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By Dave Pratt Last year we had a monsoon, and a couple of years before that over a foot of snow. But this year we were graced with perfect, crisp, late-autumn weather for our annual AONE Holiday Party. The result? Several actual Alfa Romeos in the parking lot! A crowd of Alfisti numbering in the mid-40s gathered in the late afternoon of Sunday, December 11th, at the Josiah Smith Tavern in Weston, MA. Practically all were bearing gifts for the traditional Yankee swap that would come later, and these filled a large table to overflowing. We donned name tags and were greeted by a continuous slide show of a couple hundred photos that AONE President and event organizer Tom Lesko had put together — a "Year in Review" of our 2011 club events. Tom also spared us the operatic holiday music he’d threatened and instead played some cool "Jazz Holidays" tunes in the background, which we soon drowned out with our boisterous conversation and laughter. We were happy to have some new members join us this year and discover what a jovial bunch we are. These included Steve Branson, who has just acquired his first Alfa — a very nice silver GTV that he brought to the party. They also included Dave LaChance, editor of the excellent Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine, who recently acquired his first Alfa — a white ’73 Berlina. Welcome to the fray! We all soon attacked the table of delicious appetizers, and then waitresses roamed through the crowd with trays of hors d'œuvre. We tapped, uncorked, and/or unscrewed the various forms of libation we'd brought along and spent a fine time enjoying them, the appetizers, and the camaraderie. In due course, we were summoned to the buffet table for the main course, and it was another grand feast presented by the same caterer we had used the past few years (Tastings Caterers of Framingham). Tom Lesko had worked with them to give the menu a gourmet Italian flair, and the menu was terrific, garnering nothing but raves from all of our guests. After dinner, Tom Lesko kept his comments brief, and then launched into the eagerly-anticipated Yankee gift swap. As at previous holiday parties, this was again lots of fun, with a wide array of brightly-wrapped presents being opened one after the other, and then either being swapped for ones that had already been opened or hidden away in a vain attempt to prevent someone from spotting them and stealing them away. As always, there were a few particularly hot items that got swapped around several times. These included an Alfa Romeo fender cover, some limoncello (a perennial favorite), a diecast model of an 8C 2300, and a set of Italian bowls with ingredients to fill them. After the last gift was opened and swapped, the moment finally arrived for our annual holiday sing-along. Some people understandably bolted for the doors, while others gathered around to belt out some rousing a cappella renditions of several tunes normally associated with Xmas, but with lyrics transformed to address our Alfa Romeo mindset. This year’s offerings included a tribute to the Scuderia Limoni win at the 24 Hours of Lemons in a Milano, and a tale of Dave LaChance’s tribulations with his Berlina’s brakes, a retelling in song of a column that he wrote in the latest issue of his magazine. As you can see in the photos below, everyone
was having a terrific time from start to finish (well, at least up
until the sing-along). But finish it did, and gradually we donned
our winter togs and headed on our respective ways toward home. Our
thanks go out to Tom Lesko, who again did such a great job
organizing this event. Hope to see you all at the annual winter
party on February 4th at the same venue when we get to do the
cooking at our potluck party. Hey, with the weather we’ve had
lately, we may get lucky and have a "January Thaw" drive in our
Alfas this new year!
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(Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view, and then
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