A Night at the Opera
By Mary Ann Kretz
Well I must admit I have never been a big fan of opera so the announcement of a trip to an opera house in South Carolina that I’ve never heard of didn’t grab me right away. And trying to convince Jim Anderson to go an opera was pretty much out of the question. However, we really did enjoy the club trip to Charleston last year and when we began to get the real details from Ned Lowder about wine and cheese, drinks on the patio, dinner and a quaint bed and breakfast, I thought I might have a chance to convince “Mr. Opera are you kidding?” to at least consider the possibility. When we got the news that the show was actually a comedy and not an opera at all my chances of success increased substantially.
Ned kept everyone who had made a reservation up to date on the schedule and the week-end plans and it now seemed that our club members were going to take up fifteen of the twenty rooms available at the Belmont Inn. He had also scheduled a scenic drive to Abbeville on Saturday and a drive on Sunday to another posh country club for lunch. Most of the events centered around eating and drinking and any thoughts of opera were soon a thing of the past.
Rain was predicted for the week-end, but the Saturday morning meeting place showed us only partly cloudy skies with warm enough temperatures for a light jacket. No Jaguar gathering would be complete without some sort of mechanical event. This time it was provided by Marvin and Carolyn Sikes as they arrived in their 1972 E-type only to discover that some vital bodily fluid was oozing onto the ground. After Carolyn’s announcement that they would see us later in some other suitable vehicle, they limped out of the parking lot toward home.
After a short drive through the Georgia countryside, we arrived at the Bar-H Barbeque in Franklin Springs. Roy Cleveland had described this as “a simple place that looks better than most barbeque establishments”. Not exactly a glowing review, but it was good nonetheless. When was the last time you saw a restaurant with large loaves of white bread on each table and a dozen Jaguars in the parking lot?
After lunch we set off for the scenic drive to Abbeville, the weather co-operating enough for convertible tops to come down. “There’s nothing like a long line of Jaguars snaking through the countryside.” This was a quote from Linda Cleveland who said that phrase was used to describe the very first club drive which included exactly two cars. Two cars could hardly be considered a long line but people who write these articles always seem to be using some poetic license.
The Belmont Inn was charming as advertised. Its new owners are young and energetic and have plans for many renovations. For the time being they have several artfully disguised jacks and braces to bolster some of the floors and beams adding to the ambiance. The Inn was having a very busy week-end hosting two weddings, several other smaller parties and our group of Jaguar owners. It turns out that the owner’s wife drives an XK8 and that entitled us to prestige parking in front of the Inn near the owner’s reserved spot.
Our next event was a short walk through downtown Abbeville for a tour of the Burt-Stark mansion. We heard much of Abbeville’s rich historical past and the role played by the mansion as a meeting place for southern leaders during the Civil War. Our enthusiastic tour guide was a native of Abbeville and provided a wealth of local history and folklore.
The tour was quite extensive and included a tour of the “old” kitchen, a separate building in the back yard where the huge fireplace was said to have been tended day and night. Thoughts of that huge fire in the middle of summer made everyone thirsty so we headed back to the Inn for wine and cheese in the cozy bar. Larry and Kathleen Kludt also hosted wine on the balcony of their room which you reached by climbing through a large window in the corner of the bedroom, just another quirky feature of the historic inn.
Keeping to the well organized schedule, we met for dinner in our private dining room and then gathered for the short walk across the street to the historic Abbeville Opera House. Our reserved seats were well placed and very comfortable. The well acted play was, in fact, a comedy about life in New York City, a pretty funny subject in itself. Not only was the play NOT an opera but no one even burst into song, a relief for the less cultured among us.
After the play it was back to the Inn for desert and coffee and a special surprise birthday cake for several of our members. Diane Lowder and Kathleen Kludt both claimed to be 39 years old. Whatever their ages, it was a great excuse for a toast and for some of our members to actually burst into song for a chorus of “Happy Birthday”, a thankfully short musical interlude.
