As this issue of the Flying Quail hits your inbox, the Pomona Valley Model A Ford Club, my hometown chapter, will be touring their way through the foothills of Southern California, commemorating Valentine’s Day a day late. We call it our Sweetheart Tour and have been doing it for the past five years. Originally started during the Pandemic by our Tour Director, Richard Tompkins, when we were limited in contact with each other; this has now become a staple tour of our club. I hope your chapters are starting traditions or have done so. We’d love to hear about them. Please submit your local touring traditions to our Chapter Coordinator, Doug Linden, so that all can benefit.
Let’s face it, most of us want to drive our Model A’s and are always looking for opportunities to do so. The Restorer magazine is one place to find stories of folks driving their A’s all across the world. If you’re interested in reading more about these travel logs, a digital thumb drive is available from the MAFCA webstore. In fact, if you’re really interested in long distance touring with your Model A, why not join the Model A Touring Group, a (SIG) Special Interest Group of MAFCA, founded with the intent of long distance travel to far off destinations that bring countless memories to talk about for years to come. You can read more about the group and learn of their latest travels by visiting their website: www.modelatouring.club
You’ll notice that yours truly is featured in the attached photo wearing a leather apron. Full disclosure: I own a machine shop in Pomona, CA and, after retiring, have recently begun rebuilding Model A motors. Mostly for a few friends and associates. (Otherwise I might get inundated with work) The machinist trade has been in my family for several generations now, having started in 1946 with my grandfather in South Gate, California following WWII. In fact, it was there that I learned to love Model A’a.
And finally, I’d like to once again make a plug for the National Tour to the Civil War Battlefields of Virginia and surrounding areas from June 15-22 starting and ending in Waynesboro, VA. Arlen & Trish Evans have done a stellar job in planning and preparing for this event. In fact, the original plan was implemented in 2020 just before the Pandemic. The Evans’ are members of the Dallas Model A Ford Club and have quite the schedule laid out for us. Please visit their website for a link to the Tour with registration already in full swing. Visit: www.dmafc.com and we’ll see you on the Road!
Ed Tolman, 2025 MAFCA President