Dale Edwards, May 1, 2010

This has been a slow month for the Lizziers. Most of them are resting up following the Western Dance and Steak Fry event and are lazily waiting to participate in the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival parade in late May. They were in such a daze that our regular April business meeting was a bust as it fell on the day of the Shrine Stated Meeting, and so was moved to the prior week which slipped by unnoticed for all but three members.

Never the less, the Lizziers will be ready for the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival parade. We look forward to entertaining the parade spectators on the sidelines each year and hope that some of our new members will borrow a Lizzie from one of our available cars and join us. Besides being fun, it feels really great when someone comes out to us during a lull in a parade and asks about the Shrine Hospitals. After all, the main reason we participate in parades is to give publicity for the Shrine Hospitals. It really makes you feel good inside.

So why don’t you consider joining our happy little unit so you too can feel good? We do have Lizzie vehicles available and open slots in our roster so just call our Captain, John Edgmon at (714) 639-0337 or our Lieutenant, Rick Meadows at (714) 534-5036 to get more information.

Dale Edwards, Apr. 1, 2010

We had a great turnout at the March 2010 Tin Lizzie Western Dance and Steak Fry. We had over 220 people in attendance and every one enjoyed the great band, and many couples got up and moved around a little on the spacious dance floor. It did seem that a few of the tables got more than their share of the door prizes, but I know it was all conducted on the up and up. We also had a private airplane ride as a novel prize, which was offered through a fun auction that everyone seemed to enjoy that was conducted by Sir Coy Love, PP. All in all the party was considered a great success although a few lessons were learned. Some of the steaks were reported to be tougher than in prior years, which was attributed to a last minute substitution by the supplier, Stater Bros. Markets, from the steaks that were pre-party sampled and ordered. We also had some end of the evening confusion and early dismantling of the tables due to a misunderstanding of who and when. But it was really great having a real kitchen sink available for the clean up effort. On a sad note, we missed having a few of our great members in attendance due to health and family matters; namely long time Lizzier Horace Zimmerman due to a fall, Larry Collins due to the recent passing of Cindy’s mother, Joe Miranda due to continuing medical issues, and Al Jazwiecki due to a higher priority scheduling conflict.

Other than putting on a party, the Lizziers have just been doing our thing, one of which is updating our Lizzie by-laws. We are increasing the membership limits, categories, and the number of vehicles allowed to accommodate the growing interests of associate members while ensuring that the goal is Lizzie owner and driver members. Also included is an increase in annual dues and the inclusion of an initiation fee to cover the costs of new member badges, caps and other items. So if you have any thoughts of joining the Lizzies and sharing in our fun, you better sign up quick before the costs go up. We do have Lizzie vehicles available and a few open slots in our roster so just call our Captain, John Edgmon at (714) 639-0337 or our Lieutenant, Rick Meadows at (714) 534-5036 to get more information.

Dale Edwards, Mar. 1, 2010

We had six Lizzies at the Indio President’s Day parade plus four more from Al Bahr in San Diego. All the Lizzies started and finished under their own power, no one collided with anything, the weather was beautiful, the streets were wide, and the spectators were plentiful, so it was great. We have a lot of fun parading with the Al Bahr Lizzies, and we plan to get together for several more events this season. After a typical pre-parade wait, it did seem that we were ushered onto the parade route earlier than expected. We were assigned to the second division as unit 206 or so while the Al Malaikah Apple Valley Dodge Truck Lizzies were assigned as unit 160 or so but were still waiting at the curb when we paraded away. Oh well.

By the time you read this, our Tin Lizzie Western Dance and Steak Fry will again be history. If you came to it, thank you and we hope you had a good time. If you did not make it this year, we hope to see you next year. Either way, let us know how we can make it more enjoyable for you.

Over the past year or so we have welcomed several new Lizziers to our midst. But not all are in position to buy a Lizzie right now, so we do still have cars available for sale. Our primary members each own and maintain their own Lizzie, and used ones have been selling among members for $1200 to $2000 depending upon condition. We are also in the process of revising our By Laws to up our membership limits, so applications are still available to join us for some fun. Just call our Captain, John Edgmon at (714) 639-0337 or our Lieutenant, Rick Meadows at (714) 534-5036 to get more information.

Dale Edwards, Feb. 1, 2010

There have been no parades for the Lizziers since the Laguna Niguel Christmas Parade got rained out. Three of us had driven down and had breakfast at Coco’s waiting to see if the skies cleared, but they did not. So we came home and put the Lizzies away for the season.

Since then, the Lizziers have been busy getting ready for their annual Western Dance and Steak Fry coming up on Friday, March 5. We are really excited about having the new kitchen facility in the Shrine Center to use during this endeavor and our preparations are all going well. We have the band lined up, the tickets printed and distributed to members, the steaks identified, and the Masonic youth groups are ready to help setup and serve.

All we need to make it successful is you. Bring your friends for a great chance to show off the El Bekal Shrine Center. Call any of our members for tickets, they don’t have them for sale at the Shrine Center. And don’t forget to mark March 5, 2010 on your calendar for the Tin Lizzie Western Dance and Steak Fry.

If you are one of our new Shriners and want to be part of a great fun Shrine unit, you are highly encouraged to join the Lizzies. In either case, just call our new Captain, John Edgmon at (714) 639 0337 or our new Lieutenant, Rick Meadows at (714) 534-5036 to get more information.