September 3, 2010, Several ROA members attended the annual “Supercruise” in Golden, Colorado. As usual there were at least a thousand cars of all make and models on display. Pictured are 1965s owned by members Colin Grubb and Rob Henderson from Lakewood. The modified ’65 is owned by Bob Taylor of Golden. Also spotted was a ’69 that got away before being contacted. We also observed a few Toronados, but the owners were out enjoying the show.

Aug 27, Saturday, Fifteen members of the ROA and TOA, joined a weekly gathering of car collectors, who meet every Saturday morning at the Great Indoors store south of Denver at Park Meadows.  A total of 12 cars, owners of seven Rivieras and five Toronados showed up for coffee and conversation.

The Rivieras ranged from 1963-'72, while the Toronados represented were from 1966-'85. Several members came from as far as Canyon City and Colorado Springs. All cars were welcomed as this was an opportunity to enjoy cars, regardless of condition.

One thing the members agreed upon, they should do this more often. Members Mike Vogt and Rob Henderson will be considering another gathering in September. Details will be announced here and members will be contacted by e-mail.

August 6, Saturday, Members from the Dallas area met at the North Star Dragway in Denton. Ken Robinson, and his dad Reggie, came out with their one owner 1967. Steve Smock brought his ‘72 with a Cummings Dodge diesel, and his 1964  Special convertible. Also in attendance without cars were Jason Pruitt, and Leslie Fry. The temperature was 108 at 6.00 pm, which accounted for the low turnout. We may try this again on  Oct 8 at 6.00PM, of so members will be contacted.

Southeastern Regional
SE Coordinators in FL,GA, NC & TN

April 19-21, Third ROA Southeastern Regional to be held in Ocala, FL. The weekend will be filled with activities starting with early registration on Thursday evening, a tour of the National Parts Depot Museum and a scenic cruise on Friday.  Peer judging will take place on Saturday at Don Garlit’s Drag Racing & Classic Car Museum, followed by an awards banquet.

Room reservations can be made with the Comfort Suites Hotel, 3825 NW Bonnie Heath Blvd, in Ocala. 352-482-0800, at a special ROA rate of $75 plus tax for Thurs-Saturday.

For additional information contact you regional Coordinator.
Click here to download  a Registration Form and a Schedule of Events.

October 1, 2011 All-GM Oktoberfest sponsored by the National Parts Depot (NPD) was a great success. There was no sign of Tarzan, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or even scuba pro Mike Nelson of Sea Hunt, but there were 14 ROA members and their classic Rivieras who turned out on a clear and beautiful October day for the 6th Annual Oktoberfest at Florida’s Silver Springs (where each of those productions were filmed). There were about 650 other GM cars on display, including many other Buicks.

The folks who own NPD had their own Riviera there, too, and escorted our ROA contingent to a prime display spot with lots of shade. We spent the day checking out the cars, riding the glass-bottom boats, taking the jungle cruise, and enjoying each other’s company. The overwhelming consensus: let’s do it again next year. So, mark your calendars for the first Saturday of October.

Although this was a North Central Florida Region event, ROA members from all over the state participated, including Dave Messinger’s ‘97, Nate Thomas’ ‘98, Charlie & Virginia Dilts’ ‘85, Wease Kaylor and Sue Aigiotti’s ‘63, Bruce Mack’s ‘95, Steve Brisbois’ ‘68, Artie Smith’s ‘65, Dennis Thulin’s ’84, Jeff & Bonnie Miller’s ‘71, Gary & Peggi Andrade’s ‘68, plus South Atlantic Coordinator Bob Brumbaugh, ‘73, Mid-Atlantic  Coordinator Bill Mays’ ‘64, and North Central  Coordinator Bob & Cindy Wannall’s ‘64.

The 1968 owned by Steve Brisbois, # 13359, won the “Best Buick Award” at the show.

Southeastern Regional
SE Coordinators in FL,GA, NC & TN

April 19-21, Third ROA Southeastern Regional to be held in Ocala, FL. The weekend will be filled with activities starting with early registration on Thursday evening, a tour of the National Parts Depot Museum and a scenic cruise on Friday.  Peer judging will take place on Saturday at Don Garlit’s Drag Racing & Classic Car Museum, followed by an awards banquet.

Room reservations can be made with the Comfort Suites Hotel, 3825 NW Bonnie Heath Blvd, in Ocala. 352-482-0800, at a special ROA rate of $75 plus tax for Thurs-Saturday.

For additional information contact you regional Coordinator.
Click here to download  a Registration Form and a Schedule of Events.

Southeastern Regional
SE Coordinators in FL,GA, NC & TN

April 19-21, Third ROA Southeastern Regional to be held in Ocala, FL. The weekend will be filled with activities starting with early registration on Thursday evening, a tour of the National Parts Depot Museum and a scenic cruise on Friday.  Peer judging will take place on Saturday at Don Garlit’s Drag Racing & Classic Car Museum, followed by an awards banquet.

Room reservations can be made with the Comfort Suites Hotel, 3825 NW Bonnie Heath Blvd, in Ocala. 352-482-0800, at a special ROA rate of $75 plus tax for Thurs-Saturday.

For additional information contact you regional Coordinator.
Click here to download  a Registration Form and a Schedule of Events.

October 15, 2011, It was a convertible day at the Georgia ROA gathering held at West Bank Park on Lake Lanier.  To say the weather was perfect would be an understatement.  Sunny, a light breeze, 75 degrees, leaves were changing colors on the trees along with a lake side view.  And because of the weather the convertibles were out in force.  We had 13 Rivieras and 22 Members plus children attend this year’s even and of the 13 Rivieras four were convertibles.  And Bill Horlock who hasn’t missed a meet yet would have been there with his convertible had not some health issues kept him away.  We all hope you get better Bill!

We grilled hamburgers and everyone brought a side dish for the group to enjoy while taking in the great views of the lake and the cars. All in all we had a great time enjoying the people, the setting and, of course, the Rivieras!

L to R – Russ Norris, Keith Felderman, Chris Miller, Don McClair, Ken Domm, Michael Clark, Christopher Brink, Debbie Jones, Tim Bryan, Craig Smith, Joe Jones, John Link, Adam Decker and Carl Fuller.

L-R Carl Fuller’s ’71,Chris Miller’s ’84, Adam Decker’s ’85, Joe & Debbie Jones’ ’83, and Christopher Brink’s ’84.

Everyone is enjoying the conversations of the day while sampling a variety of tasty food.

Craig Smith’s ’97 is behind Keith Felderman’s ’67, along with Don McClain’s ’65 and the tail end of Russ Norris’ ’72.

Michael Clark’s beautiful ’65 was on hand for the meet.

John Link’s new (to him and us) low mileage 1968.

Russ Norris’ 72 and Ken Domm’s ’73.  A special thanks goes out to Russ and his wife for grilling the burgers and helping out.

November 5, 2011 The Fall Fling and season finale with the Niftee 50ees was a great success. Members munched on ROA & TOA chocolates and shared their experiencesof their cars and lives. Fifteen members and spouses brought 6 Rivieras ranging from 1963- ’72 and a 66 Toronado. Robert Mahnke brought a extremely cool framed poster of Spock with a 64 Riviera. The caption read: "You may be cool, but you'll never be Spock leaning on a Riviera Cool"

Our gathering was adorned with various Riviera banners and signage. Member’sdisplayed a2 sidedannouncement cardwith event and thank you on their windshields. The club was represented well in announcements and with the number ofspectators passing by. Member Stuart Jacobson stated "Wow, people aregiving our Rivieras quite a bit of attention. Theyrarely ever see them andenjoy seeing this many year modelsin one place." We recognized Vince Welling with a appreciation gift for his services to the club at the Fall Picnic. Hewas an absolutely fabulous DJ!

We discussed next year and plan to attend the Season opener with Niftee 50ees which is very popular with the members. We also plan to attend the Gullo Museum once again next year. Member Dan Neiss' formerly ownedToronado will be completed and added to the museum. We are also planning a weekendroad trip as well. Our Spring picnic will be in April and look forward to many show entries and awards as well. Please come out to Autorama and show member support for E.J. Howe's 65Grand Sport. Members, please let me know if you are entering your Riv's as well.

Overall it was a Riviera night! We appreciate our members and all their support in 2011 and look forward to a fantastic 2012.

September 25, Fall Picnic, The Houston kind of Fall, 97 degrees, clear and windy. After a summer of wildfires and more than 60 days over 100 degrees it was great to put all that behind us and have a nice picnic. Vince Welling of ROA spun the hits and Texas style brisket smoked for 12 hrs was the main course. There also were hamburgers and hot dogs for the youngsters. We had a combined 6 cars for ROA/TOA. 9 members and families attended today, thanks for coming!

The meet was a joint event with the Houston Buick Club. We should have several new ROA members after this event. We had 2 members fathers pass this week just days before this event. Robert Mahnke and William McClain. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and we share their loss. We missed you today.

July 23,  10:30 a.m. Despite temperatures over 100, eleven ROA members gathered at Ray =killman Collector Car Sales (www.rayskillmanclassiccars.com) in Greenwood, IN, (just south of Indianapolis) This was an opportunity to meet, greet and discuss everything Riviera as well as the recent heat wave covering much of the Midwest.

Members toured the classic car collection of Indianapolis auto dealer Ray Skillman housed in an immaculate state-of-the-art facility. Many vehicles in the collection, which focuses on muscle cars of the 60s and 70s, are for sale. The collection is made up primarily of cars Ray has collected and meticulously restored. The collection is popular with area car clubs as a destination for meetings. Ray's collection also includes numerous neon signs and automobile related memorabilia. Unfortunately, there are currently no Rivieras in the collection; however, he has had several over the years. After the tour, members continued their conversations at a local Steak and Shake restaurant.

Members & cars attending were: Mark Weigand, 63, Roy Berry, 64, Rick Silcox, 72 GS, Jack & Joanne Jones, 83 XX, Frank Tardy, 84 Convertible, Michael Fellenzer, 84 Convertible, Ron & Shirley Martin, 84 Convertible, Woody Combs, 99 Silver Arrow, 72, Dave Armstrong, 85, with top cut off.

November 27, 2011, Sunday breakfast at Ruby's in Anaheim was another blowout. We had 13 attendees who brought seven Rivieras, one Toronado and several came with their daily drivers. Everyone thought that Ruby's Diner, located at 1128 W. Lincoln Ave with its ideal parking and good food was perfect for our breakfast gatherings. We all agreed that we should add this place to our 2012 calendar for a return visit. More photos are on the TOA/ROA regional website at www.roasocal.org

November 13 2011, Twenty four members/guests of the ROA & TOA met at the Anaheim home of ROA Vice President/TOA President Darwin Falk for a "Garage Hang Out and Meet & Greet". A total of 17 cars (14 Rivieras and 3 Toronados) were on display. They hung out, drank coffee, had donuts, played lots of 8 tracks, admired each other's cars, and just socialized to get to know each other.

There was an overwhelming interest in having more local activity than what has occurred in the past. Be prepared for similar events to be held in the future. And with a show of hands about 10 said they were seriously considering attending the ROA National Meet this coming June in Monterey.

For many more photos go to http://www.roasocal.org/Event_Photos.php. If you click on the photos as they roll by, you can see them in full size.

July 30th, Pot Luck, Ten ROA members gathered for an enjoyable afternoon with good food and conversation. In attendance were; John & Mary Root, Gil & Pam Moorman, John & Anne Pierce, Jim & Jackie Booth, Albert & Kathie Anderson.

