A Publication of the
Upper Midwest Region of
The Shelby American
Automobile Club
FEBRUARY
2016
In this issue
Presidents’ Corner
Club Contact Info
January Meeting
Minutes
Upcoming Events
Wanted for June
Show
Holiday Party
Recap
 Lego Mustangs
You’ve Got Mail –
NONE
THE PONY
EXPRESS
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
While reading this past Sunday’s St. Paul Pioneer Press, I was saddened to read about the passing of one of
my favorite sports reporters/columnists, Don Riley. Mr. Riley covered many different sports, including Ice
Hockey and Auto Racing (which were his favorites). He was also known to many as a great story teller, and
could embellish and drag out a story forever. He won my admiration for his honest, no BS way of delivering his
columns (up to 6 per week at one time), and most importantly, he was the only local reporter to report about car
racing on both the local and national level. While I grew up in North Minneapolis, and we only got the
Minneapolis Star (which was the evening edition-remember when there was both a morning and evening
edition of the local newspapers?), I would read the St. Paul paper during study hall in the school library,
reading his column first.
Riley even went so far as to host a local, weekly TV show called “The Racing Scene”. The show covered
events from all of the local short tracks, including Twin City Speedway (later to become North Star Speedway),
Raceway Park and Elko Speedway. He would bring drivers and their cars into the studio to get you a little
closer to the action. He also had videos (known as “film” at the time) of some of the previous weeks action from
some of the local tracks, and to promote upcoming events throughout the area.
My parents didn’t (and never did) understand my fascination with racing, and how I was glued to the TV for that
half hour each week (I believe the show was on for about a year), but I was a big fan.
In about March or April of 1969, Mr. Riley announced on the show that he was hosting a trip to The Indianapolis
500 on Memorial Day Weekend. While there were going to be two busses taking people to the event, space
was limited.
I wanted in!!!
I remember mentioning it to my folks, thinking that my Dad and I would go together. But he and my Mom owned
a small restaurant, and at that time of the year, it just wouldn’t work out.
RATS!!!
But my Mom knew that I REALLY wanted go (You Moms are like that!!!). Somehow, she contacted Mr. Riley
and arranged for me to go by myself! Mr. Riley assured her that he would watch me carefully (a point he made
quite clear when I boarded the bus), which he did.
The only thing that would have made the trip better was if A.J. Foyt had won the race. It would have been his
fourth win, and the only driver at that time to have done so. He did start on the pole, and led the race early on,
but mechanical problems dropped him from contention.
The only thing that would have “screwed it up” would be if Mario Andretti won. Which he did!
 SAAC 41
 Ford at Le Mans
Somehow, Mr. Riley not only kept me in check (and happy), but was a most gracious host to rest of the group
to make sure that they were enjoying themselves. He even made a point of introducing me to most of the
others who had made the trip.
Where is the Steg?
Want Ads - NONE
I enjoyed myself enough, that I also made the 1970 and 1971 trips with him. [Ed. Note: All three trips as a minor
– unheard of today!]
If you have ever listened to Joe Soucherey, Patrick Reusse and other local sports reporters tell stories of his
escapades, you would have heard that he was a great storyteller, which made him that much more
entertaining. His tale about opening and quickly closing a State Fair food stand is a classic!
Don Riley will hold always hold a soft spot in my heart for his willingness to keep an eye on me for those three
Memorial Day Weekends, and allowing me to be a part of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. It would help
solidify the “Car Guy” in me.
And thanks to my Mom for making that phone call!!!
MIKE BOULKA
UPPER MIDWEST REGION, SHELBY AMERICAN AUTO CLUB
P.O. Box 390453
2016 CLUB OFFICERS
CLUB DUES
Dues are $26 for a one-year membership. New members
pay $2.00/month through June 30th then $26 per year.
President:
Mike Boulka
Vice Pres:
Carole Ackerman
Treasurer:
Ericke Rosquist
Secretary:
Brian Farr
(612) 940-4457
All memberships expire every June 30th.
(651) 365-0840
(612) 886-2185
(952) 472-7975
CLUB REPRESENTATIVE
Dan Mattila
(763) 784-8668
CLUB PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ericke Rosquist
Sandy Beck
Edina, MN 55439
(612) 886-2085
(651) 707-4547
MEMBER DATA CHANGES
Please send any directory changes to:
Chuck Anderson email: [email protected]
CLUB LOGO ITEMS
~See Want Ads for items and Special Order options ~
Merchandise Managers:
Brian Bothwell
(612) 710-6427
Tom Stark
(763) 497-7574
FOR DISCOUNTS ON PARTS
Apple Valley Ford -15% Off Motorsports
Ask for Chad at (952) 431-5900
WEBMASTER
CLUB COMMITTEES
CLUB WEBSITE ADDRESS
WWW.MIDWESTSHELBYCLUB.COM
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Dave Smith
Scott Sokol
Chuck Anderson: [email protected]
(952) 914-9260
(952) 368-7262
FACEBOOK
Upper Midwest Region SAAC – Ford Mustang
NON-SHOW EVENTS COMMITTEE
Steve and Pam Flaten
Mike Boulka
CLUB EMAIL
(952) 890-0080
(612) 940-4457
CHARITABLE GIVING COMMITTEE
Carole Ackerman
Dan Bye
Bill Cochrane
Jeff Condon
Dan Mattila
Larry Meyer
Scott Sokol
[email protected]
NEWSLETTERS - WANT ADS
Kathie Boulka: [email protected]
Deadline for next issue:
January 18th
Please send any submissions to newsletter email address
above. Sending through other contacts may cause a
delay in delivery and publication.
