Winchester Rally Registration

Click on the image to print out the Winchester Rally Registration.

Everyone's Favorite Corn Dip from Jean Connor

Members were wowed by Jean Connor's dip, and she has graciously agreed to share it with the club.

CORN DIP

1 Can Mexican Corn, drained

1 Cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Block Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Serve dip with tortilla scoops

Hoosier Cruiser Officers for 2009

Judy Asbury tabulated the ballots for election of officers. She reported that the following members were unanimously elected. Please contact any of the officers listed below for information concerning the Hoosier Cruisers Chapter.

HOOSIER CRUISERS OFFICERS - 2009

PRESIDENT ------------------------------GREG WESSEL
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT---------RICHARD HAHN
SECRETARY-------------------------------SANDY HAHN
TREASURER-------------------------NORMA WAMSLEY
NAT’L. DIRECTOR--------------------JERRY HARDACRE
ALT. NAT’L DIRECTOR---------------MELANIE BOYER
NORTH V. PRES.------------------ROSEANNE GARDNER
CENTRAL V. PRES.-------------------------GARY HAND
SOUTHERN V. PRES------JUDY HOHL & MARY REMLEY
*NEWSLETTER EDITOR ----------CHERYL SCHMIEDT

What do seed corn, antique cars and chocolate candy have in common?

The September Rally offered a wide variety of activities and events. Participants could choose one or all of the offerings. Tours included a seed company, candy shop, museum, lapidary shop, tractor pull, glass making, antique cars, and great food.

Becks Seed Company uses scientific methods to continuously improve the yield and resistance to diseases of their crops. Robots are even used to stack the bags of seed.

Those attending learned how hybrid plants are made from inbred plants. When the seed corn is grown and then picked from the fields of seed corn, the corn must be inspected and sorted by hand.









Below, one of the Becks Seed workers plants individual seeds to be grown in the greenhouse. These plants will be used in experimental plots to improve the traits of the plants being grown.

Tipton was selected as the rally site by Rally Masters Bill and Judy Asbury, and Assistant Rally Masters Bob and Rosalie Gollner because the Pork Festival was being held. We had many opportunities to try several pork entrees. The pork chops and pulled pork was excellent!

You may notice that Jim and Steve are deep in conversation with a local sheriff. No, they were not detained by the law.











Jerry and Jim look on as the owner of the House of Glass creates a paper weight. He uses shards of colored glass with crystal clear glass to make the one of a kind ornaments.












We visited the Spencer Lapidary shop where the owner cuts and polishes rocks/gems into perfect orbs. He has been contracted by NASA and other companies to produce spheres.

The candymaker and owner of the Venus Chocolate Shop makes mouth watering chocolate. She uses recipes that were passed down to her from her father. Whether you tried chocolate clusters of chocolate creams you were left with the craving for more. At age 72 she works six days a week and said that she plans to live to 100.











As usual the rally participants enjoyed good food and fellowship. They were also treated by Rev. Bubba who retold several fractured Bible stories. Needless to say the crowd was rolling in the aisles with his antics.










Visiting the Elwood Haynes Museum is like stepping back in time. The mansion contained original furnishings and the 1905 Model L Haynes. Mr. Haynes made his first trial run on his new automobile in 1894. In 1898 Mr. Haynes and Apperson formed a partnership known as the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company. He is also known for his contribution in developing and producing stainless steel and Stellite alloys.














Bob and Rosalie Gollner opened their private museum of rare automobiles. They are pictured in front of a Maxwell that Bob has restored.













Members were fortunate in being able to view very rare antique automobiles manufactured by the Cole automobile company. Bob Gollner was on hand to explain the the mechanics of the Haynes and Apperson vehicles.










The Gollners were gracious hosts and allowed Hoosier Cruisers to drive or ride in the cars that were part of the private collection. What a thrill to actually ride in autos that were produced in the early 1900's.

Many thanks go to Bill and Judy Asbury, and Bob and Rosalie Gollner for a spectacular rally.

If you are enjoying the blog, please leave a comment. Thank you.

Valpo Rally Great Fun!

The August Rally was held at the Porter County Fairgrounds and was well attended. Bill and Sandy Berrier, Rally Masters; and George Laurel Dodrill, Assistant Rally Masters planned a rally that was packed full of tours. All camping sites were full service and provided sewer and 50 amp electricity. The fairgrounds provided first class accommodations and were appreciated by those who attended. Those participants want to thank the efforts of the volunteers who made this another successful event.

The Taltree Arboretum contains a diverse array of plants from around the world. It also hosts a collection of living plants that are native to the area as seen in the summer prairie. In 2010 it will also house a miniature railroad display with landscaped gardens and include a new railroad depot that will be a visitors center.

Task Force Tips is a world renowned manufacturer of the best fire nozzles on earth. The fire nozzles are tested in a water booth as seen in the picture. The plant is highly computerized and even the parts and tools that are in bins are selected by machine. The flags in the factory are an indication of the world wide distribution by this company.

Everyone who had dinner on Friday were treated to half a chicken that was prepared by Wayne Brandy. The chicken and fresh sweet corn complemented an already outstanding day.





As you can see we visited the jail in Valparaiso and a couple of our members got caught. Luckily we all were given "Get Out of Jail Free" cards. The sheriff said that the cards were as good in any of the states as they were in Indiana.

The Hoosier Bat factory makes bats that are used by the Major Leagues, colleges, high schools, and children learning the sport. You can recognize a Hoosier Bat by the three rings that are at the top of the grip. If you look closely you can see that some of their bats are made from three different types of wood. The grip is ash, the middle is hickory, and the top is maple. The factory makes custom bats for major league players and is able to produce 200 bats a day.

During the evening meals members celebrated Ed Casada and Chuck Swickard's birthdays.

Saturday, the club took a tour of the Illiana Garden Railroad Society Bull Moose Line. It included several G scale model railroad layouts that were displayed in a well kept garden. A miniature town and countryside made the whole setting seem real.



The Ox Cart Ramblers provided Bluegrass music for the attendees enjoyment. They played a great music that made you want to stomp your feet. If you would like to see and hear a clip of their music click on the picture below.

Great Times in Dayton

For those Hoosier Cruisers who attended the rally in Dayton, they experienced a great weekend due to the efforts of the Rally Masters - Carol and Gary Sweet, and the Assistant Rally Masters - Jackie and Frank Anderson. Although we didn't have a campfire, we still enjoyed gathering near a shade tree to swap tall tales.



The Wright Patterson Air Force Museum is one of the best collections of aircraft in the nation. It houses planes from the beginning of aviation to present day jets.



During the tour we were able to walk through several airplanes that had been used by past presidents. You quickly realized how they had changed from prop driven aircraft to larger jet propelled planes. It was also noted that the electronics have become much more sophisticated.


The club welcomed new members and enjoyed the catered and pitch-in dinners.

The Packard museum was another high point of the weekend. It contained some of the earliest Packards as well at cars that were the last to be produced by Packard. It was interesting to know that some of the limosines are still used today. You can hire a chaufer and car for a special event. The proceeds are used to support the museum. I was surprised that we were given permission to actually sit in some of the cars.

The Carillon Park was a stop that should not be missed. During the walking tour we saw the 1905 Wright Flier III, a Cadillac that had one of the first electric starters, pioneer buildings, and other exhibits that displayed historic firsts in Dayton.

Congratulations go to Carol and Richard Swenke who were our first 50/50 Raffle winners. Although it looks like Carol was the real winner.

Make sure that you are planning to attend the next rally in Valparaiso, Indiana. The good time just keep rolling.