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Join Our Club
We welcome you to join BATOC and come travel with us on the open road in a group of Classic Ford Thunderbirds; what an awesome experience – One you don’t want to miss!
BATOC is affiliated with the Classic Thunderbird International Club which allows us to stay connected to other Thunderbird clubs around the world http://www.ctci.org
Guests are welcome to attend our breakfast meeting in person or remote. Our club meets the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Buttercup Restaurant, 660 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.
We start gathering at about 9:30 and start the meeting at 10:00
or join our meeting remotely (click here)
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President’s Message
A New Year / New President
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL grab your special someone and have a great date night.
The BATOC board met on January 3 to discuss 2025 planning and strategy. We had a very full agenda and there was much lively discussion. Among the highlights were the need for liability insurance for the board, new grill badge development, expanding the club to other years of Thunderbirds, BATOC Bucks, Web page redesign and cleanup, special event signage and insurance. We closed by discussing upcoming events (thank you, Nick!) and each walked away with a handful of action items.
Our January meeting was well attended and a special thank you to Don Perry for bringing microphones, speakers and camera for streaming the meeting online. Matthew was behind the phone Zoom trying to keep everyone included in the call. If you were on the other end of the line, we would appreciate your feedback. Were you able to hear and see us okay?
We recognize that some tweaking and additional equipment might be needed for this to be a quality interactive experience, so please be patient with us as we fine tune the process.
We also had a great turnout for the President’s Mystery tour with 30 attendees and a whole lot of Birds. We filled up the entire parking lot at The John Muir Family Mansion in Martinez, CA. We watched a 20- minute video on the life and times of John Muir at their Visitor’s Center and then proceeded up to the house for a docent-led tour. We had a delightful young man who shared many wonderful facts and antidotes about John Muir’s life. He was quite a character and storyteller (you could tell that his usual audience was children). For myself, I was very entertained by his enthusiasm and expressions while story telling. The second part of our tour was a leisurely back-road drive to the small town of Port Costa for lunch at the Warehouse Café. The restaurant is a very eclectic piece of Bay Area History (grain storage warehouse, gay enclave, restaurant, biker bar and more). Having never been there before, it was an experience to remember! Several of our members had been there before and were better prepared than I for the experience. There was an owner-bartender, a cook and all-around helper. Even though they knew we were coming, they were not really prepared to be descended upon by 30 very hungry and thirsty T-Bird Owners; however, the group rolled with the chaos with patience and grace. Thank goodness for the bar! It was a life saver. Having been in the restaurant business for many years, I was probably the most anxious of the group. I was ready to put on an apron and jump in to help out. I was amazed the cook and helper hung in there with a friendly positive attitude.
I encourage all members to consider organizing a tour or event this year. So often this falls on a few usual characters, but we need to change that. Nick (as well as other seasoned members) are available to assist you in the process. Planning a tour is a bit of work, but well worth it. I have received an overwhelming response from the participants of the tour and want to thank each and every one of you for your participation and kind words.
I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Saturday February 8th, and don’t forget to sign up for the Valentine Brunch!
Best Regards,
JOE
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BATOC is affiliated with the Classic Thunderbird International Club which allows us to stay connected to other Thunderbird clubs around the world
