Past Chapter Events

Monday, June 5 | Chapter Club Monthly Dinner | 6:30 PM Gathering, 7:00 PM Intros and Meeting | https://www.chiapparellis.com/ 237 S High St | Baltimore, MD 21202. Parking Note! FREE street parking in Little Italy (3-hour limit) Pratt Street – FREE parking after 6 pm

Member speaker, Bert Straus will share reflections from his lifetime in the fast lane — beginning with picking up and driving virtually every unusual car of the classic era from the port for his family’s import car business, through five-plus decades of Giulietta and other Alfa ownership. The only cost is the food and drink you order, tax, and tip.

Spring Fling! Saturday, April 29 | Our agenda begins with the drive to St. Michaels on Friday. St. Michaels is about an hour and a quarter drive from the Washington Beltway via route 50. 

• St. Michaels on Friday, April 28.  With events beginning early on Saturday, you may wish to drive over on Friday and plan on spending a night or two in the Easton/St. Michaels area. (Depending on the club drivers’ interest, we may include a designated meetup point around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/50 intersect to caravan eastbound together.)  

• Saturday, April 29 | 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM | The starts at St. Michaels Classic Car Museum’s Car and Coffee located at 102 E Marengo Street,  St. Michaels, MD 21663.  The Museum is featuring Alfa Romeo as its prime marque and is excited to have us visit and to see our cars! Parking is free on their lot and they will give us a tour of the museum for $10/per person for nonmembers of the museum.  The exhibit barn has a substantial collection of cars of various makes and models and hosts cars and coffee on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 am.

• Saturday Afternoon: After Cars and Coffee, we anticipate a short drive to visit Katie and Derek Dilley’s (The Grants’ daughter and son-in-law.) restored Victorian home, an authentic one-room Red school house dating to the 1800’s. Then motor on to an Afternoon Reception at Board Treasurer, Randy, and Josie Grant’s vacation home. Refreshments will come from an authentic Italian Deli in nearby Easton which will provide us with a delicious assortment of light food. This will be great fun so mark your calendars, get your transponders for your Alfa (Bay Bridge no longer takes cash), and plan to join us! Please email your RSVP to Randy Grant via the member event newsletter, at your earliest convenience.

Monday, April 3 | Monthly Club Dinner Meeting | La Fiamma | 6124 Franconia Rd, Alexandria. Gathering starts at 6:30, with presentations and discussion around 7:00. We are mixing it up with a new Northern Virginia restaurant this month, called La Fiamma. We can attest the food is quite good! We also are glad to have a special guest joining us, Tim Rooney. Tim Rooney’s Garage specializes in classic Alfa Romeo auto repair and Tim has over 40 years of experience providing service, as well as building and maintaining road racing cars for vintage racing series. 

Monday, March 6 | Monthly Dinner Meeting | National Aquarium visit plus dinner in Little Italy |  Meet at the aquarium if desired at 3:00 to get in some quality fish time, prior to dinner at Chiapparelli’s in Little Italy at 6:00 PM. There’s something fishy about this month’s dinner! You’re invited to join Chapter President Brewster Thackeray at one of his favorite Baltimore haunts, the National Aquarium, prior to dinner. If your schedule allows, beat traffic and come check out some amazing aquatic exhibits.

Meet at 3:00 PM. The National Aquarium, 501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore. Tickets can be purchased online, which is recommended to set an entry time. https://aqua.org/. Dinner at Chiapparelli’s in Little Italy, 237 S. High St., Baltimore. Arrive at or after 6:00 PM. Please let Brewster know if you have any announcements or presentations you would like to share. The only cost is food that you order, tax, and tip.

January 8, 2023 | 12:00 PM | Annual Chapter Board of Directors Meeting

Sunday, December 11, 2022, Annual Holiday Party | Bear’s Den, Bluemont, VA – The holiday season is upon us — and your Alfa Club Board are excited to announce our holiday party plans! The day will begin with a pleasant one-hour drive on scenic roads, followed by our annual Holiday Party at Bears Den, a historic castle-like property on the Appalachian Trail in Bluemont, Virginia. 11:00 AM – Meet at Bears Den for coffee and donuts, 18393 Blueridge Mountain Rd. Bluemont, VA 20135. 11:30 AM-12:30 PM | Scenic Alfa drive in the Virginia countryside, 12:30 PM -3:30 PM | Annual Holiday Party, Bear’s Den

Saturday, October 29th, 2022 | 4th Annual Fall Drive: The tour begins at Hunt Valley Horsepower Cars & Coffee at 118 Shawan Road, Cockeysville MD.  We’ll gather at the Reserved Area at 8 AM. We’ll have a drivers’ meeting by 9:15 AM during which time Phil will distribute the driving routes and mention other essential facts regarding the club drive.  We’ll head out on our tour by 9:40 AM after reassembling our group just outside the main lots.  Lunch will be at Kecco’s Neopolitan Kitchen at 114 Westminster Pike, Reisterstown MD.

