The Summer of Fun-Fun-Fun: 2024 Recap
(No one is taking our Tbirds Away!)
As the summer draws to a close, it’s fun to reflect on all the great events we’ve had and new members who have joined these last three months! Welcome to the local San Diego Thunderbird club Ann, Paul, Glenn, Heidi, Ed, Jim, and Patty! Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve been up to this past summer, along with some photos. For more, you can follow along on Instagram. Our handle is @tbirdsofsandiego.
2024 Main Street America Car Show at the Embarcadero, San Diego, CA: Classic Thunderbirds of San Diego
Memorial Day Thunderbird Cruise
In May, several members of the Classic Thunderbirds of San Diego and the Early Ford V-8 club joined up at the USS Midway Memorial Day Ceremony in downtown San Diego to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy. The ceremony was held on the flight deck. Participants were moved by the patriotic music, a “missing man formation” flyover, and an emotional speech by Lt. Colonel Lynda Hilliard, an Army Nurse who enlisted during the Vietnam war and also deployed during the Gulf War. She paid special tribute to the fallen nurses during the Vietnam War. Following the ceremony, club members drove their Thunderbirds through Harbor Island to Rosecrans National Cemetery. A wonderful time of fellowship and remembrance!
Coffee and Donuts at the Garden of Innocence Car Show
In June, many Tbird members brought their cars and donated their time to sell donuts and coffee at a beautiful car show in Sorrento Valley to support a very worthy cause: honoring abandoned babies. We held our monthly meeting at the car show and shared Tbird stories, swapped local resources advice, showed off new work completed, and enjoyed the company of the club and all the attendees. A very welcoming annual event.
Main Street America Car Show: 15 Tbirds Line Up
In July of 2024, we had a great showing of classic Thunderbirds (and a couple 60s Tbirds too!) at the bay-side car show on the grass at the Embarcadero, just north of Seaport Village in San Diego. We had 15 Tbirds all in a row! The San Diego Corvette Club organizes this fabulous event, and we go every year to support them and their charity of choice, San Diego Center for the Blind. We held our meeting in the shade of a tree, and enjoyed talking to all the people who lit up when they saw our great lineup of classic Tbirds.
Member’s Lunch with a Tbird Mechanical Expert
In August, it heats up in San Diego, so we opted to meet inside at a centrally located restaurant, which generously offered us with their private party room. A good thing too, because we had more members show up for our guest speaker than we’ve seen in a long time! More than 30 members came to have lunch and listen to our speaker, an expert mechanic with lots of experience with classic cars in general, and more and more Thunderbirds of late. Members asked questions and received great insight on things like changing the oil, strange smells and what they mean, keeping yourself safe when you park in a garage with a gas water heater, how often to adjust drum breaks , and more. Thank you, John, for an informative session!
14 Thunderbirds Cruisin Grand as the Sun Sets
At the end of August, all San Diego Thunderbirds and Woodies were invited for special parking at Escondido’s famous Cruisin Grand car community event, where many members and new faces drove their Tbirds to the old town section of Escondido, where many restaurants spilled tables out onto the street, a DJ pumped 50s Oldies on giant speakers, and classic pre-1973 vehicles cruised up and down the streets like it was yesterday.
Members receive special advance notice and invitations to these events and other opportunities throughout the year. All Thunderbird enthusiasts are welcome, regardless of Thunderbird year or condition, or even if you don’t own one (yet!). We have events in East County, North County, Downtown, Clairemont, Coronado, Mission Bay, and everywhere in-between. Become a member today. Looking forward to seeing you around!
