AUGUST 201O
SEPTEMBER 2010
Saturday, September 11th starting at 3:00 PM,"Progressive dinner", Sponsored by Miata Club of Southwest Florida.
We hate to eat and run but………
A “Progressive dinner” is planned for Saturday, Sept 11 starting at 3pm.
The basic concept is we Miata-van our way between designated locations for a complete four course meal.
I would recommend you start out hungry; very hungry.
We will meet at Rick and Charlene Hayman's, 1844 Scarborough Trail, Port Charlotte, 33980
for appetizers promptly at 3pm!
(Directions to this location will be supplied when you sign up for the event)
Our hosts will then caravan (directions will be provided) us to the next locations,
where we will delighted with salad, main course and finally dessert.
The Balance of our hosts are Hal and Lois Krantz, Gary and Jean Blessing and Steve and Sandy Bowers.
Our Dinner will run from Port Charlotte to North Fort Myers.
Each car signing up for the traveling dinner will be responsible for bringing an assigned dish, your own chairs and drinks.
The Miata Club will provide the main course.
To sign up for this event please email Cindy Brown at Steve1Cindy2@embarqmail.com or call 941-625-6733.
Saturday, September 22nd - 29th,"Trip to Pigeon Forge, TN", Sponsored by Miata Club of Southwest Florida.
*****UPDATE: TO THE PIGEON FORGE, TENN. TRIP ***
I am in the process of making reservations today for our trip.
Here is the itinerary:
We leave around 9am on Sept 22nd from Punta Gorda area.
We can just meet at our house (26055 Constantine Rd.,Punta Gorda, Fl 33983)
since we are so close to the interstate and if you want to come early, I can have coffee and muffins for all.
We will stay in Tifton, GA (I-75 exit 62) the first night. I will research for motels later, so we can go ahead and make that reservation,
well before we leave.
The trip to Tifton will be interstate all the way. Steve is looking into a different route from Tifton the trip the day of the 23rd.
We should be in Pigeon Forge around 3pm on the 23rd.
Pigeon Forge restaurants can sell no hard liquor and there is not a liquor store there, so if you want, you will need to take your own.
They do sell beer and wine in the grocery store.
Arrive on the 23rd in Pigeon Forge and stay that night and the 24, 25, 26, 27 and check out on the 28th to start heading home.
The house I have chosen has room for one or two more couples so we can continue to ask people if they want to go with the six of us
- maybe that is the reason they aren't signing up??!!
The rate is $250 a night plus tax - your part is $83 nightly plus tax - but I will have an exact amount one day this week
and let you know what your deposit will be.
If another couple signs up your cost will of course go down.
Click here to see the website HOMEAWAY ,and enter 244117 in the "search for Vacation Rentals box below" So that you can view the Cabin we are renting.
It is very new - built in 2006 and a good location to get to everything so hope all of you are pleased.
Let me know if you have any concerns. At the meeting tonight I will let the club know that they still can sign up as we have room
so you never know, we may get another car to join us.
Below are some extra activities we could do while we are there.
- We will put together a run one day through Wears Valley and into Cades Cove,
- Do a b-que on the grill at the house one evening,
- Visit Gatlinsburg and Pigeon Forge,
- Lots of free time for you to sit on the porch and relax, some homes have hot tubs on the deck, etc.
A great time to get to know your Miata friends better and should be a fun trip.
On the way home you can do whatever you want or travel with the group - this can be figured out later.
If you are interested you must do the following things:
First I must make reservations by the end of this month to get a good rate so I must have your commitment as soon as possible.
Second, a down-payment will be required so you will have to be in the position to pay this deposit as soon as it is requested.
After you commit - I cannot issue any refunds . Reason: the total house cost does not change whether there are 2 people or 10 in the house
If you have questions, please let me know asap and if you want to sign up please email me
Currently besides Steve and I, we have Ev and Doris Bowyer and Steve and Sandi Broekema wanting to make the trip.
Hope to hear from you soon.
To sign up for this event please email Cindy Brown at Steve1Cindy2@embarqmail.com or call 941-625-6733.
OCTOBER 2010
Saturday, October 9th 2010, leaving at 9:00 AM to "Visit to the Sebring Race Track", Sponsored by Mell and Shirley Gumpert
Plan to leave from the Shell Gas Station on Route 31, about a mile north of the Lee County Civic Center in North
Fort Myers, by 9:00 AM.
The Station is located at the Intersection of Route 78 (Bayshore Rd.) and Route 31.
