This Museum is an operating display of some very unique equipment and included a Parade. Well worth the trip! A SPECIAL THANKS to the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Mr. Tom Walther and all the employees for their excellent help in meeting ALL our needs!

We had a very nice turnout and everyone had a great time. THANKS to those of YOU who could make the trip and a SPECIAL THANKS to those of YOU who drove IMPERIALS.

The Model A Club participated at the same event. For those of us who enjoy "older", it was an excellent display of a time gone by. After driving OUR IMPERIALS I believe we may have forgotten how ROUGH the drive used to be!

How often have you been sitting around and a little light bulb flashes on and you think: "I wonder what’s going on with the CLUB," or "I think I will do a little work on my IMPERIAL this weekend BUT I just don't have the answer to this problem" or "Where do I get that part?"

Well guess what - that’s what we are all about! WRITE, CALL or (for some of us that have been forced into the computer age), E-MAIL us and I’ll bet we can get the answer. We have a NEW updated roster in this issue!

How many times have you said: "I wish there was something I could do to improve MY CLUB, or I wonder if this would help?" The answer is YES! YES! YES! WE have ALL paid to ENJOY OUR HOBBY, LET’S START!

As you know, we have a State Meet to put on in less than a year and have more than a year’s worth of work to do. The CLUB needs YOU!! This is a LIVE CLUB with real IMPERIALS, not a web site or a story about Imperials - WE are the real deal - WE are the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IMPERIAL OWNERS INC!

We have scheduled a fall event for Saturday, September 30, 2000.  It will be a picnic at Laguna Niguel Regional Park, on La Paz Road just a few miles south of Interstate 5.  We’ll get started at 10 a.m. and keep the charcoal going until 2 p.m.

We've reserved Pavilion #4. It has grills, water & electricity (!) and there's great parking for our cars. The park charges $4 per car for entry, but there are no re-entry privileges.

The SCIO will provide charcoal, condiments and "surprises" – and perhaps a few tech sessions. Shine up your Imperial, pack your favorite picnic makings and bring something to share for an Imperial "show and tell".

New members and Imperial fans are always welcome! Call any SCIO officer for more info.

As noted by the Dave’s message, the SCIO event at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Vista, CA was great fun and very rewarding. Pictures appear later in this newsletter.

Those attending who drove Imperials included Dick and Juanita Kretschmer, Charlie and Nannette and Clark–Cook, George Acquavella, Andy Kiev and Juan Vrtiz and Jim Pierce.

Those driving a "modern" were David and Billie Doty and Denis and Martha Lardner.

More on this great event, with details from Imperial Material: The 17th Annual Imperial Owners State Meet in Modesto was one of the best in the last two decades, according to many opinions. 52 lmperials were registered and more than 100 Imperial owners attended the 3-day event. It began Friday morning with a 17-car caravan to Oakdale to tour the Hershey Chocolate Factory. 50 folks savored the smells of chocolate being mixed in huge vats while millions of chocolate kisses made their way up and down conveyer belts like miniature silver soldiers. Members were then treated to a surprise tour of the Beachler auto collection nearby, which includes a pristine '63 Imperial. Participants were greeted at the Best Western Townhouse. The Friday night welcoming reception featured refreshments, an auction of Impenal parts and a raffle of auto memorabilia.

The Saturday car show was held on "I" street in downtown Modesto, in front of the main library. The street was blocked off for the occasion, and in addition to Imperial aficionados, a front-page article in the Modesto Bee about the Imperial Meet brought out the public by the hundreds. Music of the '40's, '50's and '60's was featured. Several unusual lmperials, including a '39 7-passenger limousine, a '56 convertible - one of two known to have been made - and a '67 Crown Coupe with the 'Mobile Director' option highlighted the event. There were 9 Imperial convertibles and 18 Imperials from the '61-62-63 era alone entered this year. Clouds darkened the skies by mid-afternoon, but the show was over before rain dampened the festivities. The Saturday night banquet at St. Stan's Restaurant included a complete buffet dinner, the completion of the raffle and presentation of awards.

Sunday morning was a buffet at Graceado Park Pavilion, hosted by the Egger family. Then the remaining Imperials caravanned to the Hilmar Cheese factory, toured, snacked on cheese and finally split in separate directions early in the afternoon.

We’ve started the ball rolling for the 2001 Statewide Meet, which the SCIO is hosting in Solvang. We have a great hotel and location for the meet, but there’s MUCH to do, so now is the time to help with ideas and groundwork! We very much need help to find sponsors and plan the other Meet events and tours. Please give Dave Doty a call and help us - the SCIO!

The SCIO also generally needs volunteers to plan our activities. We NEED a creative thinker to be an Events Coordinator and/or we need an Events Committee! If you’ve ever thought: "Why don’t we go to…?" then give us a call!

