What's New
June 3, 2008
To all GLRFG Participants and Sponsors:
It is with a great deal of difficulty we must cancel the 2008 GLRFG show. This was an extremely hard decision to make as we searched for many ways to "go on with the show."
As you know, the organizers set a high standard for GLRFG. With pre-registrations down by 50% and sponsorship funding down by 41% it became very clear over the past several weeks that we were not going to be able to conduct a show of the same caliber of the past 3 years and this is simply not acceptable to us!
This is by no means the end of GLRFG! We are going to regroup, research and examine new avenues for sponsorship and come back in 2009!
For participants who have pre-registered for 2008:
We will refund your registration fee. If you paid via online a PayPal payment will be issued to your account OR if you'd like to hold your registration number for 2009, we will hold your registration in escrow. Please contact us with your decision via email at GLRFGcore@umich.edu or call 734/482-6554.
For sponsors:
We will personally contact you regarding the cancellation of the event. We are thankful for your support and your logos will be posted on our website for the year.
We are grateful for everyone's support and deeply regret the cancellation of this year's event. Watch for updates on the website (www.greatlakesfirebirdgathering.com) and via email for details on the 2009 GLRFG.
Doug and Paula Bousley
Mike and Laurie Leggio
GLRFG event organizer
March 24, 2008
Due to scheduling issues, we will not be able to line up the boat cruise for 2008. With that said, the Holiday Inn Express in Dundee has stepped up to the plate and is helping to plan a Friday Night dinner buffet. Starting at 6pm and running til 10pm we will be enjoying a Country Buffet that includes: Fried Chicken, Biscuits, White Gravy, Corn, Salad and Soda for $20.00 per person. Part of the evening activties will be the screening of "Smokey and the Bandit", door prizes or just great social time with our TransAm/Firebird family. Also the hotel will be offering discounted waterpark passes for only $12.95.
January 20, 2008
Hello everyone! Hope you've all had a wonderful start to the new year.
We wanted to let you know that updates to the Great Lakes Regional Firebird Gathering website is under way. This year's show is June 20-22 and once again hosted at Cabela's in Dundee, Michigan.
Online registration begins on February 1 and will be open through June 15.
A change in registration confirmation process: if you register online I will send you a confirmation and vehicle number via email rather than through the U.S. postal service. The confirmation card will be in pdf format so you should be able to open it with any software that reads this file format. When you receive it, print it out for your records and bring with you to the Registration Headquarters the weekend of the show. Mail in registrations will continue to receive a confirmation card via U.S. postal service.
The Friday night event is still being planned. I believe if there's enough interest, we will try for the Maumee Boat Cruise once again.
Hard to believe it's time to start planning warm weather activities! Hope to see you in June!
GLRFG Event Organizers
Doug and Paula Bousley
Mike and Laurie Leggio
February 12, 2007
Holiday Inn Express is now the Host Hotel for the Great Lakes Regional Firebird Gathering. When calling (734) 529-5100 you have to state that your coming for the Firebird show in June. We have a block of 20 rooms in the Main lodge at $119 per night that will be held until 6/7/07. That price does not include the water park. The water park is set to open on March 15, 2007. You have 2 options: (1) If you decide to use the park and only book the $119 room, the day pass is $31.95 ea. (2) Book for $199 per night and that will include 4 passes to the water park. The website for the park is www.splashuniverse.com.
Friday Night: "Come Cruise the Mighty Maumee River"
We have booked a 3hr boat cruise up the Maumee River and along the Toledo Skyline. We will be picked up by Blue Lake Charters at 6pm in Lot "B" at Cabela's and taken to Downtown Toledo to board the boat. The boat will leave at 7pm and arrive back at 10pm. We have also booked with Marco's Pizza for dinner on the boat. Pop/soda will be provided and BYOB (cooler) if you wish. We need everyone who wants to participate Friday night to please preregister for this. We need to know by May 11, 2007 in order to confirm transportation for the bus and boat, along with the dinner. Cost will be $25 per person which includes transportation to the dock & back to Cabela's, 3 hr cruise and dinner. We hope to see everyone there and wear your best firebird attire!
October 18, 2005
Hello everyone,
Received offical word from Cabela's corporate office and we are a go for
2006!
Website updates are underway. Working to get award results and pictures
from 2005 event on web. Look for new website features to come!
If you have any suggestions for possible sponsors, please let us know as
the organizer will soon begin our 2006 sponsorship drive.
Paula Bousley
Event Organizer for the
Great Lakes Regional Firebird Gathering
September 14, 2005
Apologies for taking so long to get the website updated with award results and pictures. Please keep checking back. We have not received official word from Cabela's corporate office regarding next year's show. The good news is the managers of the Dundee store received no complaints from customers and they did not encounter any problems with the show or the site location. As far as they're concerned, they'll be happy to have us back next year. Once we receive official word from corporate, the website will be updated accordingly. The tentative dates for next year's show is: June 23-25, 2006. More to come and thank you for your patience.
June 19, 2005
Saturday Night Cruise to the Mayfly Music Festival
Line up 5pm
Cruise runs from 6-9pm
In conjunction with the Dundee Mayfly Music Festival, we will be cruising the cars to downtown Dundee to be displayed and for our participants to enjoy the music festival. Do to limited parking around the Old Mill Museum (www.dundeeoldmill.com) and Wolverine Park, where the event is being held, we have been limited to 55 cars. There will be a sign-up sheet posted at the registration table on Friday (6/24) and then on Saturday (6/25) at the Door prize tent for anyone interested in going.
