Beltsville Shell Reunion #18

For the 18th time in 19 years the Beltsville Shell faithful (and other friends) gathered for the 2021 reunion.

Emerging from the pandemic, and yearning to see long-time friends, 45 people gathered at Herman's Garage on Memorial Day weekend -- a new attendance record.

Kneeling (L to R): Nancy Paul Thomas, Cary Thomas, and Canon Thomas

First Row (L to R): Eddie Scarcia, Michael Moore, Bradley Moore, Sam Whitmore, Malcolm Van Kirk, Janet Merkel, Sonny Boteler, Nace DeLauter, and Phil Marcus

Back Row (L to R): Cody Beard (slightly off the edge on the left), Mike O'Connor, Mike King, Phil Corbin, Kathy and Phil Cleary, Steve Anderson, Brian Lister, Steve Van Kirk, Bud Duley, Jim Ziepold, Steve Koch, Sandi Watt, Bill Goodwin, Annie McFarlane, Tick Magnum, Suzanne Lees, Herman Knauer, Barbara and Rick Ransom, Lynn Stephens, Gary Manley and Charles Crowson (slightly off the edge on the right)

Present, but not in the photo: Caden, Dresden and Lacey Beard, Al Beck, Doug Jones, Sharon Nomikos, Danny Sokolowski, Bonnie Williams, and Steve and Tammy Yokum.

With us in spirit: Bonnie and Tom Hontz.

What had began so long ago as a few guys who shared the experience of working at Beltsville Shell back in the 1960's has evolved into a richer phenomenon. No longer a get-together for only "car guys", the reunions now include high school classmates, spouses, friends, and families.  And this year, we even had a visit from a Super-Hero!!

About noon people began arriving at Herman's Garage which lies within the grounds of the USDA Agricultural Research Center.  This quiet setting, among fields, woods, and Beaver Dam Creek, is an ideal location for our reunions.  The weather forecast for the Memorial Day weekend called for rain showers.  Everyone chose to ignore this small inconvenience and their smiles were sunshine enough for the day.  A few brave souls defied the Weather Gods and brought their collectible cars.

Malcolm Van Kirk brought his two-owner 1964 Corvette that he has owned since 1967!

Gary Manley drove his 500,000 mile 1939 Ford from rural Virginia!

Steve Koch and Suzanne Lees surprised us all with Steve's 2002 Morgan

We had a nice turnout of newcomers this year and a few people who returned after not attending for many years -- it was great to see new faces and to renew lapsed friendships. Because our High Point High School Class of 1965 had to cancel our reunion in 2020, the BSYAWYD Reunion served as an excellent substitution.

Lynn (Moore) Stephens and Doug Jones, HPHS class of 1965 alumni, attended their first reunion.

Lynn brought her Aunt, Sharon Nomikos, and her Father, Bradley Moore; they are pictured here with Jim Ziepold.  At 94 years young, Bradley has set the record for the most senior attendee of a BSYAWYD reunion!

Reunion regulars, Eddie Scarcia, Michael Moore, and Michael O'Connor, enjoyed the day.

Sandi (Johnson) Watt, also a HPHS class of 1965 alum, is pictured here with Annie McFarlane.

Old friends, Mike King (who worked at Boteler's Store years ago) and Steve Anderson, reconnect with Sonny Boteler.

Here we find Sam Whitmore joining Phil Marcus, Malcolm Van Kirk, and Sonny Boteler (all four HPHS alumni).

Over the years about 100 different people have attended these events.  Three have attended every reunion since 2002 -- Cary, Sonny and Nace.

 

From noon to about 2PM there was plenty of socializing inside the garage while Herman and  Danny Sokolowski provided the Grill Master services.  Herman cooked up some delicious home-made french fries.  Tick Magnum brought a wonderful Beef Brisket.  There was no shortage of great food, as always!

Everyone brings their favorite pot luck dish and the food filled two long tables inside the Garage.  We even had the traditional BSYAWYD cake!

