Vanderbilt Cup Races

The 2015 CCCA Annual Meeting is slated this coming year for March 7th – 11th at historic Savannah, Georgia. As the largest Historic Landmark District in the United States, Savannah contains more than twenty city squares filled with museums, churches, mansions, monuments and famous forts of the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. It is a city perfectly suited for the Classic Car aficionado, the lovers of history and fine dining and high culture. Trust us, you will not want to miss what we have planned for everybody at this coming year’s CCCA Annual Meeting.

We will gather on Saturday evening, March 7th for a welcome cocktail reception at the host hotel, The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. This is the premier hotel in Savannah – actually located just across the Savannah River on what is called Hutchison Island. Adjoining the hotel is the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, where our Full Classic® cars will be staged for judging and where our Awards Banquet will take place, among the cars. A river ferry boat leaves on the half hour daily to and from the famous River Street district just across the river from our hotel.

Sunday morning, we have scheduled a visit to a private, 5,000 acres plantation owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jepson. They will host us (at two 100-person intervals) at Mr. Jepson’s collector car museum, featuring approximately twenty cars. Some are Full Classics® and some just fine collector cars. Though we have arranged for bus transportation, we are urging folks to consider driving their Full Classics® to the site as it is only about 45 minutes from the hotel. You will need to make your intentions clear on the registration forms, though.

Later Sunday afternoon, we will all board trolley cars for a guided tour through historic Savannah. We will drive over cobblestone streets, see the city’s manicured gardens, its oak-shaded parks and its magnificent architecture. We will be dropped off at the Savannah Historical Center for a guided tour there…and then merely walk across the street to the Georgia State Railroad Museum where we will be treated to a traditional, southern “low country boil” dinner. This museum is believed to be the largest and most complete Antebellum railroad repair “round house” facility still in existence in the world. There will be a jazz band and a cash bar. It should be a festive evening.

Monday morning begins with the standard continental breakfast and the Annual Meeting. A brief CCCA Board meeting follows. By noon, we are off to Paula Deen’s renowned Lady & Son Restaurant in downtown Savannah. This is a Savannah landmark, known nationally for its southern comfort food and recipes.  Following lunch, we will proceed to the Jepson Center for the Arts for an archive film presentation and talk by local historian, Dr. Ronald Finger, on The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup, the first Grand Prix auto race in America.

Folks can also tour the fabulous Jepson art galleries. And, adjoining the Jepson Center is the Telfair Museum, where we have arranged for guided tours of what was once the mansion home of the Royal Governor of Savannah. The mansion contains many original family furnishings, superb early American and European art and sculpture.

Monday evening will be a “free night” – meaning everybody is free to go off on their own, perhaps in small groups, to explore the city and choose a restaurant of their choice. Suggested restaurant and other venues will be mailed out to everybody far enough in advance that reservations may be made.

Tuesday morning, we are back to our standard meeting schedule – first with the Annual CCCA Museum Membership Meeting and then the Regional Relations and Regional Editors meetings. By noon, we will board a River Boat for a luncheon cruise where we will be entertained by the famous Gullah-Geechee Singers, a group whose roots date back to the days of slavery in the low country regions of South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. This will be a fascinating and highly entertaining way in which to dine and experience Savannah culture at its best.

By 2 PM or so, the River Boat will drop some of us off at the Hotel and others across the river at the River Street dock. This will be the time set aside for our Full Classic® autos to be positioned for “outside judging” and then placed inside the Convention Center in advance of the following day’s Grand Classic exhibition. Those that get dropped off at River Street will have time for both shopping and a guided tour of a nearby historic home.

For the Annual Regional Awards Banquet Tuesday evening, buses will depart at 5:15 PM for the National Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, a 95,000 square foot museum honoring the men and women of the 8th Air Force, from WWII to present. It is one of the finest military museums in the nation. There will be ample time to tour the museum prior to dinner.

The grand finale of the Annual Meeting will be Wednesday, featuring the Grand Classic exhibition in the Convention Center adjacent to our hotel. For those that may not want to spend the whole day awing over what we hope will be a record turn-out of world class Full Classic® automobiles, we have arranged for busses to depart at 11:30 AM for the (private) Savannah Yacht Club for lunch…and then a stop at another historic home.

The Annual Awards Banquet will take place, among the cars, in the Convention Center, with cocktails and cash bar open at 6:00 PM. Dinner will be served at 7:00 PM and the awards presentation will follow. The Awards Banquet has always been the highlight of the week’s activities. We will strive for it to be so on this occasion, too.

Thursday morning, for those that register for the Mini-CARavan to Amelia Island, we will take off by CARavan at 11:00 AM to Jekyll Island – an easy 93 mile drive. That evening we will stay and dine at the renowned Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the site at which J P Morgan and the nation’s leading financiers met in 1910 to form America’s Central Bank or The Federal Reserve Bank.

Friday morning we will depart early in our Full Classics® for the 69 mile journey to Amelia Island – where we are booked in a more reasonably priced hotel nearby the Ritz auction and Concours festivities. A private shuttle service has been arranged for us to go back and forth to the Ritz for all of the functions there.  Meals will be “on your own”.

On the day of the Concours, we have arranged for “show-field parking” either on the primary show field, in the case of judged cars…or on a new show field that is adjacent to the primary show field, where special exhibition cars will be parked. It is imperative that anybody interested in participating in this aspect of the tour sign up immediately and, if you wish to have your car considered for judging, register directly with the Amelia Concours.

The Annual Meeting and Mini-CARavan registration information is published in this edition of The Bulletin. As you will see, the activities and hotel costs are reasonable if not less than other recent National Meetings. Of course, one does not have to sign up for every event that is on the schedule. Please register early!

Finally, since we are a collector car club, please also consider bringing your Full Classic® car. Of all venues, this is one where you can drive your Full Classics®. And, since the Grand Classic is inside, there are no concerns with the potential for inclement weather on show day. Of course, for the really adventurous among us, there is the Mini-CARavan to Amelia Island – but it will be limited to the first thirty registrants.  So, again, sign up early if you plan to participate in the Mini-CARavan.

We sincerely hope we can count on a big turn-out for Savannah 2015. We think there is something planned for everybody in the Club. We are both available if you have any questions: [email protected] or [email protected]

Location: Westin Savannah Golf Resort & Spa

Address: Savannah, Georgia

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