Let us hear from you. Regional and local events that include Mustangs in their activities may be listed in this column by sending the necessary information to Mustang Monthly, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619, or send email notification to mustang.monthly@sorc.com. Listings must be submitted at least 120 days prior to the event.

It may seem hard to believe, but the 49th birthday of the Ford Mustang just passed this week, specifically April 17th. As if that wasn’t special enough, another milestone was accomplished at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan -- the one-millionth Mustang rolled off of the assembly line at the automaker’s state-of-the-art Auto Alliance International plant.

As car shows go, Mustangs at the Queen Mary enjoys one of the nicest venues in the country with a breath-taking view of the Pacific Ocean, Long Beach skyline, and the RMS Queen Mary docked nearby. With three smoke stacks jutting skyward, the Queen Mary has been moored in the Port of Los Angeles since 1967 and open as a tourist attraction since 1971. When Mustangs and a great historical attraction get together, it's an experience not to miss. Last year, Mustangs at the Queen Mary hauled in over 325 cars.

February 16, Orlando, FL
26th annual Mustang and Ford Roundup hosted by the Mid Florida Mustang Club at Waterford Lakes Town Center, 413 N. Alafaya Trail. $25 registration. Judged vehicles must be ’10 model year or older. Register online at www.midfloridamustangclub.com

Anyone who has ever attended the automotive madness known as the SEMA Show has complained about sore feet and a tired back after walking the Las Vegas Convention Center for several days. During last November's smorgasbord of chrome and glistening paint, one of our cohorts in editorial crime, Jim Campisano, actually clamped a pedometer to his belt to determine that he took over 70,000 steps over five days, a total of over 35 miles. No wonder it takes a week or so to recover.

January 12-13, Ocala, FL

• 19th annual Ford & Mustang Roundup, hosted by National Parts Depot and co-sponsored by Mustang Monthly and Modified Mustangs & Fords magazines.
• Free registration to first 1,000 pre-registered cars by January 1, which includes two passes to Silver Springs. People's Choice judging, Pony Trails cruise from NPD headquarters to Cedar Key on Friday, January 6.
• Info: Derek Putnam, 352/861-8701 (ext. 4207), dputnam@npdlink.com.

January 7-8, Silver Springs, FL

• 18th annual Ford and Mustang Roundup at Silver Springs, hosted by National Parts Depot and co-sponsored by Mustang Monthly and Modified Mustangs & Fords magazines.
• Free registration to first 1,000 pre-registered cars by January 1, which includes two passes to Silver Springs. People's Choice judging, Pony Trails cruise from NPD headquarters to Cedar Key on Friday, January 6.
• Info: Derek Putnam, 352/861-8701 (ext. 4207), dputnam@npdlink.com.

The Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals celebrated 38 years along with 50 years of Shelby American It's more like a family reunion than a car event. After 38 years, attendees at the Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals share more in common than just the common bond of Shelbys, Mustangs, and Fords. Many have also shared nearly four decades of bench-racing in the parking lot, hanging with Ford industry celebs in the Marriott lobby, and partying the night away with karaoke in the hotel's Remington lounge. I've heard many of the stories--and have witnessed some as well.

They called it the Showdown at the Red Rock Corral. Driving into the canyon that forms the natural Tuachan Amphitheatre near St. George, Utah, it was easy to see how the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association (NUMOA) came up with the name for their Mustang Club of America national show--we were surrounded by 1,500-foot red-rock cliffs. It's such a beautiful place (Tuachan is Mayan for Canyon of the Gods) for a Mustang show that members of the NUMOA, based in Salt Lake City in northern Utah, traveled 300 miles to St. George in southern Utah to host their show there.

At every Shelby Bash, members are on the lookout for the great man, Carroll Shelby, himself. The event revolves around spotting him. However, Carroll couldn't attend this year's Bash. His condition wasn't clear, but attendees heard he was in the hospital. Waiting in line at the banquet, Team Shelby member Tom Raber received a text message from Cleo, Shelby's wife. We were all encouraged to hear that the doctors had taken Carroll off sedation and were hoping to have him out of the hospital soon. (Editor's note: Carroll unfortunately never improved from his hospitalization and has since passed away on May 10).

When the U.S. Congress passed a resolution citing July 13 at National Collector Car Appreciation Day, the powers that be a parent company Source Interlink Media decided to host an open house at all three of its editorial locations—Tampa, Florida, Irvine, California, and Los Angeles—to celebrate.

This summer, the women of the auto industry will strut their stuff and show off their skills to raise money for the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund with the first-ever SEMA Mustang Build Powered by Women.