Stay tuned for further event details of Phil and Rita Schleider’s annual organized driving tour through the Maryland countryside. And if you are interested, check out last year’s annual fall drive photos by scrolling down halfway through the Member Driving Fun webpage

Saturday, September 17th, 2022 | 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Capital Chapter BBQ Social hosted at Brad and Maggie Mellor’s residence in Vienna, VA.

Saturday, June 4: Trip to Paul Wilson’s Collection in Fairfield | Those who attended our March dinner meeting were treated to a fascinating presentation by Paul Wilson about the pair of vintage Alfa Romeos he has envisioned and built at his home in Fairfield, Virginia, along with his other wide-ranging automotive interests. Paul hosted the Chapter at his farm for a well-received tour several years ago, and following this presentation he invited us back for a visit that will surely be a treat for all fans of rolling automotive art. Richard Viglucci is coordinating this visit with Paul on behalf of the Chapter.

Paul’s current project is an Alfa 6C2500 roadster envisioned as it might have been crafted by an Itailan coachbuilder in 1948. In addition to the special opportunities that are unique to our being in the relative region, Paul will be speaking about his endeavors at the AROC National Convention in June. You can learn more at: https://velocetoday.com/paul-wilsons-alfa-6c-2500-roadster-part-4/ Paul lives off Route 64 south of Staunton and west of Charlottesville, roughly 175 miles from DC and a 3-hour drive.

The plan is to leave early on Saturday, June 4 to arrive at Paul’s farm at 285 Sales Mill Road, Fairfield by 11:30 AM. Meet-ups to caravan will be set depending on who is coming from where, so please RSVP with that information to Richard.Viglucci@gmail.com. Attendees might also wish to head down earlier to relax in the beautiful area around Fairfield.

Saturday, May 21: Tech session at London Auto | Nick Vadala and the team from London Auto will host our first tech session of the season on Saturday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m. Breakfast snacks and cookout food provided by London Auto. RSVPs are appreciated. A member’s Alfa will get up on the lift so we can see what makes it tick (and how to make it tick better). Always a fun and informative time! 7718 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia.

Monthly Dinner Meetings | Monday, March 7, 2022 | 6:30 PM-8:30 PM | Dinner Meeting with Paul Wilson. | The Royal Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria

Paul is a car enthusiast who invited our Chapter to his lovely farm a couple of years ago to visit with his car collection and especially to see his hand-formed vintage Alfa replicas. As he tells it, Paul’s neighbor bought a new Alfa 1900 that he got to know in his youth and it inspired a lifetime of passion for such cars. In addition to acquiring a 1900 of his own, Paul custom-built a coupe and roadster body on 6C2500 chassis that distill the essence of what Alfas mean to him. Paul will be giving a presentation on the topic at the AROC National Convention in San Diego in June, and our Chapter is extremely fortunate to get a preview of his talk and photographs that document his accomplishments with these cars. Don’t miss it!

The Royal has allowed us to reserve their special meeting room, and Paul will have an A/V presentation to share there with us. Please come by any time after 6:30, and we will start the meeting around 7:00 PM. The only cost is what you order to eat or drink plus tax and tip. The restaurant is located at the edge of Old Town Alexandria at 730 N. Asaph Street; street parking is not hard to find in this area. You can preview the menu and learn more about The Royal at: https://www.royalrestaurantva.com/

Sunday, December 12, 2021 | Chapter Holiday Party and Board Elections: 1:00 -5:00 PM – Jazzway House 6004, 6004 Hollins Ave., Baltimore, Maryland. It’s been a few years since we’ve been together to celebrate the holidays, talk about our latest Alfa Romeo’s travels, plan for next year’s chapter event calendar.

Saturday, October 23, 2021 | Annual Fall Club Drive

• Plan to join your fellow Alfista by 8:30 AM, near Dick’s Sporting Goods
• We’ll distribute information, have a drivers’ meeting 9:00 AM, and head out for our tour at 9:15 AM. 

We’ll leave for an approximate 2 1/2 hour tour through some of Maryland’s most beautiful countryside.  Continuous twisties, rolling hills, and valleys on country roads under canopies of autumn leaves in full color regalia. You’ll drive through magnificent farmland and horse country and past old Maryland mansions.  There’s a “stop, gas & go” en route, too, but don’t hesitate to gas up ahead of time at the Mobile station, Shawan and York roads.  Covid safety in mind, we’ll finish our drive in Gunpowder State Park, Hammerman area, for a bring-what-you-got picnic lunch just off the banks of the Gunpowder River.  There’s open parking for us and plenty of picnic benches and open grills. Hiking, kayaking, dog friendly and more…all there at the area and lots to enjoy.  Organized by Phil Schleider. Please send an email to Phil Schleider to RSVP.

September 25, 2021 | 3 PM to 7 PM Capital Chapter BBQ Social hosted at Brad and Maggie Mellor’s residence in Vienna, VA. Please refer to the newsletter for their address.

