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STORY LINE: CHEVROLET SILVERADO DRIVE and FARM AID

The morning of September 25^th is a clear sunny and warm day and oh, what unexcelled beauty the planet Earth holds as we are leaving it’s gravitational boundaries, with views from a passenger jet plane window seat. On my way to Dallas, Texas on the wings of man’s greatest travel invention-second only, maybe, to the likes of the American automobile. Vistas of sun swept Lake Erie, Toledo and the Maumee River from 20,000 feet … this is beautiful-and to fly, this is not ever taken for granted.

On my way to making history as a collaborator of the 2006 Chevrolet Heritage Truck Tour with FARM AID and to intro the all new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck series, the tour will be making stops with concerts in Dallas, Indy (IRP), Nashville, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey with Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vasser and Lost Trailers as entertainment. A group of yet to be released 2007 Chevrolet Silverado trucks, twelve Chevrolet Heritage pickup trucks with models from 1937-1970 and their owners, Chevrolet and its ad agency Campbell-Ewald, my partner Dick Vanderworp and myself …. some 90 years in the making since Chevrolets first truck, and were all off to show the country here is the newest made in America Chevrolet pickup.

Riding the tour bus with twelve Chevrolet pickup truck owner/enthusiasts and their guests-by the way, who all volunteered their time to do this historic truck tour-this is a wonderful win/win commercial marketing venue for Chevrolet, but an experience to cherish for the enthusiast group seeing the country and a financial boon to FARM AID. Seeing the country from a bus seat is a chance to know this is America, made up of cities, burbs and the ever so important country farms. And interesting that the tour of vintage Chevrolet pickup trucks were accompanied by their owners, real people with real trucks that they really drive. No, the Heritage trucks did not drive from Detroit to Dallas and all the stops at highway speeds in one week … that’s pushing it. Reality requires transporters and professional handlers, but what a trip.

Kimberly Mitchell and dad Mike Eaton-yes, the Detroit Eaton Spring Inc. company owners and Kim’s 1950 White Chevy pickup, along with Ohio Chevrolet dealer Mickey Miller and wife Nancy and their Turquoise 1957 Chevy pickup-were likely the celebrities of the group. Not that; Bobby Smith, Don Gailey, Ted Watson, Glenn Spencer, Erv Long, Stan Gabridge, Roger Pype, Steve Ady, Dick Vanderworp or Megan Boyd as invited Heritage truck owners/drivers were not celebrities at this point. They all were for sure.

Ah, and Megan Boyd, a young lady that is quite the image of Hollywood’s Darryl Hannah-can wrench with the best of ‘em, races an 11-second 1^st gen Camaro and helps run the Motorcar Portfolio Classic Car store in Canton, Ohio as the companies public relations/marketing guru. Megan drove a Gold/White 1970 long box Chevy pickup, air conditioned and 396 powered.

The tour ended in Camden, New Jersey at the Tweeter Center with the FARM AID concert featuring some16 artists/bands that included Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Head, Los Lonely Boys and more. FARM AID was founded by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews 21 years ago, and they all did perform at the concert … what a concert it was. Over $500,000.00 was raised for FARM AID which assists American farmers in need; Chevrolet helped raise more than $150,000.00 through dealer efforts.

What will I remember of this tour? First the wonderful opportunity given to me by Terry Boyce and ‘General’ John Schroeder of Campbell-Ewald, Chevrolet to be a part of the program. Second to bring into the program real Chevrolet people with real Chevrolet trucks-a piece of America, and to share this rare opportunity with these people. Spending time with Willie Nelsons granddaughter Rachel and assisting with a little bit of help for FARM AID. It’s a good thing, it works and I am just happy to have been a cog in the wheel. THJ See gm blogs on the web and CHEVROLET SILVERADO DRIVE & FARM AID.

Amici c maccheroni se non sono caldi non sono buoni …

but go ahead and buy it anyway, another old car is always good. Thanks Dom