PLEASE review Club Info above, as well as Membership Directory.
Send any corrections, including current vehicles,
to [email protected] for club info
or [email protected] for membership directory.
UMRSAAC monthly meeting minutes
January 4, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. by President Mike Boulka at the Golden Valley American Legion.
New members and guests: None
Officer’s reports:
VP: Carole Ackerman, No report
Treasurer: Ericke Rosquist gave the financial report.
Secretary: Brian Farr, no report
Merchandise managers: See Tom Stark or Brian Bothwell for club merchandise.
Committee Reports:
Non-Show Events Committee: Mike Boulka is planning the spring cruise to La Crosse Wi., April 30-May 1,
2016. Hotel and itinerary coming soon.
Charitable Donations Committee: Nothing new to report.
Old Business:
June car show: Roger Stolley, as chairman, reported flyers are being made and t-shirts will be ordered soon.
Pam Flaten is organizing the winter party. It will be January 16 at the Lost Spur Golf Course. With happy hour
at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30pm. There will be Blackjack for entertainment. Members are asked to donate door
prizes to be given away.
New Business:
50/50 Drawing was won by Terry Starr in the amount of $34.
“Where’s the Steg” contest for December was won by Chuck Anderson. The answer was: The Lindstrom
water tower looking East.
Trivia: Hosted by Greg Fritz, the theme was 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996.
Mike announced that starting next month there will be a limited menu at the American Legion. The cost of
dinner will include a beverage and the tip.
Upcoming Events: [** Designates UMR SAAC event/activity]
**01/23: Monthly
**02/01: Monthly
**02/13: Monthly
**02/27: Monthly
**03/01: Monthly
Breakfast North@ Original Pancake House in Maple Grove (7:30am)
meeting at American Legion-Golden Valley.
Breakfast South@ Stark’s Restaurant in Eagan (7:30am)
Breakfast North@ Original Pancake House in Maple Grove (7:30am)
meeting at American Legion-Golden Valley.
Secretary, Brian Farr
California Specials for “Feature Car”
front display (not entered in show).
Contact Roger Stolley at 507-649-1592
HUGE, HUGE thanks to
Pam and Steve Flaten for
organizing this great event!!
Fun was had by ALL!!!!!!!
Saturday, January 16th
5:30 Cocktails/
6:30 Dinner
8:00 Blackjack tables
Jill Schmidt, Dawn and Mark Prokop,
Pete Schmidt, Jean Erickson
Delicious buffet!
Jean and Rolf Erickson, Art Schmidt,
Doug Heywood, Jill Schmidt
Scott Sokol, Jim and Candice Hoiness,
Bill Cochrane
Terry Starr, Ashley and Starrla Velsvaag
Dan Mattila, Tami Bronson, Duane Paskett,
Sharon Bye
Sharon and Dan Bye, Carol and Dan Briles,
John Paskett
Greg and Cheryl Fritz, Sandy Beck, Dean
Mathias, Dan LeVesque
Dan and Dawn LeVesque,
Sally and Jim Holland
Peggy and Maury Vanden Burg,
Brian and Carla Farr
Karen and Dave Hackman, Dennis Bardwell,
Chuck Anderson
Pete Kokemueller, Kathy Rasche,
Roxi Miller, Lenny Hanson
Mike and Carole Ackerman,
Cheryl and Tim Wachlin
Diane and Brian Pierson, Karen Greenwell,
Ericke Rosquist
Pam and Steve Flaten,
Kathie and Mike Boulka
Three entertaining dealers and MANY enthusiastic players. Others enjoyed socializing at the tables. The fun ended with the auctioning of three tables
of prizes, enough for everyone! Again, THANKS Pam and Steve, and to ALL who donated door prizes!!!!! AND thanks to all who were able to attend!