Cancelled again in 2021 | Rockville Antique And Classic Car Show, Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851 Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851 – It’s always a good day to see a terrific display of classic cars at the Rockville Civic Center Park. We strongly encourage our chapter club members to show their Alfa at this local event. Register your Alfa in advance or the day of the show. Our chapter typically has 10-20 Alfa Romeos on display. Registration: Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show | Rockville, MD – Official Website (rockvillemd.gov)

September 7-12, 2021 | AROC Colorado chapter hosts this year’s 2021 Alto Miglia National Convention in Colorado Springs, Co! For more information, please click on the links. Looking to see who else is driving west to Colorado Springs? Here is the convention registration list to organize a club convoy.

August 2, 2021 at 6:30 PM | Monthly Member Dinner. The meeting speaker will be Lee Barnes from Safford Alfa Romeo in Tysons Corner to give us the inside scoop on life at the dealership and answer questions.  

July 6, 2021 at 7:00 PM | Member dinner at Vicino Ristorante Italiano restaurant located in Silver Spring. Parking is typically available.

April 24, 2021 | The Spring Fling Drive starts at Josie and Randy Grant’s residence at 1:30PM. Bring a picnic blanket | Wash the Alfa! Gas up the Alfa for this Saturday’s in-person event of 2021. But, the twist is we won’t be going inside – health concerns remaining paramount. We shall head out from the Grants’ neighborhood on a 2-hour tour of some lovely Potomac, Poolesville-direction Alfa-friendly roads. We will conclude the drive at a park or restaurant where we can admire each other’s cars, and catch up in a socially responsible style.

April 5, 2021 | 7:00 PM | Virtual Monthly Dinner Zoom Session with Cindy Banzer, AROC President. We are continuing the Spring speaker series and discussing all things Alfa Romeo with our AROC President Cindy Banzer. We are excited to hear about her stories, and first hand experiences as she continues to guide the car club through COVID times, the Alfa Romeo brand, and the view from her “Driver’s Seat”.

March 1, 2021 | 7:00 PM | Virtual Monthly Dinner Zoom Session
We are kicking off the new season with an inaugural speaker series, and discussing all things Alfa. At this Zoom meeting, Brewster Thackeray will share a couple of short and compelling videos about the Alfa Romeo Museum’s salute to Alfa’s 110th anniversary, and some little known Alfa facts. And, Bob Lubran will introduce us to his newest acquisition and what he learned in the search for at first a Series 1 and then Series 2 (1970-1982) Spider.

December 19, 2020 | Holiday Drive | Did you think we would end 2020 without another chapter drive? No! In lieu of a holiday “party”, please consider joining fellow chapter members for the last Alfisti drive. Meeting spot is Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD at 11:00 a.m. Come out with a full tank of gas and look forward to a roughly 2-hour drive, around 50 miles.

December 2020 updates| Frank Smith’s Alfa parts — It was Frank’s hope that some of his collection of spares and parts would be gifted to chapter members who could use them. Most are GTV and Duetto parts. I can share photos of those and some of the boxes to give an idea, and will to the best of my ability arrange a time or two to meet with anyone that wants to look through the items. I will be bringing some of the remainder to my place so we can further distribute them. Please contact BrewThack@gmail.com if interested.

Saturday, October 24, 2020 | AROC Capital Chapter held its 2nd annual Alfa Fall Colors Event. Coordinated by Phil & Rita Schleider, the 3-stage event started at the area’s  premier Cars & Coffee in Hunt Valley, Maryland.  Pandemic conscience and mask-on, chapter members dazzled the crowd with a show of 16 Alfas.  The group then moved out on a 55 mile rally route, driving some of Maryland’s most beautiful country roads, winding through hills and valleys under canopies of autumn foliage at its most colorful. Rallyists were treated with drives drove by a number of Maryland’s storied thoroughbred horse farms during the tour, including driving straight into and through world famous Sagamore Farm.  Established in 1925 by Bromo Seltzer inventor, Issac Emerson, subsequently owned by Alexander Vanderbilt, Jr., and now by Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour; Sagamore was the was the breeding and training ground for numerous legendary racehorses including Native Dancer.  For our final destination, our 30 Alfisti picnicked, socially-distanced, at the side of picture perfect Gunpowder River in Gunpowder Falls State Park. It was the perfect ending to a great day.  

Sunday, October 11, 2020 | Virginia Vineyard “Dust off the Alfas” Drive on a lovely rural roads down to Effingham Manor Vineyard Parking Lot, 14325 Trotters Ridge Place, Nokesville, VA.

| All Italian Car Show, Vienna, VA | For years we’ve watched British, German, and Japanese marques host annual car shows in the area, and wondered why there was no Italian car show in Washington D.C. So this year, we’re going to have an even bigger Concorso! We welcome cars from Virginia, Maryland, the District and beyond. The DC Italian Car Show typically draws cars from Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati, Autobianchi, and Siata, as well as Italian motorcycles. We look forward to seeing 100+ shiny examples of local Italian automotive art on display in 2022.