The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Starting up a club..anyone done it before? Attn MN Bolters!

GEC52 and I both live "south of the river" here in the MPLS/St. Paul area. For those not familiar with Mpls/St.Paul, the Minnesota River and Mississippi River cut through the Metro. There are only a couple of non-freeway river crossings so driving a stock stovebolt across the river can get kind of hairy..besides that, during the rush, it can take upwards of an extra half hour just to cross.

We were talking about trying to start a "South of the River" old truck club.

Minnesota Street Rod Association is very active and a big club, but we were thinking about a club that was more truck oriented.

Has anyone ever started a club?

Suggestions? Ideas? Any Minnesota Bolters interested?

We started a club down home. Mostly just me and a friend of mine tired of everybody wanting us to join thier club, so we started our own. It was more of an association: no dues, no regular meetings, no officers. Just got together on Saturday nights and went to a cruise somewhere. Had about 30-35 members at one time.

Don't believe in club's. To much "you vote for me I vote for you". Independent can't win.

I'm interested... is it required that the truck be in one piece?

start an association rather than a club... no rules, no dues = more fun.

Rusty Rod Belongs to the "Thunder Rods" and "BTOA".

I agree with both of the above; Politics will get into it, next thing you know people are chosing sides.....

Pablos49 "club" is the way to go.

I was in a club here in Maine that started up in the fall. During the winter everyone was on the same page, but when the events started in the spring there was some strife because our season is short and there may be as many as three shows/events on the same weekend. The club officers thought the members should show support for the club and all go to one show. There were attendance requirements at the meetings, and a host of other stuff that took alot of fun out of it. Not all clubs get this picky, but if you have a club politics will get into it. Avoid this and just hang out together.

A problem with shows as Beaver pointed out is the "you vote for me, I'll vote for you" stuff. The problem is, that's a mind-set in or out of a club. I've seen outstanding rides miss an award to a lesser ride because of the "Buddy system".

Once again I went off on a tangent.....my two cents worth is this: If you want to continue having fun with no strings attached don't form a club. A group of like-minded people are going to hang out together regardless of a club.

DonZ,

No, truck does not have to be in one piece. Mine is still in several large ones and GEC52 is now working on a "new" 235 to get his truck on the road.

As far as the word "club" goes, we don't want a "club" that sets up car shows, voting, etc..just "A group of like-minded people are going to hang out together regardless of a club".

I was thinking 4-6 times a year to talk trucks, exchange ideas, etc.

While I like going to some of the shows, we are not heading in the direction of a standard car club.

I would like it to be something even my kid can attend as she has already asked "do I get to go with?"

No dues, no nothing, maybe a cool jacket or shirt design to develop a little ownership..meetings at a local restaurant with a parking lot nearby.

Since from about Nov 1 to April 15, driving anything in the salt is risky, much would just be about getting together...

So what is the best way to get this going without it turning into something we don't want?

Yea, i'm not big on clubs.. I prefer just a group of people who get together to B.S. about a common interest.

If you're interested in starting a club, tho.. what i'd do is print up some fliers and pass 'em out at local cruise in's and car shows and see what kind of response you get.

Are you going to vote for me? If you will I'll join your club!

Clubs or Associations will always take someone at the helm to do some work too. Many slowly die becasue no one else want to help and people get burned out. clubs and Associations are a great source of information and camraderie for people of similar interests. I think the Twin Cities area would certainly generate enough people to support a club or Association. Go for it.

I started the Midnight Sun Classic Tailgaters here in Fairbanks, Alaska. We are a very informal, fun club of truck lovers. I was Da Prez for 5 years and just now turned it over to another guy. Call it what you want, club, assoc, gang..... Someone will have to take charge and organize getting the word out. I just made an Email list and could send a message to everyone quick and easy. To get started, I just made a flyer and put it on every old truck I saw. It did not take long to get responses. We meet on the 1st Thursday of every month to take care of business and 2 days & 2weeks after that meeting we get together on a Saturday just to talk trucks and have fun. When you get the group rolling then you can figure out what direction you wnat to go in. We sponsor the adopt-a-magazine at the library with "Vintage Truck", pick up trash on a section of roadway in the adopt-a-highway program and have sponsored an All Truck Show for the last two years. These things take a lot of effort and manpower but you don't have to go that far. It will depend on your group. Whatever happens you will meet some new friends that love the old trucks......win, win...

Just Do It!! Buddy

I'd be up for it sounds like a fun thing to do only thing is i wouldn't participate a whole lot if it was up in the cities, i like to avoid driving up there and i diffenately wouldn't wana drive my old truck up there but thats just me i don't like that many cars around me when i'm driving my old rigs (they kinda have issues sometimes) but ya i'd deffinately go for the just meating every now and then but if its club thing, that sounds like a bit to much
Nate

How about a STOVEBOLT.COM club? Pay enough dues to get a new T-shirt every year and we'll all sit and visit here and talk about upcoming events.

Why does it have too be south of the river? I'm in Chanhassen amd I have a really cool 48 5 window on a rottisorie called Oobi that needs some friends.

Tom

Hey Tomy...from over on this side, we consider Chanhassen to be south of the river too..even if it is north or west of the river....

It doesn't have to be south of the river...but we know there are get together type events in St. Paul and North St. Paul...just trying to put something together for the south metro.

Your 48 5-window will fit right in with us.

I will shoot you an E-mail if we try to get this thing off the ground.

Do you know anyone else on that side of town that might want show up if we had it in Burnsville or Eagan? Savage, somewhere along 13 might be easy too.

We were just thinking of a get together to shoot the bull about our trucks and maybe have a A and W once in awhile. But, if we need osiferrs you can be prez Beaver 53. Everyone would be nice to see.