There will be no pit stop until we get to the track.
The trip is about 82 miles.
We are going to take a totally new route this year. I did find a gravel road we could take, but I learned my lesson on the last trip.
We will follow the River Road toward La Belle and some less traveled roads with curves and hills. Through Lake Placid and arrive at the
Chateau Elan restaurant in the Four Points, near the Sheration Hotel Adjacent to the track for lunch.
There is a great view of the track from the restaurant and there is action on the track to watch till 12 noon.
The parade laps, where we can drive our cars behind the pase car, starts at 12:45 and is free of charge.
This year they are using entire 12 Hour circuit.
Before or after the parade laps you can sign up at Chin Motorsports trailer to ride with the solo drivers and instructors.
The cost for this is $20 and requires a Snell approved helmet. A helmet can be rented from Chin for $20.
There should be some neat cars including Miata, Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, BMW, Audi, etc.
For those who do not want to ride, there is a novice classroom session that you can attend or you can just watch.
The first track session starts at 1 PM as well as the classroom session.
Below is the Chin Motorsports tentative schedule for the Sebring event on October 9.
There website is "http://www.chinmotorsports.com".
SCHEDULE
Saturday – OCTOBER 9TH
- 7 am Track gates open
- 7 – 7:45 am Registration and Tech Inspection, Register FIRST. CMS Trailer. Have Tech Sheet ready.
- 7:45 am Drivers Meeting: MANDATORY CMS Trailer. Pair-up students and instructors
- 8:30 am Warm-up period: Standing YELLOW FLAG. Open to all drivers. Instructors with Novices.
No Passing. Must have wristband.
- 9:00 am First RED (Advanced Solo) group track session Novice mandatory classroom session (one hour)
– Tower/Media Room.
Anyone is welcomed in classroom.
- 9:30 am First BLUE (Intermediate Solo) group track session Provisional Solos check-out ride with
Master Instructor. Go to Pit-out.
- 10:00 am First GREEN (Novice and yellow solo) group track session Provisional Solos check-out ride
with Master Instructor. Go to Pit-out.
- 10:30 am RED group track session
- 11:00 am BLUE group track session
- 11:30 am GREEN group track session
- NOON LUNCH. Executive Caterers concession.
- 12:45pm Parade laps with pace car. Track touring for any driver, any car, family, friends. No Passing.
- 1:00 pm RED group track session Novice mandatory classroom session (60 minutes) – Tower/Media Room.
Anyone is welcomed in classroom.
- 1:30 pm BLUE group track session
- 2:00 pm GREEN group track session
- 2:30 pm RED group track session
- 3:00 pm BLUE group track session
- 3:30 pm GREEN group track session
- 4:00 pm 60-minute open track session – all drivers may run. Instructors with novices.
- 5:00 pm Checkered Flag, track activity ends
Please send me an email at mel@gumpert.us or call me at 740-357-0118 if you have any questions
and to sign up.
Saturday, October 26 -31, "Trip to Georgia & North Carolina Mountians", Sponsored by Bob and Pam Wilson.
"THIS TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED" by Bob Wilson 8/24/2010
NOVEMBER 2010
Saturday,November 13th at 12:30 PM for lunch and "Visit to Solomon's Castle" Sponsored by Donna Noyes,
Join the Southwest Florida Miata club for lunch and a tour of the famous "Solomon's Castle" in Ona, Florida.
Hidden in the lush Florida woodlands is one man's dream of paradise. The Castle and grounds are decorated with more than 80
stained glass windows and countless metal sculptures. We will take a tour of the castle and have lunch at the Boat in the Moat.
We will be leaving from McDonald’s on Jones Loop Road at 10:00 a.m. and driving to DeSoto Park in Arcadia as a secondary
meeting location for folks from the north. DeSoto Park is located about 1/8 mile south of SR 72 on the north side of SR 70 East.
We will leave there approximately 11:00 a.m. and drive to the Castle, arriving around 12:15 p.m.
Exact trip details will be provided as the event date gets closer. I have picked out several nice country roads (no gravel ones!)
for the trip that I hope you will enjoy.
Please note – no credit cards are accepted for the tour or lunch, cash only. The tour is $10 per person. If we have more than 20, it will be $8.
I will need a head count by November 6, 2010, so please call me at (239) 454-5665 or email me at djn4mm@yahoo.com.
Check out the website click Solomon's Castle for the menu and additional information about the Castle.
Friday,November 19th at the event at "Beverly's Tropical Glass Desigh Studios" Sponsored by Everett & