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Silver
Anniversary Concours:
Once we realized that this 2002 Concours would mark the 25th anniversary of the South Florida Jaguar Club, most of us also knew we'd have to work twice as hard just to make sure there would be something worth celebrating.... and that is probably twice as true for our new Concours Chairman Bob Scibelli talked into accepting this delicate mission earlier in the year... Location Location Location... nothing really new but very important when it comes to planing the annual concours and very hard to get right... you need a public place with enough traffic to generate some interest but not too much where security becomes an issue... it has to be big enough to accommodate 50 cars but not too big... it has to be a pleasant spot so that members enjoy spending the day there.. but can't be too remote to make sure there is something to do for other family members... Oh... and it has to be free or fairly cheap so that the club can afford it. Something even more critical this year since we couldn't secure any official sponsoring. Bob Scibelli assisted with a handful of key members was able to find such a location right in downtown West Palm Beach, by the Clematis Library along the Intracoastal and right next to the dining and shopping district. We also thought that being located only a couple of block from the Palm Beach county official Jaguar dealership would help... well it turned out they didn't think that having 50 classic Jaguars on display would be a good promotion tool... go figure... Luckily, our club received some support from Alpine Jaguar from Fort Lauderdale with some very nice gifts to include in the registration bag and a commitment to an annual full page ad in our newsletter. Fun was also near the top of the list as we tried to make it a bit more casual this year especially the award banquet by staying away from formal hotel ballroom buffet. It turned out we didn't have to look far as a great casual place, Bradley's ER Saloon, is located right next the concours location... dinner with a view : our Jaguars and the intracoastal. The Sheraton West Palm Beach was the host hotel, only a few blocks from the concours site and after registration and drinks on Friday evening a large number of entrants gathered for dinner at a Latin restaurant on Clematis street which becomes a hot spot on Friday night, packed with people an outdoor cafes.
But XK or V12 engines where not the only cat roars heard in downtown West Palm on November 9th as the CARE Foundation, a refuge for abused animal in central Florida, agreed to bring two live wild cats : a Florida Panther and a Leopard. It was done as fundraiser for their foundation who is forced to relocate and need as much help as possible. The cats spent the day in the shade, under the trees by the library wall and even cooperated to pose around (and inside!) a few cars... Please visit their web site, www.thecarefoundation.org, they need help to continue caring for these beautiful animals, most off them rescued.
This year, awards were presented immediately after the show right on the field in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Russell Glace was presented with a Gecko costume and mask by Annie and Jim Lloyd, a reference to the Geico commercial where a Gecko drives a red 120... More seriously, the Tony Andrade award, presented to the club member who did the most for the club, went to Marie Louise Yeamans, outgoing club secretary for her relentless work with the Boutique.
Once the cars where untangled, everybody moved across the street to Bradley's terrace for an early buffet dinner where door prizes where given away. Dinner with friends and a great view... beautiful Jaguars and the intracoastal and Palm Beach in the background... Next year will be tough to top... but as long as we can convince our concours chair Bob Scibelli to do it again, it will be fun !
About the
CARE Foundation The C.A.R.E. Foundation - Creating Animal Respect Education The C.A.R.E. Foundation was established to provide a safe and permanent home for all types of animals in need including unwanted, abandoned pets. They educate the public about animals and current environmental issues relating to species of special concern, threatened species, and endangered species. C.A.R.E was established to educate the public about current environmental issues relating to habitats of special concern, threatened habitats, and endangered habitats. C.A.R.E is a small, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization made up of volunteers concerned about the environment and conservation. In addition to the daily maintenance provided, the volunteers also conduct wildlife educational programs in public forums. Currently there are more than fifty animals on property. A few were chosen and specially hand raised for the specific purpose of education in schools. Many were abandoned, unwanted, as well as even abused and neglected ex-pets. Their goal is to obtain at least twenty acres of wooded property for an educational facility. The creation of the facility would be one of natural habitats for all the animals, and would center around educational programs. It will have to be easily accessible to all school children, as well as being open to the general public on certain days. There will also be a meeting area for biologists and environmentalists, as well as a theater constructed for film and slide presentations which could be utilized by special guest speakers for lectures. C.A.R.E is currently licensed by the U.S.D.A. under the Animal Welfare Act. Speaking of Jaguars, C.A.R.E. has a South American jaguar as part of their family. Here are some words from their web site about the threat to wild jaguars. The major threat to the jaguar today is no longer over hunting, but habitat destruction and human encroachment. The habitat destruction is decreasing the jaguars prey and fragmenting the jaguar populations into isolated pockets decreasing the genetic diversity among the jaguars in the area. Approximately 130,000 acres of rain forest are lost every day. It is destroyed for lumber and/or farming purposes. This leads to the conclusion that not only is the jaguars home threatened, but the home of other flora and fauna are as well. It is estimated that there are approximately 15,000 jaguars left in the wild. The C.A.R.E Foundation is always in need of various items as well as donations to maintain the best possible world for their beautiful “family” of animals and to maintain the level of education and awareness to the public that they currently provide. Please see their web site [www.thecarefoundation.org] for items they need. If you can help, please call Christin Burford at 407-482-4092 You can also reach them via US mail at CARE Foundation P.O. Box 1012, Christmas, Florida 32709 |
The most important element of a successful Concours are the Jaguars... and
there was a tremendous effort to get them out on the field this year not just with the
promise of a fun day but with various board members making phone calls, sending email,
etc... and it paid off with a total of 55 Jaguars making it on the field. A strong turnout
from the Orlando and Sarasota clubs helped and we even had two E-types from the Jaguar
Association of New England : Gary & Sue Hagopian's 62 racer and Frank & Marilyn
Williams' 70 OTS. Other long distance travelers included Bill Flomerfelt, member of the
Carolina Jaguar Club, with his XJS. Jim and Annie Lloyd came from Key West with their XK
Special racer as well as other members from the Florida Keys, Jeff and Tricia Hynes with
their Mark 2 which joined a nice selection of quality Mark 2s, including Jack and Cindy
Voller's 1962, Tony Asaro's 1960 and Kay Kaelsin's rare 68 Daimler. In the current
production classes, it was nice to see a good representation of S-Type, X-types and a
large group of XK8 and XKRs. 
Judging got underway around 11am, after chief Judge Russell Glance
held a refresher course for judges, and went fairly smoothly. Being the last concours on
the JCNA national calendar there were still a couple of undecided classes including C19 (
S and X-Types ) where our own Chris and Patsy Canning had received two perfect 100 point
scores or C14 ( XKs ) where Suncoast's Phyllis Chisholm is always a strong contender.
After judging it was clear they deserved the high scores and as of this writing, they are
both listed at the top of their classes on the JCNA leaderboard. Congratulations !
In what is becoming a post concours tradition, all cars were invited
to move to the center of the field for a group picture aka Leaper Frenzy shot... We lost
count but about 30 various Jaguars ended up one against the other.. from saloons to sports
cars.. red to silver... at various angle... as if a couple of valets had gone mad...