Madison Georgia

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Friends

After my marathon trip through France, I fancy visiting The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in Madison Georgia, which is about 56 miles east of Atlanta Georgia. I do not know if anybody has done the pilgrimage from the UK before, but is anybody interested?

I have looked up flights and they are about £320 Each return from Gatwick or Heathrow, the hotel would be about £120 each, and car hire would be about £120 shared. I was planning a four day trip 1 day out, one day at the museum, one day to visit an other place (such as a bubblegum factory) and one day back. Depending upon how many were interested we could do it for about £500 each.

When? I fancy May 2009 but could be persuaded.

Chris Thomas

[Chris Thomas]

Dear friends

I should explain that there is an event on in May as follows: -

 MICROS IN MADISON 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
May 22-23-24 2009
Registration info available now!
go to www.Microcar.org/2009/

Featured Marque is SMART!

Vintage Trophies for Vintage Microcars!

Trophies for Smarts as well!

You MUST Register to be part of this.

Being the Memorial day weekend could add a little to the hotel cost.


Can you tell us more Jim

Chris Thomas

[Jim Janecek]

well, during that event would be a great time to go.
The Museum Collection is open to Registered participants all day on Friday and Saturday, plus there will be bunches of cars to go riding around in.
It is not a "park and shine" event.  It is a real nice social event for Microcar Enthusiasts.

I don't know of any "bubblegum factory" you could go visit whilst there, but there is the Coca Cola Museum and also 5 hrs north is the Lane Motor Museum:
http://lanemotormuseum.org

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Jim

Thanks for that advice. I would love to visit the Lanes Museum at Nashville but it may add an extra day, which is not out of the question but a round trip of 500 miles will need some time to undertake. The bubble gum thing was because I heard that Bruce was in the bussiness, or is that just myth?

I am open to suggestions.

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

Dear Chris. Bruce is most certainly in the business! Most visitors I know confess to leaving the museum with a complimentary bucket of Gum under there arm!  I would have loved to have accompanied you Chris but the finances will not stretch to it at the moment, I do plan to go some time. I'm always amazed at the differences between the microcar movement of the two nations, who for instance in the UK when organising an event would choose the Smart as the featured vehicle, these being a common everyday car on our city roads. They are obviously still a novelty over there. Aside from that we dont even view them as a microcar. I remember a group of guys driving to Story Germany in smart cars and they were scorned and dubbed as being counterfeit enthusiasts! I like them well enough but prefer period micro's. Have a great time Chris and we will be expecting a full report on your return. Its only a matter of time before you yield and buy a microcar!

[Jim Janecek]

The bubble gum thing was because I heard that Bruce was in the bussiness, or is that just myth?

Bruce did indeed own Concord Confections, which in turn owned Dubble Bubble, but that Factory was in Toronto Canada.

He sold the business to Tootsie Roll about 5 years ago.
For a few years after that, he regularly had pallets of Dubble Bubble that he would pass out.
The buckets of gum are now all gone, unfortunately.

The idea of featuring SMART as a marque was hopefully to get some American small car enthusiasts introduced to Vintage Microcars.
The car culture in the US is indeed very different than in Europe.   Most of the media and the general public think the SMART is a microcar and are genuinely surprised to find that something else smaller actually exists.

The response from SMART owners so far has been a bit less than expected, but oh well.

2 years ago we featured the King Midget, which is an American Microcar.   We did this because the King Midget people usually seem to stick together as a marque and it turned out to be quite successful getting them to mix it up with other vintage microcars.   Many of them are coming back this year.

[Bob Purton]

Thanks for the update Jim, I didnt know the business was sold five years ago, that could explain why he has been selling cars of late, to keep bead and butter on the table!  (as if!) Maybe my Bruce Wiener produced microcar sweets (thats candy for the colonials) will rise in value now as collectors pieces, I had better stop eating them!  Now we understand the choice of featured car, a cunning plan! Can the electric Smart be purchased In the US?

[marcus]

Tootsie Roll. When I was a child we lived in Washington DC for nearly 5 years as my Dad was posted there. Tootsie Roll was, along with Reeces Peanut Butter Cups,  my favourite American sweet. It is the same shape and size as a Twix, but it's soft toffee with a slightly chocolatey flavour, a bit like Choc eclair sweets. I forgot all about it for 30 years until I started going to America for my drum business, and saw some in a sweet shop in a shopping mall in LA. It is very sweet and a bit sickly but I still love it! The sweet shop was about the same size as a big Tesco here. Big enough that you almost need a Smart car to get around it.
When we lived there (1964-1968) VW Beetles had become very popular because they could be parked in the gaps between American cars. My Mum drove a Morris minor around town, and people were as astonished by that as people are nowadays in England when they see a bubble car

[Bob Purton]

Never seen Tootsie roll when state side but recognise the name from a Paul Simon lyric, cant remember the song title. I tried a herschie bar (not sure of spelling) and it was foul! Like eating lard!

[marcus]

Like eating lard!

You got it wrong, it's like 50% lard, 50% mud! Each time I visit my business partner and his family in Dallas I have to take some proper chocolate for them!  Thanks to good p.r. Hersheys is getting into shops over here, but people tend to buy it once. Tootsie Roll also comes in a bag of minis, their packages are brown white and red.

[Bob Purton]

We take the mic out of there Hershey bars but you cannot knock there cookies, Chip ahoy double choc chip is my favourite! In the dark brown pack.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Friends

I have been doing some more research and it is possible to leave on the Thursday and arrive at Nashville via Cincinnati in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Nashville. Friday visit Lanes Museum in Nashville, Leave after lunch for a 5hr drive south through Chattanooga to Atlanta and Madison, meal with the Micro club, Hotel. Sarturday visit the Microcar museum and mix with the Micro owners. Meal with the Micro club, Hotel, Sunday morning join in a short run, Lunch and head for Atlanta and fly home arriving early Monday morning. All for about £670 including hotels. Adding an extra day would only add about  £60 to the total cost.

Provided you have one of the new style electronic passports and you have registered and paid $50 for the weekend which includes the meals and museum entry there are no other special documentation requirements.

Any takers

Chris Thomas

[Jim Janecek]

before you go scheduling that trip, let me check with the Lane Museum, sometimes they organize a special trip on Sunday for out of town folks with a behind the scenes tour.

The Madison meet ends on Sunday at 3 pm but there are no "events" scheduled for that day, it is mostly a wrap up day and another day to tour the Museum Collection if you missed it during the previous 2 days (oddly enough there are a lot of people who never get a chance to tour the Museum properly as they are too busy socializing and driving and what-not.)

[marcus]

Sorry Chris, my Summer season is in full swing, so there's no way I can join in, but hope all goes well, it's a great idea and nice of you to make the effort.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Jim

Thank you for the additional info. I could not see anything on the Lanes Museum site about anything special. On the Sunday we would only have the morning as with check in and the flight time we would need to be away from Madison around 13.00hrs. I have been told that the programme for the event will be on the web site by the end of this week, so arrangements are a little flexible just now.

Being Memorial weekend will the roads be busy in and out of the city?

I presume you will be at the event ?

I have been told to dig out my cowboy boots, and my ten gallon hat and polish up my buckle. Will that really be required?

Which is the cheapest and best hotel to stay in in Madison, or are they all much the same?

Many thanks

Chris Thomas