In Mar. 29 issue, Russell County News
By Ron Cowell, Columnist

One of the newest Car Clubs in the Russell County Area is THE "OUTSIDERS". The Club was formed in September of 2007.
It has 29 members and all are very active in the club.

To be a member of the club all you have to be is a car enthusiast. It does not matter if you have a totally original car, a street rod, or a custom car, new car or old, you are welcome in the club.

Neil Patton is the President of the Club and is the proud owner of a 1972 Corvette. Tom Bernardi is Vice President. I think everyone in the area knows Tom. He has a number of beautiful cars. You might see him driving around in his black 1950 Ford Sedan. I am the Secretary of the Club and I enjoy my 1960 Chevy.

You might remember the name Dwayne Esau. He was featured in one of the articles a few weeks ago. Dwayne is the Treasurer of the Club and you see him in the pristine red 1955 Chevy running around town. The club has some great people along with many beautiful old cars.

Throughout this summer you will get a chance to see the cars along with cars from the other clubs in the area at The OUTSIDERS Cruise Ins.

The Outsiders Cruise Ins will be held at Lake and Shake on Thursday nights with the first one to be held Thursday May 1st starting at 6:00PM. Everyone is welcome to come and join in on the fun. We welcome all other car clubs to attend. Mark that date on your calendar and plan to be there. There will be music along with some trivia and prizes and many classic cars along with a whole lot of fun.

We also would like to thank Ted and Julie Beckman, owners of Lake & Shake, who by the way are also members of The Outsiders for providing the restaurant for the Cruise Ins.

In the first six months of the club they have been very active and busy. They have attended Old Rock and Roll Shows and have been to see Joey Dee & the Starliters who had the hit in 1961 The Peppermint Twist. Other old Rock and Roll acts they have seen are the Coasters, The Drifters and the Platters. There are other trips planned in the future also. Not only to see old rock legends but for tours, road trips and one thing we do the best is eat!

One of the members of The Outsiders and a true car enthusiast is Tom Bernardi. With Tom success was achieved not only with the finished product of his 1969 Mach I Mustang but the steps it took to get the car in it's finished state.

Tom has won many trophies and Car Shows with his Mach I, but the car itself is his biggest trophy. Tom was injured in a near-tragic industrial accident several years ago. Tom spent his rehabilitation time rebuilding the rusted out Mustang that was in pieces from a wheel chair.

The injury to his legs kept him in the wheel chair for a long time and he found great pleasure and pride in completing his Mustang throughout that time.

With a stick welder he hand replaced the front and rear frame rails, inner and outer fenderwells and quarter panels. The complete car along with most of the work was done by Tom himself. This included applying the Candy Apple Red acrylic paint job and refinishing the interior.

When the car was bought new in 1969 it included the Mach I package, 2 door, sports roof, 351 CID 4 V8 cylinder engine, rear deck spoiler, select shift cruise-o-matic, power steering, front disc brakes and a AM Radio. This vehicle was bought back then for $4,544.50.

Can you believe that? Offer that to Tom today for this Mustang and see what he has to say. Go out and try to buy a new Mustang today for that price and see what the salesman has to say.

Anyone who is interested is joining The Outsiders can contact any of the officers or you are welcome to attend any of the meetings. The meetings are held at Lake & Shake on the first Monday of each month at 6:00 PM.

When you see The Outsiders you will not only see some beautiful cars but will see a friendly bunch of people, most of which are your neighbors.

If your club has an event or club news you would like to let the people know about send me the information to djron47@yahoo.com.
All information must be sent in at least two weeks before the event.

Ron Cowell