by Ed & Sherry Pentico, ROA Office managers, author photos unless otherwise noted

The 2007 annual meet of the Riviera Owners Association is over for another year. It may be gone, but not forgotten.

Our trip to Asheville from Iowa was a long one; our first day on the road, over 600 miles, was spent in rain and drizzle. It was hard to imagine that we would ever get our Riviera clean enough for the Thursday car show. The second leg of our road trip started out much the same as the first day had ended; more drizzle. After about an hour the skies finally started clearing and we finally saw the sun as we entered the “Daniel Boone National Forest” in Kentucky.

Such amazing scenery! The Smoky Mountains were lush and green and some capped with clouds as we drove closer to our destination. The view changed constantly as we approached Asheville.

Views of the Smokey Mountains just North of Asheville

Our host hotel, the Smoky Highway Ramada Inn, was perched on a hillside, as are almost all buildings on the outskirts of Asheville. We were all surprised to see that the hotel was undergoing some major remodeling, which did not interfere with our visit. The newly remodeled banquet and sleeping rooms were very nice and clean. The hotel restaurant, served a very good breakfast buffet and dinner. A bar and grill attached to the restaurant served many frosty beverages to “road weary” members.

Monday’s registration was very busy. Many members had arrived on Sunday and were very anxious to get registered and visit with “long lost friends” as well as make new friends. The best place to be early in the week was outside by the entry doors. There was a steady parade of Rivieras of all colors and years.

Over 110 ROA members had registered in advance of the meet, with another dozen registering at the meet. We had several new members that sent in their meet registration along with their membership application. What better way to be introduced to the ROA than to attend your first meet with your brand new membership card?

There were several new club items including new style ball caps and golf shirts as well as a few sample items including a twill shirt and a sweatshirt, which seemed to be popular. Watch the Riview for availability of these new items.

On Tuesday many of our members went over to the nearby Biltmore Estates the largest house in the US with over 250 rooms, built in the 1800’s for George Vanderbilt. On Tuesday evening we enjoyed a road rally around the country side, followed by plenty of food and door prizes.

ROA Members leaving for road rally

On Wednesday many members convoyed over to Lake Lure, for a quiet morning drive and boat ride. That afternoon we had our annual technical Q&A session. This year’s panel included Tech Advisors Tom Mooney, Darwin Falk and Bill Anderson, as well as Barry Smith a past advisor. As usual it proved to be very informative.

Tech Advisors answer member questions. Left to right: Bill Anderson, Darwin Falk, Barry Smith and Tom Mooney

ROA Director and meet planner Ray Knott hosted our annual meeting and reported that ROA is back on track with timely Riviews and many returning members. Once again that evening we were treated to more food, fun and a ton of door prizes.

The weather was for the most part very accommodating to our Rivieras. There were some rain showers during the late afternoons, but temperatures remained pleasant throughout the entire week.

Car Show Day arrived all too quickly. The parking lot at our host hotel was a multi-level setting, which made positioning the cars rather tricky at times. The space was tight, but as always a team of members who planned the placement were able to position everyone in the correct classes.

Rivieras on Show Day