You Are Invited!

The 18th Annual Imperial Owners Meet is an opportunity for all Imperial owners to assemble their Imperials and meet with each other for an "Imperial Weekend". These annual meets started at Morro Bay, California in 1984. The annual meet is now rotated among the three sponsoring clubs - the Northern California Imperial Owners Club, the Southern California Imperial Owners, Inc., and the Imperial Owners Association of Sacramento Valley, Inc. The 2001 meet is hosted by the Southern California Imperial Owners, Inc.

Meet Director: Dave Doty (562-864-5410, SCIOPresident@juno.com)

Coordinators: Jay Weinert, Dawn Saunders, Bob Schmitt, Nannette Clark-Cook (Treasurer)

Location and Events

The Meet headquarters, site of the Imperial Car Show and recommended lodging is the Royal Scandinavian Inn (RSI) in downtown Solvang, next to the Santa Inez Mission. Our schedule of events leading to this weekend includes:

On the following pages more events are described. Solvang is a very popular destination and there are other, non-Imperial events this same weekend - we will be treated to a parade of horses and riders in front of the Inn on Saturday.

1.  Hotels. The Imperial Meet Headquarters and site of the car show is the Royal Scandinavian Inn - "Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley's Finest Accommodations. Solvang's only full-service hotel invites you to discover the difference experience can make. Just beyond the Inn's doors, the village and its hundreds of shops and bakeries are within easy walking distance. Paneled walls, beamed ceilings, and a welcoming stone fireplace let you know that you have entered a fine country inn offering all the facilities and amenities of a full service hotel. Our 133 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites are each appointed with a residential country decor. Many rooms feature sweeping views across the valley, while other rooms with private balconies overlook the landscaped courtyard with its sparkling heated pool and spa. "

ALL MEMBERS MUST RESERVE AND PAY FOR ROOMS ON THEIR OWN! You MUST reserve your room NOW directly to the Royal Scandinavian Inn, 800-624-5572. Meet rates are $75 for a Select (1^st floor) room with 2 queen beds or 1 king bed, or $85 for a Deluxe, 2^nd floor room (with balcony, same bed options). Mention "Imperial Owners" to obtain these discounted rates. Our rooms will be released by the RSI to the public after April 5. Call the Visitor’s Bureau for alternate lodging, 805-688-6144, ext. 2.

2.    More Details!  Solvang, the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, is the "Danish capital of America" - but no passport is needed! The gentle rolling hills, windmills, quiet streets, horse drawn carriages, family bicycles, golf courses, horse ranches, wineries, Danish bakeries, authentic Danish costumes worn by some shop keepers, Danish smorgasbord restaurants, museums of racing and Solvang history, all in the Danish atmosphere and Solvang architecture are waiting for you at Solvang, CA. Solvang welcomes you!"

Our Imperial Tour on Friday will make a short drive to Buellton and first stop at "Jack's Gas-Up Museum" which includes anything that has to do with the American's love of the automobile - racing memorabilia, racing cars or road signs. But the primary feature  of the museum is the gasoline pumps and all that goes with it - oil cans, signs on and in the gas stations, etc. The Mendenhall museum houses different collections that are fun to visit.  We'll also learn about them from the owner. Jack will tell the tales of the signs and cars. We’ll next go to Pea Soup Andersen's for lunch, just a short walk away, and then motor back to Solvang for a "short stop" featuring "small surprises". That will complete our "formal" tour, but the adventurous can continue to the Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard (Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos) for a tour. Don’t forget your coonskin cap!

On Friday night, we’ll have a personal tour of the Elverhøj Museum welcoming you to one of Solvang's truly authentic experiences. Enjoy the architecture, the exhibits, and the lovely landscaping of this Danish museum. Our friendly guide will show us the former residence of one of Solvang's most artistic families, which is now a community museum devoted to the Danish-American pioneer spirit and the colorful heritage of Denmark.

While we are having the Imperial Car Show, Alisal Road, just in front of the RSI, will be filled with the "Los Rancheros Visitadores", reported to be the largest riding group of its kind in the world, stopping at the Old Mission Santa Ines for the annual blessing of their horses by the padres. Hundreds of riders make the annual pilgrimage. "One of the most impressive sites I've ever experienced personally: 600-800 men riding horses coming up out of the valley to the mission and it seems the sun is always shining on them."

Sunday’s Imperial Tour will start with a 20 mile drive to Purisima Mission State Historic Park, which is the largest and most authentic mission restoration project in the American West of "Misión la Purísima Concepción de María Santísima". The Visitor Center features information, displays and artifacts. We’ve arranged for docent guides for a 45-minute tour of the mission and grounds. There is a self-guided tour to give visitors the opportunity to step back in time for a glimpse of life of California in the early 1880s. The State Park contains the church, shops, quarters, springhouse, cemetery and mission gardens.

After our visit at the Mission, we’ll have a meandering drive through Lompoc’s famous flower farms, then southwest for two miles to Lompoc, where you will be free to tour the City's Mural Walk (41 murals) and have lunch before heading home.

3.  Further Information. Meet details, final itinerary for the tours and rules for the car show will be mailed after April 10. This mailing will also acknowledge all entries. Check www.TeamChicago.com/Imperial for developing news on the Meet or send e-mail to Bob Schmitt at bsbrbank@pacbell.net

  The 154 route is steep, but very scenic

Dear Imperial Enthusiast -

The Southern California Imperial Owners, Inc. (SCIO) would like to invite you to join us, and many other Imperial owners and enthusiasts, for the 18^th Annual California Statewide Imperial Meet in Solvang on May 4, 5 and 6, 2001. The SCIO will be joined at the Statewide meet by the Northern California Imperial Owners Club, the Imperial Owners Association of Sacramento Valley and the Online Imperial Club.

The Meet headquarters, site of the Imperial Car Show and recommended lodging is the Royal Scandinavian Inn in downtown Solvang, next to the Santa Inez Mission. You will be mailed a registration packet in early March, but please mark this event on your calendar now! Highlights of our weekend schedule include:

There will be more events – cocktail hours, museum tours and tech sessions!

Solvang is a very popular destination and there are other, non-Imperial events this same weekend - we will be treated to a parade of horses and riders in front of the Inn on Saturday. That means you MUST reserve rooms EARLY (on your own) at the Royal Scandinavian Inn. Make reservations directly to the Royal Scandinavian Inn, 800-624-5572.

Meet rates are $75 for a Select (1^st floor) room with 2 queen beds or 1 king bed, or $85 for a Deluxe, 2^nd floor room (with balcony, same bed options). Mention "Imperial Owners" to obtain these discounted rates. Our rooms will be released by the Inn to the public after April 5.

Until you receive the March packet, call any of the SCIO officers for more information:

Dave Doty, Meet Director and President, 562-864-5410, sciopresident@juno.com,
Jay Weinert, Vice-President, 760-321-6805, jkimpjag@aol.com,
Nannette Clark-Cook, Treasurer, 858-277-9870, NannetteClark@msn.com or
Bob Schmitt, Secretary, 818-563-1419, bsbrbank@pacbell.net

Also, check for the newest meet details at: http://TeamChicago.com/Imperial/  or  http://www.ImperialClub.com

Bob Schmitt
Secretary, SCIO

February 1, 2001