Media Matters

Media Matters

We start with the Eau Claire Leader Telegram story--Despite heat, family rumbles through region for annual Model T tour:

Despite Monday's scorching temperatures, Hal Doughty was ready to hit the highway in his 1925 Model T.

And so were the rest of the riders in the Doughty 500, an annual tour in which family members take their vintage cars for a 500-mile cruise over four days.

"I had five brothers, and we all had Model Ts," said Doughty, 82, of Eau Claire, who organized this year's tour. "In '87 we said, 'Let's make a trip,' and we figured the weekend would be 500 miles so we called it the Doughty 500. We've done it ever since."

Next up is the Dunn County News--Doughty 500--This isn't your average family reunion:

Originally, the trip was one long excursion. But when the reunion got so big that finding lodging each night became nearly impossible, it was decided to make a few smaller trips from one central location that would still tally about 500 miles.

Though it wasn't Doughty's turn this year, he wanted to host the event from his home in Eau Claire for two reasons. He and his wife, Doris, are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. And the family held a dedication at the Arkansaw Middle School.

The bell tower of the District No. 5 Black (Big Arkansaw) School was moved there and a plaque with a list of the students and their teacher for the 1904-05 school year was attached to the old tower.

The Black family is a large part of the Doughty reunion, with three of the Blacks listed on the school register. At the bottom of the plaque, it reads: Donated by the family of Herb and Ruth Black Doughty: Sam, Hal, Merle, Paul, Dan, Bernard, Nathalie, Brendan.

Six of those boys were the founders of an adventure that has exploded in popularity. This year's week-long reunion brought 50 to 60 family members from across the country, including Maryland, Oklahoma, Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin.