The WPC Club, Inc.                         

The Sweetbrier Inn at Tualatin OR, about ten miles south of Portland on Interstate 5, played host to our WPC Regional Meet.  The weekend started aboTut noon on Thursday with several club members arriving at our hospitality suite, to assemble packets with nametags, window cards, directions for the upcoming tours and the Saturday show.

WPC members starting arriving right after noon, right up to the scheduled time for our Thursday evening tour.  At 6:30pm, we rolled out for a scenic 17.5 mile trip through the country, to the Double J Ranch, near Hillsboro, OR.  Jeff and Jeannie Gretz hosted our ice cream social, in their slightly oversize “garage”, which had had about eight cars on display (three of them Mopars).  After a lot of ice cream and cookies, a lot of visiting and telling stories (most of them true), the approximately 20 cars started back to the Motel.  It is now very dark, and what should appear, but a policeman blocking the return route, and sending people back to find another way home.  Everybody finally did arrive, some as late as 11pm, but safe and sound.  We just called it our “mystery tour”.

Friday morning was a scheduled tour to the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville, home of the Spruce Goose.  Our route headed south through Wilsonville, then west along the Willamette River, passing by several estate type properties on the river.  We arrived at 10am and found four cars joining us there.  There were now 26 vehicles and looked mighty fine lined up on the grass in front of the museum.  After about two hours looking over several interesting aircraft, we continued on to a winery a few miles away.  Here the group enjoyed a box lunch and a fantastic view of the vineyards and surrounding farm country.  The weather was perfect, and Len Dawson compared the view to the wine country in Italy.  

Our next stop was back in Newberg at a private collection of cars, trucks and even tractors.  The owner Ken Austin related to us that his collection is his life story, cars he had in high school, dated in, raced at Bonneville, and had on the farm.  He has a total restoration shop and also builds specialty parts, including custom intake manifolds. 

Saturday morning was the car show at Clackamette Park about ten miles from the motel.  This time we head east through the back roads to Oregon City.  Several members were at the park by 7am to lay out the field by class and begin to park cars as they arrived.  The weather was again perfect and the shady city park on the Willamette River was an ideal setting.  We had a lot of space, which allowed us to spread out and not be bumping doors.

By 9am the 59 registered cars were placed and the participant choice voting began.  We had several spectators, and a few visitors with their Mopars stop by.  Our sponsor, Town & Country Chrysler in Milwaukie OR, brought out five new Chrysler vehicles to the show.  At 3pm we concluded the show and headed back to the motel to prepare for the awards banquet. 

The cocktail hour started at 6pm, and a buffet dinner began at 7pm.  The Sweetbrier did a fabulous job on the evening with great food, nice setting and friendly service.  After dinner we presented the awards. We had first second and third in 20 classes and five best of show for each Chrysler Division.  Town & Country Chrysler sponsored the etched glass tumblers.   A good time was had by all and we called it a day (well most of us) and Sunday morning found folks heading back home.   With the WPC National being on the West Coast next year, this group decided not to do a regional in the Northwest, and try to attend the National in Burbank, CA