May 12th, Stittsville, Ontario, 2001

Background:

"The time has come" the walrus said,
"To speak of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealingwax --
Of cabbages -- and kings --

And why your rad is boiling hot
And whether landrovers have wings.

Yes, it is that time of year when many of the older Land Rovers begin to stir and get pulled from musty barns and other storage locations where they have been sleeping through the winter. This event is as good an excuse as any for you to get your Land Ro ver stirring and on the road. It will also give you about six weeks of time to correct all of the major faults that are found with your vehicle so it is fully ready for the Birthday Party in June!

The Event:

For the past eight or so years, local members of OVLR have been gathering at the MiniMan in Stittsville for an annual tune up session. It is an opportunity for members whose mechanical skills may be in need of some practice. There will be members there who are very familiar in the operation and maintenance of these vehicles there that will be more than happy to help guide you and explain what you should be doing to keep your vehicle in top shape.

Participation varies, generally there are about a dozen vehicles attended to. (Some are barred from attention, such as Dixon's Green Beastie). Last year the centre of attention was Sean McGuire^Òs 109 military, where it seems everyone had a hand in tryi ng to tune it (read fix it) up after Sean had been left unsupervised with it for the previous year.

When:

This event is traditionally held in the beginning of May. As other local British car clubs have seen how successful this event has become, they too have begun to reserve time to run their own tune up event. But, as OVLR started the process we get first pick. Thus, the Tune-Up will be held on Saturday, May 12th. People generally start to appear around 8 am, and the Tune Up runs to just past lunch when many repair to either the Cheshire Cat (on Carp Road) or the Swan at Carp (in Carp) for a little socialising.

Reservations/RSVP:

There is no need to pre-register for this event. Just show up some time in the morning.

Cost:

There may be a small charge of a couple of dollars to cover the cost of lunch.

Activities:

• There will be an opportunity to tune-up your Land Rover. If you lack expertise, there will be people there to help you. If you need basic tune-up parts, they can be purchased only feet away at the parts counter at MiniMan.
• There will be a simple lunch prepared on the club Expedition Trailer. The chef is not sure at this time whether or not it will be hamburgers or chili.
• There will be a guessing game, the question being How many spark plugs did the Marshal break this year while storing his Lightweight away for the winter

Getting There:

MiniMan is located at 104 Walgreen Road in Stittsville.

If you are coming via the Queensway (417) you will exit at Carp Road. Coming to a stop sign, you will turn South onto Carp Road. (If coming from the east, you will cross over the Queensway). You will pass by a Petro Canada on the right (west) side of C arp Road. The first intersection is Westbrook Road. You will turn right onto Westbrook (there is a Bargain Builders lumberyard on the southwest corner of this intersection)

If you are coming via Hazeldean Road from Kanata, you will go west past the Stittsville Flea market site. Just past the flea market you will come to an intersection with a set of traffic lights. Turn right (North) onto Carp Road. Go about a mile and lo ok for Westbrook Road on your left. When you get there, turn left onto Westbrook.

Once on Westbrook, go a hundred yards or so to your first intersection. This is Walgreen Road. Turn left onto Walgreen. MiniMan is about a hundred yards down on the right. Look for the Land Rovers parked beside the building.

Contact Numbers:

• Event Co-ordinator: Andrew Finlayson (613)
• Email: tuneup@ovlr.org
• If lost getting there: Phone 836-4283