The next day started with continental breakfast at the hotel and another line of Jaguars winding through the countryside. We also discovered that Marvin and Carolyn Sikes had chosen their bright red 1961 Corvette as a replacement for the XKE and were bringing up the rear of our small caravan. Another scenic drive brought us to a public park on the shores of Lake Hartwell and then a drive through the small town of Hartwell, a small place with a surprising number of traffic signals that managed to separate our group into several smaller groups. After a few wrong turns we were finally able to re-assemble at the Cateechee Country Club just as some members were beginning to swoon as it had been more than one hour since our last meal! More great food at the country club and then Ned conducted a secret ballot of ratings for the event. Not surprisingly, he received high marks and many thanks from all attendees for an event that was well planned and well executed.
Here’s some of the comments from those attending.
From Ivan and Myrna Ruiz
“It was a fun weekend. Beautiful cars, great friends and wonderful food. Perfect!!”
From Mac and Alice Barksdale
“Alice and I enjoyed the weekend at Abbeville very much. The food was good, and at our age that is the most important factor. About all we can do these days is eat and drive! The Hotel was quaint and comfortable. The Play was funny. Accurately portrayed typical Manhattan dwellers. I especially enjoyed driving with the other Jaguars. I enjoyed looking them over as well.”
From Carol and Mike Moore
“Mike and I had a great time. Highlights were meeting such a fun group of friendly people who made us feel very welcome, driving through the beautiful Georgia countryside in the spring, then getting to know some of you better during the lunches/dinner and breakfast over the weekend. We hope to meet you again soon!”
From Carolyn and Marvin Sikes
“We had a really nice time in Abbeyville (once we got there). Seems like it took us the whole day just to arrive. I had told Linda that we would be traveling at the end of the Jaguar line. She asked me why? I told her that we were just a little different. I thought I would let her decide if I was talking about me and Marvin or the Corvette.”
From Linda and Brian Hernan
“It was a great trip even though we missed a few events because of our furry friend.
It was perfectly planned with plenty to do or not. The barbecue was a good choice,
the town of Abbeville was historic and interesting, the hotel a work in progress but
good attitude, clean sheets, bathroom, etc., the wine and cheese a nice touch, our
dinner (the prime rib) was tasty, the theatre comfortable and the play well executed,
fun birthday party, adequate breakfast, very nice group of people to be with - we have no
complaints only compliments, especially to Ned and Diane and all who helped to put this
event together.”
From Larry and Kathleen Kludt
“Two thoughts come to mind on long, all day drives or overnight drives and the drive to Abbeville brought these thoughts out again.
- The camaraderie that is shared with the other club members is the most important thing as it’s the people & not the cars that are the nucleus of any club.
- I also enjoy being near the end of the car convoy and watching the cars snake along country roads ahead of me or pulling into small towns and watching people stand and stare or point and grin as the cars make their way through the towns. “
From Pat and Nancy Harmon
“What made this trip so special was the camaraderie. Our young club has attracted a great bunch of people who obviously enjoy their cars, good times and each other. Our most memorable site was seeing the Kludt's under an overpass putting the head up on their XJS in the rain. I remember Larry telling the crowd as we left the country club....Naw...I't ain't gonna rain...I'm puttin the top down!”
Pictures from Abbeyville |
Click on Picture for Larger Image |
 Belmont Inn |
 Prestige Parking |
 Belmont Lobby |
 Belmont Lobby |
 Belmont Dining |
 Belmont Patio |
 Hotel |
 Opera House |
 p09-Abbeville |
 Abbeville.jpg |
 Burt Stark |
 Burt Stark |
 Tour Guide |
 Burt Stark |
 Burt Stark |
 Burt Stark |
 Burt Stark |
 Burt Stark |
 Bedroom |
 Bedroom |
 Outside Kitchen |
 Outside Kitchen |
 Outside Kitchen |
 On the Road |
 Jaguars |
 Talking cars again |
 Cateechee |