Line up for the parade/cruise will begin at 5:00 p.m. at a designated area on the Cabela’s property. You MUST have your GLRFG dash card AND your name badge in order to be admitted into the parking area in downtown Dundee. No vehicle will be admitted without both items. This is for security purposes related to the MayFly Music Festival. Click here to see a map of the cruise route and parking area.
We wish we could take more but the Village has limited the amount of street closings for parking. We are hoping that with a smooth running cruise and positive input from the people attending the music fest, that next year the village will extend the parking to allow more cars. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department will be providing an escort from Cabela’s to the parking area. They will have a sheriff’s car leading and one following up behind, also making sure that we all get thru the intersections together. We will be like a parade, a flock of birds heading to the River Raisin at the Old Mill. Please visit the Mayfly Music Festival’s website to see the great entertainment this is lined up for Saturday night. Admission to the festival is $3.00 for Friday or Saturday. Top notch entertainment with national headliners, kids games, kids inflatable, children’s entertainer, canoe rides, pontoon rides, rummage sale, plus commercial and community vendors, sponsor’s booths, beer tent and more.
May 27, 2005
Plans are moving along for the show. Hard to believe we’ll be getting together in about 5 weeks.
One note: if you provided us with an email addy on your registration form and its changes, please, please, please notify GLRFGcore@umich.edu! The last message regarding the Mexican Buffet on Friday night had several bounce errors returned.
On that point, I’ll again make the announcement here and the information will be included on the 2005 Schedule page as well. So here it is once again:
We have made arrangements with the Wilderness Bar & Grill to put together for Friday night an "All You Can Eat" Mexican Buffet for all GLRFG participants and their guests, vendors & sponsors. The Wilderness B&G is located on the south side of Cabela's and is walking distance from the store and the Holiday Inn Express. The cost is $9.95 and includes soft drinks and ice tea. They will be putting together some drinks specials just for our show attendees. The owner (Terry) has asked us to come up with an estimated head count so they can be prepared to give us great service. We will have a sign up sheet at registration headquarters on Friday, June 24. You're also welcome to email us (GLRFGcore@umich.edu) to let us know if you’re attending. Dinner will start at 7pm. You will be required to wear your name badge, which you will receive at registration, so Terry will know who gets in. This will be a fun evening to socialize with old friends and to make new ones. Hope to see everyone there!
The site plan map is almost finalized and that will soon be located on the Participant Info-Show Grounds Map page. So you’ll be able to get a sneak peek of where the show will be located on Cabela’s grounds.
We’ve been working with several of the eateries in the area surrounding Cabela’s. Many of them have agreed to give participants and their guests a discount on the cost of their meal, or will offer a free appetizer/dessert. We will compile a list of those restaurants and it will be included in your goody bags. Please patronize these places as much as possible. I’d also like to add that the Wilderness Bar & Grill will be offering a 10% discount on meals during the weekend of the show. Thanks Terry!
And last but not least, we’d like to welcome the Temperance Branch of Allied Home Mortgage as a Gold Sponsor. Thank you so much Allied!
May 10, 2005
Hello everyone. Well we’re now at 7 weeks and counting before it’s show time! My how fast the time is flying.
Plans for a Saturday night activity have progressed very well. We’ve been invited by the organizing committee of the MayFly Festival to join them for a first ever cruise-in. Not only that, but we will have a police escorted parade from Cabela’s into downtown Dundee! Keep an eye on this site for more details.
We’ve been approaching the immediate local restaurants and businesses regarding our show. We’re hoping that they’ll be willing to give you, the participants, either a discount off your meal/purchase or a free appetizer or dessert (restaurants). More on this in the near future as well.
For those of you who sent in their registration forms, we thank you very much. Also, you should have received an acknowledgement card for receipt of your registration within a couple of weeks after we received it. If you haven’t received one, please get in touch with us by email or phone as soon as possible. You will need this card when you check in at registration headquarters.
One point regarding registration: there is NO pre-registration for Sunday only. Thanks for keeping this in mind.
Now, please welcome the following companies/organizations as sponsors for our show:
- Classic Industries
- Knapp Chevrolet Buick Pontiac
- Raymond James Financial Services-Debbie Burkhalter Ann Arbor, MI
- 303 Products
- California Car Cover Company
- The Paddock
- Stainless Works
April 20, 2005
Plans are moving along quite nicely for the show. We’ve been out beating the bushes for sponsors and since our last update we’d like to welcome the following companies as official sponsors of GLRFG:
Gold:
- Summit Racing Equipment
Bronze:
- Aero Cosmetics
- Auto Meter
- Hensley Towing Systems
- Prestige Pontiac-Buick-GMC
- Zaino Brothers
Without the support of these companies and the others who have already provided us with funding and product having a successful first show is looking good!
Keep an eye on the Related Events section of this website (on the left sidebar). We will strive to keep you up to date on related events in Michigan and the surrounding areas. With that in mind, Prestige Pontiac-Buick-GMC is bringing a brand new all-GM car and truck show to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area on Saturday, July 23. A pdf of the show flier can be downloaded from the related events section on the sidebar.
Stay tuned, more good things to come!
March 21, 2005
GLRFG welcomes these new sponsors:
Mallory Billet Aluminum, Amsoil, Ames Performance, K&N Engineering Inc., and Mothers.
As spring approaches, our thoughts turn to warm weather plans so be sure you have GLRFG on your June calendar of things to do. Registrations are beginning to come in so if you’d like to be one of the 50 to receive the commemorative gift, you should get your registration in soon.