Parking of the Thunderbirds was well laid out with plenty of room between cars and with your location on a plastic license plate taped to the ground. All T-Bird and trailer parking was within a security fence! The parking crew was hard at work Friday and Saturday, placing the 115 T-Birds in their assigned places. The weather was just about perfect all four days, in the 80's and the 90's. Tents and chairs were available for sitting and staying out of the sun if needed, with ice water and iced tea to quench your thirst. After the Judges' Seminar on Saturday, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM every one got ready for the big welcome party at the National Automobile Museum.

All classes of Thunderbirds gathered for their tour to the museum. The touring class was encouraged to do so by being awarded points on their judging sheets. Bus transportation was provided for everyone else. The National Automobile Museum is a must if you are visiting Reno. A large percentage of the automobiles on display are from the old Harrah collection. It can best be described by quoting of a few paragraphs from their brochure. "It's like driving a century in just two hours. The Museum lets you travel through time like few other places can. You'll walk down streets of the past. It's cars, sights, sounds and places are yours to explore. Beyond the streets you'll discover a century of automobiles, more than 220 antique, vintage, classic, special interest and one of a kind wonders".

There is also a multimedia theater where you could view history passing by. The welcome party dinner was set up in the museum; we dined at tables in the 1930 and 1940's era streets inside the museum. We felt right at home eating with a '55 T-Bird sitting nearby at the curb. Before returning to the Hilton, most guests visited the lobby museum store and picked up a few T-Bird items along with other unusual auto memorabilia. It was a fun evening and enjoyed by all.

Sunday found everyone rushing up to the Hospitality room for a cooked egg omelet breakfast, then down to the Concours for those last minute touchup and check to see that the T-Birds were ready for inspection. Judging was pretty much over by noon and most new and old friends eagerly awaited the reopening of the Hospitality room at 1:00 PM to discuss the events of the day and indulge themselves in the copious available food.

Monday we were all up early (again) so we wouldn't miss some bargain at the swap meet, which was scheduled for 6:00 to 9:00 AM. There were quite a variety of Thunderbird items for sale. They ranged from tiny T-Bird models to a complete '55 T-Bird frame and chassis (less the motor and transmission), all for reasonable prices. After a lot of swapping of your junk (err.. treasures) for my treasures, we retreated to the Hospitality room to gather energy for the days tour.

The tour departed at 9:00 AM sharp for Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. During the ride we received a narrated history of the cities and places of interest as we passed through them. Upon arriving in Lake Tahoe we boarded the M.S. Dixie II for our boat tour of the lake. On board we received a talk on the history of the lake and was served a nice lunch of Pot Roast or Turkey Croissant.

The bus tour included a stop at Virginia City which was very interesting with all its rustic features of the old west. One of our side trips was a glance at the famous Bordellos.

Arriving back at the hotel we cleaned up to go to the Awards Banquet at 6:00 PM. The menu for the Banquet was Beef or Chicken, which were plentiful. Convention Chairman, Jerry Wotel, welcomed all the chapters and regional guests to the 2001 Region 3 Convention, and served as the emcee for the banquet. CTCI President Bob Walker introduced current and past CTCI directors. He presented an appreciation award to the convention chairman Jerry Wotel for hosting the convention. Thanks were given to Cindy Wotel, Sierra Club president, and all club members for their hard work in putting on the show. Rich Martin spoke of the International convention in New Jersey in 2002 and mentioned that the Ford Johnson Award would be given out then.

Director at Large Tom Stocks, chairman of the annual newsletter contest, awarded certificates to all Region 3 newsletter editors. Jerry Wotel, editor of the Sierra Club's newsletter, the Sierra View, won the International Award.

John Sailors, Concours Chief Judge, and Dave Van Winkle, Concours Chairman, of Rose City T-Birds distributed plaques to the 69 judges, and also presented the concours winners with their awards. The Touring class winners were announced by Don Phillips, Touring Chief Judge, between entertaining jokes. His grandson Donny Tindall handed out the awards. The ending of the banquet was the drawing and distribution of the raffle prizes. I was lucky enough to have won the T-Bird Afghan.

Tuesday found the Hospitality room open for a farewell breakfast and final good-byes. It was an excellently planned and executed show and enjoyed by all.