MG Car Club, Central Jersey Centre

News

Minutes		Presidential Thoughts		Other Events
The March 25, 2025 meeting of the MGCCCJC was called to order at 7:14 pm by President Butch O'Connor at the Morris Plains Community Center. There were 25 members in attendance. In treasurer Rob Alper's absence, Butch reported the treasury is in "very good shape" but Britfest expenses will begin to come in. Secretary Linda Wagoner asked if there were any corrections or additions to the February minutes. Minutes can be found in our newsletter online. There were no corrections or additions. Butch stressed the need for a newsletter editor. Dick Bettle has stepped in to help out by offering to put the Minutes, President's Message and a List of Events on the website, but the club needs a permanent editor. Butch recognize Dick as having received the Editor of the Year award from AACA, an award only given out a handful of times. Please let Butch know if you are interested in helping with the newsletter. Butch also brought up that the nine positions of the board, four officers and five trustees will be expiring this year. All positions are open. Let Butch know if you are interested in a board position or being a trustee. Butch shared information on a Habitat for Humanity charity British car show to be held Sunday, May 18, 9 - 12 at the Restore location, Salem Street and Rt. 10, Randolph. Old Business:  Charlie Tregidgo reported that a Britfest meeting via Zoom had taken place last week. He asked advice on how many dash plaques to order for this year. It was thought 130 might be needed and 300 buttons. He is awaiting confirmation on the food vendor. Sponsors are being sought and he reminded club members sponsors don't have to be car related. A 2nd invitation has been extended from the Jaguar club for a brunch, April 6, 11:30 at Sheridan's in Andover. RSVP by 4/2. Contact Charlie for more information. Steve Gastwirth reminded members of the upcoming June 7th picnic at Brundage Park in Randolph. Vinny Viglione has contacted Susan Wolfman regarding regalia and will narrow down costs and colors available for tee shirts with the club logo. Old business: Recalling Dave Collier's talk on bringing cars out of winter storage, Butch showed members a fill and flush kit for flushing out old coolant and debris from the cooling system.  New Business:  Paul Flexner is willing to organize a dinner gathering before each meeting  for anyone interested. Information as to where will be made available through the newsletter. He would also like to form a weekly lunch group tentatively set for May 1st at Miller's Ale House on Rt. 10, Parsippany. Steve Gastwirth has been in contact with Dave Collier on setting up a spring tech session. A question was raised regarding when to replace tires. Butch offered seven years as the expectancy of tires but added, brand, use and exposure to sunlight factored into longevity. It was also noted Bill Bloomfield, an expert on tires is now working at Classic Workshop in Hackettstown. Meeting adjourned at 8:35. Respectfully submitted, Linda Wagoner, Secretary		April 2025 Happy Spring! The weather is getting warmer, I've seen a few hardy souls out in their LBCs so far and it won't be long for all of us. I've been getting ready for two major events, the first, our trip to Ireland to see our daughter and to meet our newest granddaughter. The second, you won't be surprised, is the racing season. Both the MGA and the Midget are prepped and ready as I won't have much time once we get back. Our first event is at Lime Rock Park the first weekend in May. Charlie and I are looking forward to that one with the MGA. A couple of weeks later we will be spending almost a week at Summit Point in West Virginia for the VRG racing school and the Jefferson 500. On the street car front, I've been working on my street 61 MGA. I've only had it out a couple of times but finally started to get serious. The current project is replacing the front bumper. The old one was a bit off and since I had a replacement, I got to work. I got the old one off with a little bit of difficulty, but getting the replacement on has become a real challenge. More later as there has to be a method to make this happen. We had an excellent busy March meeting. Paul even drove his MGB to the meeting, but he was the only MG. Hopefully more MGs will be present as the weather improves. I have to give a shout out to Dick Bettle. Dick is a member of AACA and is the newsletter editor for the NJ chapter of this very prestigious organization. Dick was recognized as the newsletter editor of the year by the National organization, only the third time in its history to make that award. Congrats Dick!! While on the subject of newsletters, we also need help with our newsletter (NL) as Rob would love some assistance. As our treasurer