I would like the committee to consider long time Branch 27 member Mary Ellen Eisemann of Cayucos CA.
Long time Branch 27 members Mary Ellen and her husband Hank purchased the Cayucos CA property known as the Waystation in 1974 from the Pedraita Family. The Pedraita's had owned it since 1876 after they purchased it from the town founder Captain Cass. The Eisemanns restored the buildings over many years to come after its abandonment in the 1940's. It was soon discovered that a 1903 vertical tank cooled Peerless hit and miss engine was still installed in its original place on the property. Mary Ellen fell in love with the historical significance of the engine and soon started a relationship with some local collectors. She and husband Hank then started a small gathering of local engine collectors and sponsored a 2 day show every Memorial Day weekend on the Waystation property. The Peerless stayed mounted in its original position for several years and then restored to running condition in the 80's by some of the now close friends and collectors. These same guys who had now formed non profit Central Coast Vintage Machinery Assoc in 1985 (Branch 27) surprised her at the 1989 Waystation Show by bringing out and running it for her for the first time. It has run continuously each year since at the show.
Hank, though interested, spent most of his time working on the Waystation remodels through those early years while Mary Ellen was the driving force for the Engine Show each year. They have been great supporters of our hobby and I am proud to say that the 2024 Show was the 50th year of their continuous sponsorship. Early 2024 she started contacting me letting me know she was turning over all the information to keep the show going. She and Hank had been arranging and paying for a rented hospitality tent, tables, chairs, advertising etc and donating to our club BBQ on that weekend and wanted to make sure I knew how to keep things running smoothly.
We moved the Cayucos Way Station 2 day show date to the first weekend of August a few years back so as not to conflict with the nearby Best of the West Show in Santa
Margarita, CA on Memorial Day weekend.
Branch 27 will continue to sponsor the show and this August 2nd and 3rd 2025 will mark the 51st anniversary of the Cayucos CA Waystation Show.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike McKinney–2025 President Branch 27