the role as Fearless Leader, but this time, in your life story.)

All hail the Fearless Leader.

[John_in_VA]

but at least the author was in attendance (I believe he was in one of the pics). Like you, I thought the 'CCA focus was out of proportion with the day's goings-on. Someone on the organizing committee will have to volunteer to prepare the write-up next time!

I hope to make it next year!

[Paul7002]

It would have been nice if he had made it clearer that this was not a CCA event, to whom the kudos belong, and in general reported more on the god time had by all.

But I don't think that was the intention of the article. I thought the point was to discuss the wide spectrum of enthusiasts involved with BMWs and the CCA specifically and that there is not necessarily a great divide between us & them, i.e.; vintage vs modern enthusiasts. VV just provided the background for that story.

At least I think that was the point, although I'm not so sure he made that very well either. The selection of Pictures didn't really go with the text. It LOOKED like a report on a fun gathering of vintage Bimmer heads, but, as I said, the article was really about something else.

[ray_]

I'm sure the Roundel would welcome your writing the article for next year's event.

Cheers,

Ray (not a bmwcca member currently)

[AndyS]

Guess it is time for the 02 Gazette. A magazine for old BMWs. Pictures and stories about these cars, their owners and their personal 12 step recovery processes.

[merlin]

its the age old if you dont like it you do it, I agree it wasnt a very good article. I didnt have time to write one for it, did you? instead of complaining I saw you should write in and do the write up for it next year. I have taken this to hart personaly as there has been a lack of technical articles in our local footnotes, heck even national has a lack. so instead of bitching about it I wrote half a dozen. My build up of my personal 02 and the euro635csi should be good for anouther 20.

Andy I think for you and I, as well as others, its probably a 2002 step process or at least a 1600 one.

Sam (now packing for a road trip, see if you can spot me on the road. It will be REAL difficult).

[robspeed]

V@V is my favorite car event of the year. Scott Sturdy has done a magnificent job and is on a mission to make sure the event stays well attended, casual, and free. My hat is always off to him. I got my Roundel yesterday and flipped the pages quickly to find the V@V article. It SUCKED. It was written by (I hope I am right here) a Tarheel chapter officer who is not a vintage BMW guy - 02 or otherwise. The article made this event sound like a BMWCCA event which it is not (I think the Tarheel chapter does make a contribution) and spent more time on demographics (which the author clearly does not understand) and the role of SIG's than on the event. There was a mention that someone was from PR, but no mention of Harry and his involvement in the 02 community. There was no mention of the winners or pics of those cars, much less that Bo Black drove his car from Ar. for the event (in my opinion, that's what makes this a great event). No discussion of the more interesting cars (and there were a bunch - Alpina cars, A4 02's, s14 02's, supercharged 02, perfectly stock and original, even two 02's that were national concours/ people's choice winners). If the author wanted a framework, he could have used the coverage of SE Sharkfest, which was quite complete. The article simply didn't give Scott, his team, and the event the coverage they deserved. Typical sub-optimization by the BMWCCA in allowing someone to write an article that lacks the subject matter expertise to cover it correctly. My rant for the day. Just one man's opinion. I could be wrong. Tim Jones

Scott sturdy is also a hell of an artist!! at least you got to go to the event, too... we *DO* need an 02 magazine!!

[brad_c-ville_VA]

Don't know if you get the Blue Ridge chapter newsletter, Tim, but here is what I wrote up on V@V. I always do a write up of the event for our newletter. The national office gets copies of every newsletter from every chapter so maybe someone read my take on it down there.

------------------------------------

For us, May is car month. Many vintage car shows and drives seem to happen during the first month of summer. For starters we headed down to North Carolina for the Moonshine Rally, hosted by the Triad Austin-Healey Club. Two weeks later we found ourselves in Carlisle, PA for the Cars at Carlisle Import car show. And over the Memorial Day weekend we returned to North Carolina for our favorite show, Vintage at the Vineyards. V@V, as it is coming to be known, is a vintage BMW-only event for cars and motorcycles. The event is in its third year and it keeps getting bigger.

Vintage at the Vineyards is the product of Tarheel Chapter member, and fellow 2002 buddy, Scott Sturdy. Scott began The 02 Group, a small collection of NC, MD and VA 2002 owners that has blossomed into something that almost resembles an organized car club! Scott outdid himself this year. The host winery, Westbend Vineyards in Lewisville, NC, has been more than helpful in allowing Scott to host V@V in their lovely setting. German Ooom-pah music fills the air each year and for the second time a donated 2002 has served as the “Create an Art Car” canvas. Extra features this year included slot car races, loads of great raffle prizes (we won a gift certificate and some car wax), trophies for Long Distance, Patina, and Winery's Pick for favorite car and a parts swap area. This year’s winner of the long distance award, Bo Black who traveled from Arkansas, also picked up the trophy for the winery owner’s choice of favorite car while a local Richmonder picked up the Patina Award. There was even a special long distance medal issued to an 02er, Harry, who flew in from Puerto Rico to join the festivities!

There were over 70 vintage BMWs on display this year, including 3 Isettas, an M1, and a 2002 BMW Club race car. Forget pony rides for the kids, Isetta rides were the order of the day. It is a rare sight to see two pristine Isettas shuttling kids (both adult and otherwise) around a parking lot filled with other vintage Bimmers. I don’t think they day could have been anymore perfect. We even got to trade photo ops with the M1 as we both sped down the highway on our way home.

Be sure to mark your calendars for this event in ‘07. You don’t need to bring a vintage BMW, but it helps! For more information please visit the official V@V website: http://www.vintageatthevineyards.zoomshare.com/ Guten tag, y’all!

