Presidents Letter for May 2011

Presidents Letter for May 2011

Spring is a time when many people hear wedding bells. Starry-eyed women with romance on their minds often dream of a lovely spring wedding. Some of you may have caught a glimpse of the recent royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London. The royals of Britain have always had a knack for do a fabulous wedding. Just a hint as to the scope, they had 21 chefs prepare 10,000 canapés in 18 varieties just for the luncheon reception and a special beer from the Windsor and Elton brewery was made for the occasion. One notable part of the wedding day was when the couple is seen in a classic Aston Martin. There had been many comments made of the beautiful cars seen that day.

Most couples planning a wedding have much less than a royal budget to work with, but one custom for many is renting a limo or special car for the big day. Some couples may also own or have a family member with a special car for the occasion. Here in Florida as in much of the United States, one favorite car of choice is a Cadillac. Whether it is a classy vintage convertible or a modern Cadillac limo, a statement is made for the wedding party.

Special cars like Cadillac limousines can help make some of life’s milestone moments really memorable. Think of the young man who wants to take a special date to the high school or college prom night; he may rent a Cadillac limo. Many couples include the limo in their wedding photo album and look forward to a few other special occasions like seeing the children finally get married. A limousine may not be seen again in the family photo albums until a family funeral. Whatever the special occasion from first date to last ride, a Cadillac limousine or other model is a top choice to mark the many milestones in a family’s life journey

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Plans are underway for the 2012 Grand National hosted by the Florida Suncoast Region

The Cadillac & LaSalle Club will most certainly enjoy The Renaissance Hotel at World Golf Village  in St. Augustine  for  the 2012 Grand National!

The Renaissance Resort has recently earned AAA 4 Diamond distinction! The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort offers fresh, well appointed accommodations featuring 37-inch flat-panel televisions, sparkling new bathrooms and furnishings, high-speed wireless Internet access, spacious work areas, wet bars and refrigerators among many modern luxuries. Meet in the largest combination hotel and convention center between Orlando and Atlanta. Within 15 minutes of the resort enjoy 108 holes of championship golf, including the Slammer and Squire, located just steps from your guestroom.

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Activities Director's Corner

Our April Picnic

Our May event is a visit to Bok Tower and Gardens

These meandering gardens are one of the best known achievements of famed 1920’s landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. A place for personal renewal and enjoyment, the Gardens offer you tranquil resting places, expansive panoramas and splashes of vibrant color. The acres of palms, ferns, pines and oaks create a year-round green backdrop to the seasonal splendor of azaleas, camillias and magnolia blossoms. One can also observe native wildlife species such as birds, reptiles and butterflies.

Bok Tower rises 205 feet above the gardens and houses one of the world’s finest carillons. Sixty bells in the carillon are featured in concerts at 1 and 3 pm daily, so if you want to enjoy the carillon concert, arrive in plenty of time for the 3pm performance!  Admission is $10 for adults and children under 12 are $3.

SEE YOU THERE!

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Sarasota’s 26-foot-tall

“Unconditional  Surrender”

May 8, 2011 marked the 66^th anniversary of V-E Day…the day WWII came to an end in Europe.  In our area, the controversial statue based on the famous photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square stands proudly in

Sarasota.  Local debate is whether it is art or kitsch, but whatever the statement made, the sculpture certainly draws tourists and locals alike to downtown. Many couples have their pictures made mimicking the classic pose. Especially popular among the many WWII retirees in the Sarasota area, it’s certainly worth a visit on one of your one-tank-trips.

 

Hello again!

As Forrest Gump might have said if he attended our last monthly meeting: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to see".  Members who were in attendance were treated to being able to get up close and personal with member Len Berman's recent acquisition, a late model Bentley Continental GTC.  Len and his brother, Ben are devoted car enthusiasts and also possess a nice assortment of Cadillacs in their collection.  Len was very enthusiastic demonstrating many of the different features incorporated into this masterpiece, using much of

today’s available technology. One such feature was the push-button trunk opener that was merely activated by the presence of the key fob.  Thanks to Len for bringing and sharing the recent addition to his stable with us.
 The next day was the Region’s annual Spring Picnic.  Like last year, this year it was held at the home of David Chestnut and David West.  This was a little change from some of the past picnics that were usually held in a local park.  The hosts played DVD's showing past car commercials from the 50's, 60's and 70's, plus other commercials from the early days of television.  It was interesting to see how life was depicted back in the day.

 May's event is a trip out to the Bok Tower and Gardens in Lake Wales on Saturday the 21st.  This is an event we have tried to schedule for the last few years, but it seemed one thing or another came up and we had to reschedule this trip.  This year it is all systems go!  We hope to see some new faces from the area at this worthwhile event. The Gardens are truly a place of peace and tranquility and transport us back to a more genteel era in our past. Plan to meet at the Gardens a little before 3pm, since the last carillon concert of the day is at 3. Admission is $10 for adults and children under 12 are $3. We plan to allow an hour to an hour and a half to tour these fabulous grounds, then we plan to caravan to a local restaurant to enjoy our patented camaraderie, and some good food as well.

In June we plan to visit one of the rarest locations in our part of Florida, the Gamble Plantation in Ellenton. This is the only surviving antebellum mansion that was built in this part of Florida, and the historical significance of this site cannot be overstated. It will make a fabulous photo-op for you and your Cadillac! Make sure you mark Saturday June 18 on your calendar. This has been changed from Sunday the 19^th as the Hickory Hollow restaurant nearby we will visit following our tour of the mansion isn’t open on Sunday. We strongly encourage you to experience their home-style Southern cooking ! It’s incredible and well worth the change of date, in fact their Mango Pie is well worth the trip in itself!  

John Fleming

2011 Regional Activities Schedule

Note changes and additions!

MAY   21, Sat, Bok Tower and Gardens, Lake Wales FL, 3pm. Restaurant following

JUN     18, Sat, Gamble Plantation, Ellenton FL, 3pm, Hickory Hollow restaurant following

JUL     16, Sat, Military Museum, Largo FL, time TBA        

AUG    Grand National, Columbus OH

SEP     TBA

OCT    TBA

NOV    20, Sun, Annual Fall Picnic, Philippe Park, Safety Harbor FL, 11 am

DEC    17, Sat, Annual Holiday Party,  Meyer’s home, Haines City FL, noon