We also need editor(s), contributors and writers and for this Newsletter and The Imperial Eagle – We want it to return! As noted, the SCIO has a tremendous amount of material to create a Club history – let’s get together and paste up an anthology or "yearbook"!

The SCIO wants to keep publishing Tech Tips and recommended parts sources and mechanics. Call us or drop a note to help out other Club members with your experiences, pro or con!

Autoweek (July 29) had a report of this Concours in June at Lehigh University. Best in Show went to Joseph Morgan's "elegant black 1933 Chrysler Imperial CL 'convertible roadster' by LeBaron." And the "Most Elegant Open Car" was Nicola Bulgari's 1931 Chrysler CG phaeton, one of six US cars he brought from Rome.

A Chrysler Turbine was also there, courtesy of the Smithsonian. Congratulations to Mr. Morgan and Mr. Bulgari. Let's show those Imperials!

The SCIO has a great collection of photographs and reports of events through its years of history, including many photos taken by Denis Lardner (thanks, Denis!). IF enough members express an interest and IF we can round up some volunteer editors, it seems like a "SCIO Anthology" would be a better use of this material than letting sit in shoeboxes!

No firm dates for this "event", but from now through the end of the Democratic convention nearly all the cars at the Petersen have been replaced with period Mopar equivalents, courtesy of Chrysler PR. Sherwood and Aaron Kahlenberg confirmed their cars are there, as of 7/25. Sherwood's is a two-tone green 1931 Imperial CG convertible sedan, LeBaron body. Aaron has a 1954 Dodge Coronet Suburban wagon, with the 241 c.i. Hemi V-8.

This sounds like a really great event and certainly unique for anyone who wants to see a bunch of Imperials rolling through sports-car territory!

Once again, this Chrysler Performance West event will be the largest Mopar gathering on the west coast. Hundreds of cars and vendors in a great setting and always a few Imperials. 818-759-1779

Restorations by Julius, 10101 1/2 Canoga Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311 (818-882-2825). (www.cyberweb1.com/julius/). The editor says: "I've had nothing but good work by Julius Steuer. His shop specializes in MOPARs and is very close to an Amtrak station, so don't hesitate to bring your Imperial from San Diego and take the train home!"

Doctor Bob's Auto Sales & Services, 1001 E. Palmer Ave., Glendale, CA 91205-3531, (818-500-7714). Lindsay Hudson said: "Bob Gallegos loves old cars - he started on them and he's in his 50's. He has always fixed my Imperial. He's right off of the 2 Freeway at the York exit."

Lowell G. Howe, Box 1432, 16218 Sycamore, Patterson, CA 95363 (209-892-3464)

Dr. Mike Bullock (retired, a member of Imperial Owners of Northern California), 12901 Pierce Road, Saratoga, CA 95070. (408-867-4539) Doc Bullock has parts stored and for sale from more than 100 Imperials which he dismantled.

Lawrence & Rodney Butler, 5008 Patterson Avenue, Perris, California 92571. (near Riverside adjacent to March AFB, off the Interstate 215, Oleander exit. 909-940-9281) Doug Gilfillan wrote: "They have a slew of Chryslers & Imperials dating from 1954 to 1970. Open Saturday & Sunday only at 10:00 AM. They are very helpful and accommodating and they will remove the parts you need. Plus they have trailers and a warehouse full of items available on shelves."

Bob Hoffmeister, Box 23 Route 2, St. Edwards, NE 68660. (402-678-2635) or email: impparts@gpcom.net

Murray Park, HIGHWAY ONE OH ONE. 4369 S. TWP Road 151, Tiffin, OH 44883-9301, (419-448-0293, fax 419-443-1082) e-mail: mbpark@ bright.net

Wayne Maddox, 7191 Beach St., Westminster, CO 80030, (303-288-2682), email: Imperial68@aol.com.

Dr. MOPAR, 5296 Schuelke Rd, Kyle, TX 78640, (512-376-5321, after 8pm) e-mail: drmopar440@aol.com or www.DRMOPAR.COM

Imperial Motors, Rt 2, Box 380, Campobello, SC 29322. (864-895-3474, fax 864-895-1248), email: imperial@ww-interlink.net

Alan Szypura,1018 Starview Drive, Rockford, IL 61108, (phone 815-398-4553), e-mail: Rsasks@aol.com. Alan said: "I don't have as much as most of the suppliers like Bob Hoffmeister, but I have '55-'75 small used items, wheel covers, engine parts, exterior and interior trim, etc." David Whitfield wrote: "Not only was he quick with shipping, but the parts were in very good condition and reasonably priced. If anything, he under-described the condition I found them to be in. I made my decision to purchase the parts from him after a referral. An honest and pleasant part supplier is hard to come by these days. I found Alan to be both.