and a CPA, he gets extra busy at tax filing time. He has been taking on the NL in addition to his other duties, but we need someone to step up. Please give Rob a call or email if you can assist. For those of you who missed the meeting, our treasury is in good shape. The minutes were approved as they appear on our website on a monthly basis. Please check them out. We have nine positions on our board, officers and trustees, and they are up for election each year. As I mentioned at the meeting, please consider a position as an officer or trustee when this comes up later in the year. If you have questions, please give me a call. Vinny addressed the group to discuss and solicit input on regalia. We haven't had much available recently but that is about to change. We will soon have a link to order regalia with our club logo on the website. Some t-shirts will be available right away, but there will be many other items as this progresses. Paul Flexner next spoke about having dinner before our monthly meetings. There was a lot of enthusiasm for this idea, and it will start next month. The initial meeting place is Millers Ale House on Route 10, close to our meeting place. It is tentatively scheduled to start at 5:30 but keep watch for a reminder which should arrive by email a week before the meeting as a part of the meeting reminder. Paul's other idea is to have weekly lunches at a place and time to be determined. Attendance would be casual and informal, if you happen to be available just show up. Paul will be working on the details and will report at our next meeting. Our next meeting is on April 22. Meetings start at 7 PM and if you get there early, there is always plenty shop talk. Have questions about getting the MG ready for the season? Someone will be there to lend an ear and maybe even a solution. Maybe even a hint on dealing with my MGA bumper. We need some programs for the coming year and everyone should be thinking about things we might do or things you would like to see. One thing we will try for next year is to have everyone wear their nametag. While we have official nametags, you might think about one of your own design. Dick Bettle not only has his name, but photos of his cars. If you don’t have an official nametag or have misplaced yours, let me know at the meeting and we will try to get you one. Our "Meet the Member" talks have been great fun and I would like to do more of them. If you have already "met" the group, why not tell us a different story about yourself, MG or car related. If you haven't met the group, telling us how you became interested in the car hobby, your first MG, your current MG (or MG project) or anything else will be welcome by all of us. Give this some serious thought and let me know. That's about it for now. See you at the next meeting! Safety Fast! Butch		We have been invited by the NJ Region AACA to join in the following events Please bring your antique car to these events (25 years or older) Autumn Lake Healthcare Antique Car Show 35 Cottage Street, Berkeley Heights, NJ Tuesday, May 13, 2025 / 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM. The Autumn Lake Healthcare facility will have music for the event and will provide our members with lunch. Please RSVP by Friday, May 9th if you would like to attend. Abe Platt:(732) 752-6341 or email me at abeplatt@aol.com. RAIN? Call my mobile phone (732) 433-5319 The rain date is Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Laurel Circle 100 Monroe Street, Bridgewater, NJ Wednesday, June 18, 2025 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM The Laurel Circle facility will have music for the event and will provide our members with lunch and refreshments. Please RSVP by Saturday, June 14th if you would like to attend. Abe Platt:(732) 752-6341 or email me at abeplatt@aol.com. RAIN? Call my mobile phone (732) 433-5319 The rain date is Thursday, June 19, 2025. BrightView Senior Living of Warren 57 Mount Bethel Road in Warren, NJ Saturday, June 28, 2025 / 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM We will be provided with lunch while the residents, their families, and the staff look at our beautiful antique vehicles. Please let me know by Monday, June 23rd if you are planning to attend. Abe Platt: (732) 752-6341 or email me at abeplatt@aol.com. RAIN? Call my mobile phone (732) 433-5319 The rain date is Sunday, June 29, 2025. Hunterdon Hills Playhouse 88 NJ-173, Hampton, NJ 08827 The NJ Region Car Show, Cocktail Party, Dinner and Play at Hunterdon Hills is coming again on October 5, 2025. The play is, “Never Too Late” a comedy about a man in his fifties who learns he’s about to be a father, again. as is our custom for this show, Wine and cheese will be served in our reserved section, before the play. For further details, contact Dick Bettle (973-615-2831).