[SteveJ]

It's all "moose turd pie".

If you are going to complain, be prepared to write the article yourself. If you end up with two(or more) articles about the same event, all the better. For one of our local chapter drives, three people had picked up the pen and written their version of the event. The editor was able to cobble together the three articles into one and show how different some peoples points of view can be.

Not disrespecting your right to complain, and it probably was warranted, but next time be the one to say, "NO, ~I'm~ going to write the article this time." Besides, editors would love to have more than enough copy for the issue.

[m-racer]

I understand all of the "Curse the Darkness or Light a Candle" stuff. I would be happy to write an article or do anything else that helps. Just a couple more points and then I will shut up. By comparison, SE Sharkfest got great coverage and Dan Erwin, who is an experienced contributor to the Roundel either got assigned or volunteered to write it. I think V@V is a terrific event and should have gotten better coverage (by whomever is most qualified to write the piece). Separately, I also think the demographic issues loom large with BMWCCA. If this was going to be a case study, then where is the data? It would have been really interesting to survey the attendees at V@V on some simple information: Age, location, model car entered, do you own other BMWs? member of BMWCCA?, if so, for how long, what are the benefits?, what more needs to be done from your perspective?, if not, Why not?. That could have led to some interesting analysis rather than opinion. My perspective is that the article did not do the event justice or effectively discuss the demographic issue at hand. Just my opinion. That and a dollar eighty three will get you a cup of coffee! Brad, I enjoyed your write up for the newsletter. Tim

[merlin]

If they were stacking paper work on us I wouldnt come. this is a great low key event, I know I would tell whom ever was after all that info to shove it. I sugest you email the editoral staff and ask to write it next year.

[MikeinNC]

What has Frustrated me is the fact that the club has drifted further away from the older cars Don't think other German Marque car clubs have done that. At last year's O Fest, the only events for the older cars were those we set up for ourselves.

As a long time CCA member, (over 30 years) its quite frustrating. Heck this year I did not even see one pic posted here on the FAQ of folks having a good time in their 02s at this years O Fest. Guess not many attended.

The article even used a pic of local 'BMW Legends' who have very little if anything to do with the things the 02 Group does, at least not to my knowledge anyway

I agree Tim, the article misrepresented the Club's involvement to a large degree. It would be nice if they could be more active.

Scott put th is whole thing together now for the last 3 years to give us a place and time to gather and swap stories. With folks from far away like Skip, Bo et al from Ark, Harry from PR, and all of the guys like Bill and Robert and Matt from the northeast it shows we at least have a close knit little community on this side of the US.

Guess we will have to keep doin our own thing like we have always!

[jgerry2002]

What has Frustrated me is the fact that the club has drifted further away from the older cars

Since you've been a club member for 30 years you probably know the NEVER ending battle between the old and the new. It won't end as long as BMW keeps growing with more and more vehicles. I can't comment on O'fest, because I've just never had an opportunity to go.

I've been a CCA member for 17 years so I've been watching both sides of the old vs. new debate.

Its either... we have too much old stuff (read our '02s) or too much new stuff (E36/E46/E90 whatever). Then you see something like Paul Cain's uber cool M54 motored '02 on the cover which bridges both worlds perfectly.

I think the balance is probably pretty good. This month we have two E30s on the cover. Next month we'll probably see something newer.

It is interesting to hear that there was much more to V@V. Noting that content for the Roundel comes from the members, it is only as good as the author who is submitting the article. If we want more '02 articles, then write them and submit them. I guess a lot of us '02 owners are too busy restoring our car(s) to do that.

Now back to my tii.....

[Otis]

As long as everyone understands, and to be clear, and as I stated in the "I've been outed" thread, I snapped over 150 pictures at V@V, including EVERYONE'S car, playing no favorites, snapping even the post-83 rides in the parking lot. I did so for personal use, since I just plain dig cars, and also dig people having a good time (and geez, I just bought the camera -- I simply love new toys). I had no intention of taking pictures for use in a magazine article. I gave the disk to Scott, for the V@V web site. The rest was out of my control.

I also recall that the author asked me for my opinion of the current makeup of club membership, in general. But it was a sunny day, and Patti kept handing me glasses of wine, and the speech started to slur, and "then that lowdown Suthern' whiskey, yeah, began to fog my mind" (okay, it was wine, not whiskey -- but I love that song). And what I recall of my answer, was not printable or useable (you probably can get a general flavor of what I said, from the "Dear NCC Chapter" thread elsewhere here -- except I wrote that one last night while sober).

Anyway, whatever the case, I'd like to switch gears and move on to another rather unhearalded aspect of V@V, which I think has gone with far too little recognition. That aspect is, the wine. As I sit here writing to you, my friends, Patti stands before me and -- what's that in her right hand? Why, a corkscrew. And what of her left hand, you ask? A bottle of the Yadkin Valley's finest, perfectly chilled -- Westbend Vineyards Chardonnay, Barrel Fermented, 2003. We are about to pop it open, and pour ourselves a glass or two (or three) in our genuine souvenier Westbend wine glasses. And we don't plan on stopping the pour, until the bottle is a dead soldier. So with that, I leave to others the raging debate regarding the relative merits of the V@V article. Me, I'm just happy to have shown my ass in a National publication -- after all, it's my better side. So to that, Roundel, I raise a glass and say "cheers" -- a toast to my ass picture (which Patti snapped by the way), with a glass of Westbend. After all, it's some mighty fine stuff (and I have an entire trailer full of it).