As soon as all of the food was displayed, Herman stood up to make a few announcements. Suddenly, a familiar Super-Hero appeared from out of nowhere -- The Green Hornet!  Bearing Beltsville memorabilia, and visiting us from his Fleur de Lys estate in the über-posh enclave of Holmby Hills, California, the Green Hornet wished us all a happy reunion.

Herman thanked everyone for attending, especially those who came from as far away as California, Delaware, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia.  He recognized Bradley Moore who, at age 94, has set the record as the most senior participant in these reunions!

For the next three hours the Garage was filled with sated appetites and joyous camaraderie.

Of all the venues we have used for the past two decades, Herman's Garage has been the location of choice.  This is the eleventh time that we have met here. 

What makes this venue even more enjoyable is the way that Herman and his family jump in to make sure that every detail is perfect and everyone feels welcomed.  Here are Herman's daughters, Tammy and Lacey, without whom the reunions would not be possible.

The reunions are a family affair, too.  Tammy and Lacey's husbands and children are part of the festivities.  From left to right Cody and Caden Beard, Steve Yokum, Lacey and Dresden Beard, Bonnie Williams, and Tammy Yokum.

As the day winds down, and people reluctantly leave, I'm always torn between the extremes of delight and melancholy -- delighted to think how much these gatherings mean to so many people, while melancholy thinking about the season of our lives which evokes the unspoken fear that next time . . . . . .  well, you know what I mean.

Herman and I want to thank everyone who participated for coming out on a busy holiday weekend.  You made the day very special!

Beltsville Shell Central

The original Beltsville Shell is long gone.  But there are three reincarnations of this wonderful phenomenon:

Beltsville Shell "East" is, of course, Herman's Garage -- the mecca where we all go for the annual BSYAWYD Reunions.  And, as is fitting, it is located in Beltsville, Maryland.

Beltsville Shell "West" is, or course, Cary's Garage in Carlsbad, California.

But, did you know that there is a Beltsville Shell "Central"?  It's true -- and it is located in Philo, Illinois.

You might ask, "Really?  How did this happen?"  Here is the story:

Sometimes I wonder how many friendships have been kindled, or rekindled, by “Beltsville Shell: You Are What You Drive”?

Back in Beltsville, the book has been a magnet that has drawn together life-long friends, sometimes after long periods of separation.  The book helped me reconnect with so many Maryland friends from my 45+ year exile in California.  I don’t think that would have happened without the book as a catalyst, and I will be forever grateful for these rediscovered friendships.   The phenomenon is exemplified in many ways, but most prominently in the Reunions.

Beltsville Shell Reunions

Perhaps more impressive is the way the book helped me make new connections with complete strangers who lived the same experiences as are described in the book.  Many readers will write me letters, or send email messages describing how my memories match theirs.  I’ve saved each letter and message as validation that the long road to completing the book was worth the effort.    There is no better example of these connections than the friendship that I enjoy with Thomas and Chris Payne and Lou Bingham. 

Here is how Thomas Payne describes the forces of Nature that brought us together:

"I was an international airline pilot for Continental Airlines and by my choice, frequently flew the same routing for months or years at a time. As such, I tended to fly with many of the same cabin crew members and would get to know many of them much better than if I only flew occasionally with them. Linda Seymore, (Wayne Cowie's wife) was a frequent flight attendant on my flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over time I told her about my restoration of an old auto repair shop and how I subsequently established a web thread about it hosted by Garage Journal entitled "Restored 1930's Auto Shop". She told her husband, Wayne, about it. Wayne started to read the thread and came across my recommendation to all auto enthusiasts to read a book titled Beltsville Shell. He then told Linda to ask me next time we flew together if I'd like to sometime meet the author, Cary Thomas since he lived just a few blocks from Wayne and Linda.

"From that suggestion flowed the fact that Cary lived near Lou Bingham who had also read Beltsville Shell. Lou was a big fan of Cary's and when Chris and I visited with Lou in San Diego, we made arrangements via Wayne to meet Cary and Nan. So, I got to meet Cary in a very round about, serendipitous way for sure! 

"On my Garage Journal thread, 'Restored 1930's Auto Shop' in 2012 we had started what evolved into the 'Brotherhood of the Traveling Book'.

