<-- Day 14 - Fri. May 17th: Day 1 of the Midwest Willys Reunion | Trip Overview | Day 16 - Sun. May 19th: On the Road to Gettysburg -->
UPDATE: This year is the 10th anniversary of our 8-week, 2013-trip around the east coast. Up to that point, I didn't really get how the impact this simple website had made. This weekend is the 10th anniversary being given the Toledo Brick award at the Willys Reunion. Here's a throwback to that Saturday.
Today was another gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Hudson. The day ended with an honor that caught me by surprise.
Today was another gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Hudson. More jeeps and people rolled in to make the day even better than yesterday. The most difficult thing about today was finding the time to talk with visitors looking at jeeps in the parking lot and having the time to see the presentations on the inside of the hotel. Here are a few photos of people I met:
In the end I only had a chance to attend MD Juan's presentation, which was very interesting. They discussed the challenges the company has faced trying to perfect vintage Willys bodies so that they properly fit the different models (MB/GPW/2A/3A etc).
CEO Rommel Juan noted that the company's increasing use of the jeep forums combined with access to original bodies has allowed them to tune the bodies and close in on the original specs.
Following MD Juan's presentation, I gave my presentation. I was in the dreaded 2:00pm slot where lunch has had time to settle and naps come-a-callin. The room was warm and dark. It was the perfect environment for sleeping that I remembered from my college days.
To help people ward off the Sandman, I tried to give a short presentation that explained my passion for jeeps and eWillys. I also covered upcoming projects I hope to complete in the future. The lack of snores from the audience indicated that people enjoyed my presentation. I believe Kaiser Willys will be publishing my presentation in the future (Thanks Jonah) and I'll add that link when I get it.
After a good conversation and a stiff drink at the bar with Gerald (technically, it was Ann's drink that was stiff -- being the good husband, I volunteered to finish it for her, lol), we entered the banquet room and had some dinner.
Following dinner, Derek Redmond of the CJ-3B Page gave a humorous presentation of the CJ-3B that included a running gag about Elizabeth Taylor. His keynote was followed by door prizes and then the awards.
Liz Taylor on a CJ-2A also snuck into the presentation:
This slide shows a Pope mobile.
Following Derek's presentation, the evening wasn't over just yet. Apparently, some of the folks at the Willys Spring Reunion thought there were a few of us who were a brick shy of a full load. So, they trucked in five bricks left over from the Willys Overland Factory and handed them out. I was one of the lucky recipients of the brick award and I feel more complete already! along with the brick, I receive a unique gift of EWILLYS made from some bailing wire and piece of wood.
The award was given to people who the reunion committee folks felt had made a difference in the world of nutty jeep lovers. I guess I finally convinced them I was nutty enough to deserve a brick.
Truthfully, I couldn't have earned this award without the dedication, support, information and corrections submitted by people all over the world. All of your help help makes my efforts possible!
Below are some additional pictures from Saturday in no particular order:
Saturday was a very rewarding and fun day!
On Sunday, we head for Gettysburg.
<-- Day 14 - Fri. May 17th: Day 1 of the Midwest Willys Reunion | Trip Overview | Day 16 - Sun. May 19th: On the Road to Gettysburg -->
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