02/19/2026
Here is the latest information, scedule and registration for our Edsel Owners Club Western Region National Convention. Hope to see lots of our Edsel friends there!
Hotel Link: https://www.edselclub.org/Events.html
Edsels … Out Our Way
2/17/2026
Here we are in spring already, and while many of you were dealing with the cold and snow, your Oregon Edselers have been busy (in the rain) making arrangements for our Western National Edsel Owners Club Meet in Portland.
Don’t forget, we’re gathering in early June out here – and that’s coming up faster than you might realize. With that in mind, we’ve been firming up our week’s calendar - with our ‘Gorge Tour’ up the Columbia River, including visits to the world class Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum, plus the unequaled Neon Museum a few miles farther up the river. These
are popular stops for the Columbia River Cruise Boats and they’re on our list too. (How am I doing with my ‘Chamber of Commerce’ descriptions here? We really want to share these special places with you!) We’ll have local tours too with a visit to Portland’s train museum – The Oregon Rail Heritage Center. Here we’ll see the three resident locomotives, all operational. The star of the show is the “streamlined” 4449, which in 1976 pulled the Freedom Train fully around our United States, to celebrate our Bicentennial. After dinner we’ll switch gears and enjoy a relaxing evening river cruise through colorful and beautiful downtown Portland. For Saturday we’ve arranged a tour to SMS Auto Fabrics followed by lunch at Mike & Nancy Hinsch’s ‘Garage Mahal’, where we can all enjoy their beautiful garden and their impressive collection of Edsels and unique cars.
If you have a hankering to see our scenic Oregon coast, plan an extra day or two if you can. Following the meet - leaving on Sunday - we’ll have a ‘loosely’ guided tour, as in a route and stops customized for what participants would like to see, such as scenery, beaches, or small-town shopping. An overnight in Astoria’s mid-century modern Atomic Motel can be a highlight. Consider it!
And by the way, if you haven’t been out Oregon-way commonly, you may like to sound like a local while you’re here. You can do that by pronouncing our state name – Oregon – the way we do: Or-y-gun. That’s how it’s done. You can practice while you’re driving our way (or flying).
Ok, I’ll be straight with this part: The hotel cost. It’s $159/night. We agree, that’s a lot of
money. And dangit, that’s just the way it is out here in the Portland metro area. We need a place with the amenities we’ll use – such as for our hospitality room, banquet facilities, and rooms for meetings and the parts auction. This place does it – and in style! Fresh style too, as
in recently remodeled, top to bottom. It’s a Hilton, so the place does present well. As we’ve put our tours and activities together, we’ve kept cost in mind, hoping that’ll help fit your budgets. So, save your pennies (oops, nickels now) and maybe bring some rare NOS parts for the auction and your budget might look a little better. Keep in mind too, there are lots of eating choices near the hotel, so you’ll find something for every appetite and budget nearby. And I almost forgot, there’s no sales tax in Oregon either. That’ll make the difference!
So, what else has been happening out here? Well, we’ all have been attending to our cars, making sure they’re in tip-top touring condition. Oregon is known as a place where Edsels survived well, and you can verify that with a stroll through the hotel parking lot!
So, please consider joining in! Our Or-y-gun chapter is looking forward to a great time with our Edsel friends.