"From my recommendation to read Beltsville Shell, one of the first readers of the book from the thread suggested to share the same copy of the book when they were finished reading it by mailing it to the next reader on a waiting/mailing list we established on the thread. The BOTTB eventually sent the same copy to over 75 different readers, it crossed the Pacific twice going to New Zealand and Australia on separate occasions, to Europe, Scandinavia, England, Wales and Scotland. It's circulated around the USA and Canada on 4 different tours. Just look at the maps showing its travel overseas and a sample of various signoffs by readers over the years."

Who needs a publicity firm when you have Thomas Payne, right?

Through all these activities, since 2014, we have been able to visit with Thomas, Chris, and Lou in our home.

First Visit by Thomas, Chris and Lou - 2014 

Don and Shirley join me and Nan in hosting these special guests. When they come to visit we always have a blast.

Our friendship with Thomas and Lou resulted in an amazing experience in 2016.  They invited me and Don to join them at Speedweek in Bonneville to witness the land speed record attempts of racers from around the World.  Because of our friendship with Lou, a legend in his own right at Bonneville, we secured the ultimate spot to observe the time trials -- at the starting line!  

Equipped with our USC pop-up, plenty of chairs, and a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks (provided by Nan), and cigars, we were styling in the "Bingham Suite"!  Here is a photo of Lou, Don, and me in the Bingham Suite resting between runs shielded from the relentless Sun at the starting line.

 

Did I mention that we had cigars?

 From this vantage point we witnessed all the cars and motorcycles lining up to make their record attempts.  It's amazing that we could walk right up to the racers to talk with the drivers and tech crews as they prepared for their run down the pristine white salt.  Here Thomas and I are admiring one of the race cars.

Lou and Thomas had special Press Credentials and were allowed to enter the staging area.

Ever the promoter of Beltsville Shell, Thomas had spread the word that the author was attending the event, and a few buyers stopped by to have their copies of Beltsville Shell autographed.

We even experienced history being made by Danny Thompson, son of Mickey Thompson, in the restored and updated Challenger 2.  In the background you can see Lou and Don watching the preparations for a World Record run.

The entire, amazing, story is told in my blog post from August 2016 (below).

2016 Trip to Bonneville

In 2018 Thomas, Chris, and Lou came for another visit to Beltsville Shell West.  Thomas and Lou went for a test drive in Don's new C7 Stingray.  

This event was a contributing factor to Thomas pulling the trigger to buy his own C7 Corvette shortly thereafter (see photo below).

Everybody loves Go Karts, and Thomas and I share the experience of owning Karts in our youth. So it was natural that the visitors needed to visit the Kart section of Beltsville Shell West. Sparkle, Buff, and Shine were all ready for inspection. The weather was so nice that we decided to take Shine for a spin. Here is Don enjoying Vintage Karting on the Seaview Way Race Track while Thomas and Lou were out cruising in his new Stingray. 

As soon as Thomas and Lou returned, Thomas had to take a spin in Shine.

On their next visit, in 2019, our guests were introduced to the Z06.

Over these seven years of visits, Thomas, Chris, and Lou have become the biggest promoters of Beltsville Shell.  The book is frequently featured in Thomas' Garage Journal postings, and his posts to the Corvette Forum.  Every time he makes a new post, we receive a blizzard of book orders.

More importantly, as noted above, Thomas has been the Godfather of the World-traveling copy of Beltsville Shell -- exposing the book to car people all across America and in many foreign countries.

Brotherhood of the Traveling Book - Part 1

Brotherhood of the Traveling Book - Part 2

In addition to supporting my book, Thomas has provided invaluable assistance to me on: choosing parts for my cars and Karts, making repairs and restorations, and buying and selling Corvettes and Karts.

Thomas and Chris live in Philo Illinois, commonly known as "the Center of the Universe"! 

Because of all their support, I hereby declared Thomas' garage Beltsville Shell Central.

Here is Chris, Lou, and Thomas at Beltsville Shell Central, with three Corvettes, sporting their official Beltsville Shell Shirts! Note the C7 in the background!

 Thank you, Thomas, Chris, and Lou for all your support and friendship for all these years.

Cary Thomas, May 2021