Chrysler 300 Club International
Spring Meet in Altoona, Iowa
May 4 - 6, 1989





Don Rook, Rene Kroeger

Don Rook seeing if 66 wheel covers will fit on Bill Elder's 57


300D of Jim Golden

Patti Golden, Larry Jett, Jim Golden





Mike Burke (convert), Spencer Siracusano (green),  Frank Hatch, Monte Gillespie

Tom Dorry, Jeff Welch, John Cornfoot (G convert), Adam Carter, Dave Schwandt, Robert Linnenburger.

Hursts of Rod Kroeger, Ray Jones, Roman Robazewski.  Galen Wollbrink L, Ken Quick L



C300 Rick Seppi and 300B Charles Fabian

Parade green 300C of Spencer Siracusano







300J, George Riehl



300L, Ken Quick

Hurst, Ray Jones







Rene Kroeger and Don Rook

Mike Burke and Ray Jones

Mike Burke and Jim Golden

Mike Burke and Spencer Siracusano

Mike Burke and Dave Schwandt



Mike Burke and Roman Robaszewski

Photos by Bill Elder

19th Annual Spring Meet, Altoona, Iowa
by Rene, Donene and Rod Kroeger

Our Spring Meet ’89 has come and gone. It seemed like the first week in May would never get here and then the meet was over way too soon. It also seems like there is never enough time to talk in person to our “300” friends.

Our first arrivals were Bill and Louise Elder from Canada in their ’64 300K convertible. Bob and Jackie Gingrich, also from Canada, arrived shortly thereafter with Don and Kathy Rook from Pennsylvania not far behind. We met many members that have not been at the meets that we attended in the past and saw quite a few 300s that had not been at any previous meet. Our weather was a bit cooler and windier than usual for the first week in May, but that didn’t seem to bother the 300 enthusiasts. The Country Inn was very accommodating to all of our members; limousine service ($2.00 per person), free coffee 24 hours a day and a nice hospitality room furnished free of charge among other things, were a real plus and we heard that everyone was pleased with their rooms which were new. The staff tried really hard to keep us all in one block of rooms too.

Thursday was a wonderful day for watching the cars come in, relaxing or getting registered. A lot of the ladies went shopping thanks to that limousine, or were found in the pool or hospitality room getting acquainted. We noticed that almost everyone wore their name tags all weekend which helped us all identify one another.

On Friday morning, we went to LIVING HISTORY FARMS, a planned stop on our agenda for the weekend. After viewing the diverse farming community of the past, present and future, we made a stop at a nearby town restored as an early American Main Street with antique shops and a ‘50s ice cream parlor, in which many of us indulged. Friday evening, most members attending, cruised to Porky’s ‘50s style drive-in for our business meeting. The nostalgic meeting room in the basement was overfilled with 300 enthusiasts filling up on Porky’s famous tenderloins and onion rings. Somewhere around 85 were in attendance at the business meeting. We also had a brief appearance and skit by “Vince and Larry”, the National Seat belt Dummies, and they were quite a success.

Saturday morning, with a brisk breeze blowing and everyone scrambling to find warmer clothes to wear to ward off the cold, we lined up all of the 300’s on the grassy lot adjacent to the motel with them arranged by year. What a beautiful sight it was too! After all the picture taking was over, it was time to vote for the people’s choice awards. Decisions! Decisions! Then, with the ballots safely in the ballot box, we all left in caravan for our scheduled high trestle train ride near Boone, Iowa, about 45 minutes north of the motel. At the depot, Ken and Shirley Quick had quite a good conversation with the train conductor and were invited back to the Boone Scenic Railroad at least once a year to do an inspection on the railroad as Ken is an inspector for a railroad back in his home state of North Dakota!

After the train ride, some of us stopped at the childhood home of Mamie Dowd Eisenhower, which is very well preserved and houses memorabilia from the Eisenhower years.

Arriving back at the motel, we just had time to change and leave again for the Award’s Banquet at Elwell’s Restaurant, about 8 miles away. The banquet was enjoyed by all and the food was excellent. After the winners of the People’s Choice judging was announced, it was time for the door prizes with every family or member receiving some memento of the meet. There was everything from hats to tires given away as prizes. It was great fun!

UNUSUAL TIDBITS THROUGOUT THE MEET
  1. Two couples from Finland stopped for the night at the motel on their way from the west coast to the east coast. Surprisingly, they were driving a 1957 New Yorker and what a surprise they must have gotten when they pulled into the parking lot and saw all the finned cars! We invited them to our hospitality room and in the course of the conversation, they told us that they had some other old Chrysler cars back home and one of them was a member of the WPC Club. As a result of this surprise, one of them joined our club and was looking for a 300C to ship back to Finland.

  2. There was an auto swap meet going on in Des Moines and some of the members went on Saturday morning and found some items that they really needed. Others went Sunday morning and we noticed shop manuals and a few rare items sifting back through the group.

  3. The whirlpool was quite popular, especially those from a long distance away who were suffering from “sititis”. They seemed to be happy to just sit in the whirlpool and just talk cars.

  4. Watching Charlie Fabian drive by with his beautiful 300B with their dog sitting beside him and Sandy, his gracious wife stretched out in the back seat because she says at 100 MPH or over, she feels more comfortable in the back seat, which is where she usually rides, letting their “baby” ride beside Charlie in the front seat.

  5. Pat Golden’s ponytail was subject to “Is it real?” at Porky’s ‘50s night. Pat, I’ll let you tell that one.

  6. Vince and Larry, our seatbelt dummies, were really Marilyn Cornfoot and Andrea Novak (Jim Krausmann’s girlfriend). Thank you both for doing such a great job. We’ve seen you both on tv, many times.

  7. Sherrie Seppi and friends waving out the limousine window as once again there was another shopping trip underway.

  8. Bev Gillespie doing quite a needle-point of a 1960 300F. It was great to see such enthusiasm. Monte and Bev brought their 300C to the meet.

  9. Jim Krausmann won the NAPA tool set (all his cars look brand new), but we are sure they will come to good use though, right Jim?

  10. We knew the meet had begun, when we saw Mike, Linda, Jennifer and three friends, (making 6 in all) drive in from Michigan in their 300C convert. This car has not been to a meet in many years.

  11. Finding Don and Kathy Rook coming back from a shopping trip in their 300C coupe, with packages and more packages.

  12. … and the saying, ($2.00 please) will never leave our minds as well as, who went to the Mamie Dowd Eisenhower home, know too well. You just had to be there, to know what we mean!

  13. Ray Jones just happened to win the meal he was eating at the banquet and it just happened to be his Birthday, that day. So, he got a free Birthday dinner. Amazing!

  14. One of the larger prizes was from Coker Tire and guess who won? One of our members who drove an antique (brand X) T Bird to the meet, but he says he is looking for one of the “right” makes.

  15. Rod Kroeger started the bidding for the Long-Distance Award with 8 miles, after we have won the Long-Distance award at four other meets.

  16. Larry Jett, California, had been looking for something to take his wife as she was unable to attend and won the wreath that all the ladies would have liked to win.

Well, this is all for now, so thank you all for your support, your friendship and for the dedication to the Letter Cars and Hursts. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!



People’s Choice Awards

Group I: 1955 C300 – 1958D

1st Place: 300D owned by Jim Golden, Topeka, Kansas

2nd Place: 300C owned by Spencer Siracusano, Des Moines, Iowa

Group II: 1955 300E – 300H

1st Place: 300F owned by Dave Schwandt, Earlville, Iowa

2nd Place: 300H owned by Tom Dorry, Ortonville, Minnesota

Group III: 1963 300J – Hurst

1st Place: 300K convert owned by Bill Elder, Windsor Ontario

2nd Place: 300 Hurst owned by Roman Robaszewski, Chicago, Illinois

Long Distance: 300 Hurst owned by Ray Jones, 1,137 miles from Edgewater, MD

Hard Luck: 300 Hurst owned by Ray Jones, heater vacuum control valve

Letter Series 300s Attending the Meet

C300: Richard Seppi; 300B: Charlie Fabian; 300C: Spencer Siracusano, Monte Gillespie, Mike Burke, Frank Hatch, Don Rook, Dave Schwandt; 300D: Jim Golden; 300E: (none); 300F: Dave Schwandt, Robert Linnenburger; 300G: John Cornfoot, Adam Carter, Jeff Welch; 300H: Tom Dorry; 300J: George Riehl; 300K: Rene Kroeger, Bill Elder; 300L: Galen Wollbrink, Ken Quick; 300 Hurst: Rod Kroeger, Ray Jones, Roman Robaszewski


Thanks to Bill Elder for typing this article for the web