It was about a year ago I met Thomas Folk in person in a Home Depot parking lot. It was during a Saturday evening car show, but neither of us had our Mercury Cougar’s at the event.

When you invest the time and effort into a classic car, you want to talk about it, and it only took about a week before Mary was completely tired of hearing about problems with pulley alignment and my hypotheses as to why the dash lights weren’t working.

Tom and I talked cars and discussed the potential for creating a local club. He stepped up and did the networking with the Cougar Club of America and tracked down other Cougar owners in the area. I put together a logo and a Facebook page, and in December 2018, we had our first meeting of the Southeast Texas Cats.

Our December meeting will mark the one year anniversary, and while our event attendance isn’t breaking any records, I think it’s pretty remarkable that a free organization run by enthusiasts has made it an entire year.

The November event was a cruise I suggested in the Clear Lake area that started at the Seabrook Waffle Company and ended at the Lone Star Flight Museum. Apparently I wasn’t the only person who thought the Seabrook Waffle Company was a great spot for a Saturday morning car meet because the local Volkswagen club was there as well.

We had a nice drive down Nasa Road 1, then up Space Center Parkway around to State Highway 3 to end at the Lone Star Flight Museum, which was having some nice activities in conjunction with Memorial Day.

Here’s a quick video recap of the cruise, and if you’re in the Houston area and want to know more about classic Mercury Cougars, stop by one of our upcoming meetings.