Sept 10th, Buick Bash, ROA members met for a good time at the Buick Bash, including new member John &Linda Valmassoi with their 69, which John bought new in 1969.

June 12, Annual ROA Tour. A total of 14 people joined us for our Summer Tour. We stopped at Crystal Cave, which goes down over 150 feet. For lunch we stopped at Lake Pepin, where we had great service. It helped that I know the owner. From there we went to the Nelson Cheese Factory for ice cream and cheese. We went across the river to Wabasha and then down a historic country road to the main highway and back home again. Overall it was a fun day with good friends.

September 18, 2011, Annual Street fair, Glendale, Queens, The weather was great. We had, a nice cool day and the people came out by the thousands. There was good music and lots of good food and the cars were not bad at all. There were two car clubs represented, of course the Riviera Owner Assoc and the East Coast Car Assoc. There were a total of 21 cars and the city of New York had two old buses one was from the Jackie Gleason show  " The Honeymooners ". The other one was the first a/c bus that was used for the Fifth Ave line in New York City. For those who had missed this year’s event we hope to see you next year for a bigger and better event. 

August 20, Saturday, ROA members met at the home of Bill Rossiter in Riverside for a “Restoration Clinic”.Bill has done a very intensive frame on restoration  of his 1965.  He's just about ready to install the engine and trans, then the front clip will go on. You can really get a hands on good look and see when a car is at this level of assembly  The clinic covered all aspects of his ongoing restoration.

 Bill is truly a " BUICK" man, with not only his Riviera, but a 39 Century Coupe, straight eight engine with dual Edelbrock quads and custom manifold/headers and a fully restored 38 Roadmaster.

Thanks to those who attended and a special thanks to Bill.

Bill Rossiter-Host Member, next to his 39 Coupe

Bill’s ’65 Nailhead on a stand

John Barnett, Riverside/San Bernardino County Coordinator in front of Bill’s 65

1964 owned by Paul Whitehead

1972 owned by Chris Ingles

1965 owned by Cheryl McCabe

Southeastern Regional
SE Coordinators in FL,GA, NC & TN

April 19-21, Third ROA Southeastern Regional to be held in Ocala, FL. The weekend will be filled with activities starting with early registration on Thursday evening, a tour of the National Parts Depot Museum and a scenic cruise on Friday.  Peer judging will take place on Saturday at Don Garlit’s Drag Racing & Classic Car Museum, followed by an awards banquet.

Room reservations can be made with the Comfort Suites Hotel, 3825 NW Bonnie Heath Blvd, in Ocala. 352-482-0800, at a special ROA rate of $75 plus tax for Thurs-Saturday.

For additional information contact you regional Coordinator.
Click here to download  a Registration Form and a Schedule of Events.

August 14,2011,  Nine ROA members brought six Rivieras to the Wilson County Fair in Lebanon, the largest fair in Tennessee. The weather was great.  Eddie and Donna Gray brought their ‘65, Andy Day drove his ‘66, Wayne and Barbara Pilkinton brought their ‘90 and ‘92 Rivs, Jimmy Hamilton had his ‘66, and Larry and Marie Lovell with their modified ‘65. Another member, Kent Draughon stopped by to visit but his 65 was in the shop. There were 250 cars there of every vintage to enjoy, plus the added fun of touring the fair.

The Rivieras were closely scrutinized all day by many admirers. The judges seemed to like them as well since we walked away with 3 trophies. Wayne and Barbara Pilkinton each won with their ‘90 & ‘92 and Larry’s modified ‘65 also took an award. We even had a visit from Uncle Sam. It was a fun day. Thanks go to all that attended, especially our Kentucky friends, who drove down to support the event.

Oct 29, 2011, "Fallin for the Classics" was held in Conejo Valley with over 150 cars including our Rivieras. Our  ROA Region sponsored the "Best in Buick" award which was won by  this modified Buick Century. We look forward to more Rivieras at next year’s event.

Anyone interested in getting together to convoy down to Monterey for the June ROA Nationals, please contact lee.