Ford, LEGO Speed Champions Introduce Mustang, F-150 Raptor Sets
for Kids of All Ages to Build Their Dreams
•
•
•
See full story at Mustang Club of
America…
Ford and LEGO Speed Champions
introduce new line of LEGO sets,
including two of Ford’s most iconic
vehicles at the 2016 North American
International Auto Show
Mustang and F-150 Raptor LEGO Speed
Champions sets celebrate iconic Ford
vehicles and come ready for race day
with special accessories
Sets available for purchase March 1 in
LEGO stores and Toys ’R US
nationwide
http://www.mustang.org/content.php/624-Ford-and-LEGO-Speed-Champions-Introduces-MustangSet?s=1f86265a660bb44988a6655a4277ac7c
OR http://bit.ly/1JSNNHt
Chuck has already done a club blast, but never hurts to get more exposure for this event.
“From what Troy Krueger has told me, the host hotels are close to full right now, so the sooner
members call them, they might get to stay right with the gang. Otherwise, they are going to have to do
some searching, and from what I remember about the Mid-Ohio area, there are not a lot of hotels close
to the track.”
From the SAAC Facebook page…
Here are the details: http://www.saac.com/files/newsletter/0116/news-0116.pdf OR http://bit.ly/1OqyLaT
Ford announced today it is returning
to one of the most prestigious
automobile races in the world with
its new Ford GT race car, based on
the all-new ultra-high-performance
supercar that goes on sale next year.
The Ford GT race car will compete
in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – referred
to by many as the Grand Prix of
Endurance and Efficiency – starting
next year. Revealed today at the
famous circuit in Le Mans, France,
Ford GT will compete in the Le Mans
GT Endurance class for professional
teams and drivers (LM GTE Pro).
The new race car – a further proof point of Ford innovation – is based on the
all-new Ford GT supercar unveiled in January. Both the production car and
race car will arrive in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars
placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to repeat its
victory at Le Mans in 1967, 1968 and 1969.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/06/12/ford-gtle-mans.html OR http://ford.to/1TgljZM
WHERE’S THE
STEG?
Identify where ‘The Steg’ is in the monthly
photos. The more precise the better.
The first person to name the exact
location (or closest proximity) each month
will win a prize to be awarded at the
following meeting.
If you are not present at the meeting,
you must contact Mike to arrange
delivery. If Mike is not contacted within
three months, prize will be “reshelved.”
Please send your guess via e-mail to:
Mike Boulka <[email protected]>.
For those of you who do not do e-mail,
or are as technologically challenged as
Mike, call his cell phone, 612-940-4457.
Leave your guess on his voicemail if he is
unavailable. Be specific!
The winning guess will be based on the most accurate location
named (geographic location, landmark, etc.), as well as by the
date and time it was received, whether by voicemail or email.
NEW RULE: Winners must wait three months before entering
again.
Last month…
We were pretty sure people would
recognize the water tower in
Lindstrom, but added a hint in the
“Some say…” below the photo.
Chuck Anderson had a little fun with
the first correct answer:
Date: December 26, 2015 at
12:49:12 PM CST
Lindstrom, MN standing on the NW
corner of Hwy 8 & Olinda Trail…
then at 12:53:31 PM CST… Actually,
to be more precise based on the
angle of the shot - kneeling at that
corner, not standing ;-)
then at 12:58:30 PM CST… I meant
that the camera operator was
kneeling on the NE corner while the
Steg was standing on the NW
corner.
At any rate, he had the exact
intersection correct!
FYI---Lindstrom’s motto is
America's Little Sweden, thus the
Swedish clue.
“Some say he is a racer with ice water in his veins,
But others say it’s only because he doesn’t have
enough sense to come in out of the cold….
All we know is, he's called the Steg.”
“Lindstrom, Minnesota: Swedish
Coffee Pot Water Tower
Americans appreciate a big cup of
coffee, and also coffee pot-shaped
buildings and water towers. But the
Swedes' love of coffee is legendary.
Lindstrom's coffee pot water tower is
painted with a welcoming message.
In Swedish. - See more at:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/
8752#sthash.Y6rNGywO.dpuf”
Subsequent correct guesses:
From: Ron Vrnak
Date: December 26, 2015 at
1:12:33 PM CST
The Steg is In Lindstrom Mn off
highway 8.
12849 1st Ave N.
Chisago County Mn.
From: Brad Pierson
Date: December 27, 2015 at 9:58:53
AM CST
Hi Mike, I have no idea where the
Steg is but my wife Diane says it is
the water tower in Lindstrom, MN.
Also a phone call from Dennis
Bardwell in the evening of December
th
29 stating the Lindstrom water
tower.
Want Ads - Buy and Sell
Send your ads, changes or renewals to Kathie Boulka [email protected].
Deadline for next issue: February 18th, 2016 No charge!. Ads will be dated and run for 6 issues
unless notified to renew/cancel. Non-member ads will be run for 1 issue.
Upper Midwest Region SAAC
P.O.Box 390453
Edina, Minnesota 55439