Florida Chapter of Volvo Club of America

As mentioned in the “Save the Date” post last month, our Spring Meet will be held on Saturday, April 20 at EG Simmons Regional Conservation Park, 2401 19^th Avenue NW, Ruskin, Florida 33570.  The meet will be held in Shelter House #12 (aka Sandy Beach Pavilion) and will begin at 11:00

(SEE BELOW FOR DETAILED DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS). 

Park on the north end of the large parking lot near Sandy Beach Pavilion. We hope to get a roped off area for our Volvos, but it is not certain.  All Volvo enthusiasts are welcome – no club membership required.

Sandy Beach Pavilion is located right on Tampa Bay, next to the park’s white sand beach, and offers views of St. Petersburg and Tampa downtown skylines as well as expansive views of Tampa Bay.   

We’ll eat around noon, so bring your own lunch and beverages (no alcohol please).  We will have a charcoal grill going (with limited barbeque equipment) if you want to cook something.  We will have a 50-50 drawing to help pay for the shelter and other expenses and then talk Volvo for a while.  

Around 2:00 PM, we will begin a Poker Run.  The Poker Run is short, around 15 miles, and will only take about 45 minutes to complete.  The route is in the Tampa suburbs, usually not too congested, will consist of both highways and residential streets, and will end at a local ice cream shop.  For safety, each car must have both a driver to drive and a navigator to read the instructions. Each car will pay a $5 fee to enter the Poker Run.  You will receive a total of 5 playing cards and the best poker hand (jokers are wild) wins a free 1-year membership to our host, Volvo Sports America and (possibly) part of the entry fee pot (depending on whether event costs are covered from the 50-50.). You can also pay $5 to purchase 1 additional card at the ice cream shop. 

If you would enjoy some ice cream, but don’t want to participate in the Poker Run, you can go directly to Kimi’s Ice Cream and Sweets, 143 Harbor Village Lane, Apollo Beach, FL  33572.  

In order to prepare the proper number of packages for the Poker Run, please RSVP to FLVCOA.org by April 13 to let me know that you intend to participate in the Poker Run.  We are trying something a little different so that we can enjoy our cars during the meet and also show them off around town. 

We’re looking forward to a great time.

DETAILED DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS – PLEASE NOTE

NOTE:  Depending on your navigation program, 2401 19^th Avenue NW, Ruskin, FL may put you at the incorrect location in the Park.  Also, Apple Maps consistently changes the NW to NE and places you miles away from the Park.   The most reliable method of navigating to EG Simmons Regional Conservation Park is to put that name in your navigation system to drive from your home to the Park.  When you reach the intersection of 19^th Avenue NW and EG Simmons Parkway, follow the directions below to access the Sandy Beach Pavilion,

DIRECTIONS TO SANDY BEACH PAVILION FROM 19^TH AVENUE NW / EG SIMMONS PARKWAY

• Head northwest on E G Simmons Pkwy for 0.3 mi
• Stop at pay station ($2 per vehicle)
• Go around the pay station and traffic circle, then continue north on EG Simmons Parkway
• Continue on E G Simmons Pkwy for 0.7 mi
• Turn right on roadway, go past boat ramp and drive 0.2 mi
• Turn left into parking lot and look for the Volvos.
• Walk 300 feet north to Sandy Beach Pavilion (Shelter House #12) – it is located just north of the parking lot adjacent to the beach.

Hope to see you there.

Open to all years and Volvo models and Volvo enthusiasts of all ages are welcome. This is a FREE, fun, family friendly event to meet up with other Volvo fans after the long hot summer and/or enjoy all the fun and facilities that Dezerland has to offer. 

That includes Arcades, Bowling, Pin Ball Palace, Food and Drink, Karting on the longest indoor track in the country, Automotive Museums, Bond Car Museum, and so much more.

Discount coupons and options for food and Museum will be available at the door, or book a Groupon instead. 

Time: 10:30am until you drop!  Dezerland doors open at 11:00am but be there early enough to get a good spot!

Place: Dezerland Park Orlando. 5250 International Drive, Orlando FL 32819. www.dezerlandpark.com

Enter the main entrance where you will be directed to a parking spot. 

See you there!

Summer is too hot for meets in Florida BUT this coming Fall is shaping up to be an exciting time for Volvo enthusiasts.

Apart from the National VCOA Meet in North Carolina in September that a few of us plan to attend and the return of the Swedish Social at the Ace Café in Orlando on 24 September, we are excited to announce plans for our Fall Meet which will be a Track Day at Sebring on Saturday October 15th.

Held under SCCA Track Day rules, all you will need is your safe street car, a valid driver’s license and an approved helmet. There will be a car corral for those not wishing to run the track and we have been invited to a light lunch courteously provided by Jose Laboy and hosted by Bill and Tricia Rose.

Importantly, this is a Volvo Club Meet, VSA and FVC included. Those wishing to run the track may do so by acquiring a “Weekend Membership” from SCCA ($15) which can be found on CFRSCCA,

Click on “Join SCCA” in the top left corner, follow the link to SCCA and create a member ID and pay for a weekend membership for Oct 15th.

There will be a fee of $140 for Saturday; but this fee is not charged if you do not make it on track to run the event.

Registration is expected to open in September at which point you should sign up for the Track Day itself. We will announce when Registration is open.

Volvo Club Members not wishing to run the track will be admitted for FREE as a guest of the Central Florida Region of SCCA BUT are required to go through SCCA registration at the track to sign the required club and track waivers in order to gain entry to the facility. 

Registration hours usually are on Friday night from 4pm to 7:30pm and Saturday morning from 7 am to 10am.

Also attached is an Inspection Sheet so that you can ready and ensure your car will pass inspection – for example, speed rated tires with adequate tread, battery tie down (no bungees) and terminal covers, brake pads over 50%, an approved helmet.

Due to the popularity of these events, we do ask that you let us know if you intend to get out on the Track. More info to follow.