Every year when I fire up the laptop to write Mustang Monthly's coverage of the Ford & Mustang Round-Up, traditionally held the first weekend after New Year's at the Silver Springs theme park in Florida, I vow to avoid the subject of weather. After all, early January weather in north-central Florida is fickle—it could be hot with threat of a winter sunburn or freezing with sleet or snow, as demonstrated a couple of years ago when hardy participants built snowmen for photos in front of their Florida license plates. Once again, however, I find myself writing about the weather because, for this past January's event, it was perfect.

Just days before the 2011 SEMA Show opened in Las Vegas, Ford issued a press release announcing Dynacorn's new Ford-licensed '65 Mustang convertible body shell. No one expected the overwhelming response.

Nor Cal, short for Northern California, is a regional club of the national Shelby American Automobile Club. NorCal is a huge region with over 500 members.

“We are buddies with Rick Kopec and all the guys from SAAC,” said NorCal’s Kevin Sittner. “In 2010, they came out and ran with us at the same track, Infineon, for their national convention.”

I knew I was at the right place when I rolled into the parking lot of the Clarion Inn in Waldorf, Maryland. Mustangs of every make, model, and year filled nearly every space, some two spaces as buckets and towels were spread out while owners took care of final detailing. Yes, I had found the headquarters hotel for the Mustang Club of America's 2011 Grand National show, dubbed "Mustangs and Monuments" by our hosts, the National Capitol Region Mustang Club thanks to the close proximity to Washington, D.C.

January 8-9, Silver Springs, FL

• 17th annual Ford and Mustang Roundup at Silver Springs, hosted by National Parts Depot and co-sponsored by Mustang Monthly and Modified Mustangs & Fords magazines.
• Free registration to first 1,000 pre-registered cars by January 1, which includes two passes to Silver Springs. People's Choice judging, Mustang Monthly, Modified Mustangs & Fords Editor's choice awards.
• Info: Stacy Gunn, 352/861-8701 (ext. 4208) or email to sgunn@npdlink.com.

It’s a great time to be a Boss Mustang owner. With the ’12 Boss 302s hitting the street, the Mustang spotlight is focused on both the new models and the original ’69-’70s. The light has never shone brighter than it did last August in Dearborn during the Boss Nationals.

Times are tough all over. And as you might imagine, our favorite car clubs are feeling the pinch too. But, as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that's exactly what three national Mustang/Ford clubs did over the Memorial Day weekend. Instead of taking it on the chin, the Shelby American Automobile Club, SVT Cobra Mustang Club, and SVT Owners Association teamed up to roll the annual SAAC convention, now up to SAAC-36, and the SVT Superfest into one humongous event at Virginia International Raceway.

Last year, I made my first visit to ShelbyFest, held for the past five years in Hermann, Missouri. I quickly understood that it would not be my last trip when I called home from my Wine Valley Inn room to tell my wife about the historic German village filled with antique shops and wineries. Typically, Pam doesn't issue orders, but this time she said, "You're going back next year and taking me!"

The Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association calls Salt Lake City and the surrounding area home. Some 30 miles east, high in the Wasatch mountain range, sits Park City, which was home to the 2002 Winter Olympics. It seemed logical for the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association to host their show in Park City with its persona as a ski resort and an old mining town.

We've long known the Shelby American Automobile Club to run a first rate annual convention, but the 2010 rendition, held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, over the August 27-29 weekend, turned out to be about as good as it gets. With car shows, road racing, drag racing, and evening programming featuring legendary guests, there was certainly something for everyone.

When our Boeing 737 touched down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a warm Thursday morning, we didn't realize that we were about to participate in history. The annual Mustang Roundup, hosted by Mustangs Northwest, is one of the longest running Mustang gatherings in the world. It is surely the largest. In addition to being the 30th annual event, with the first one happening back in 1980, it was also the first Mustang Club of America Grand National show ever held outside of Labor Day weekend and the first-ever Grand National held on the West Coast.

There's something about the spirit of Oklahomans with their attitude of survival and determination to overcome all odds. Oklahoma epitomizes American history where settlers trekked across the Great Plains in search of a better life more than a century ago. Oklahomans you meet today are the latest generation of determined individuals who've made the state what it is today.

Founder and Event Director Jim Wicks has described the Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals as a "reunion" where fans of Shelbys and high-performance Fords can return year after year to celebrate their favorite cars and visit with old and new friends. As such, this annual get-together in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ensures familiar faces and places, like the host Southern Hills Marriott hotel and the midwest-friendly atmospheres of the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit and Tulsa Raceway Park. It's like looking forward to grandma's baked beans at your annual family reunion.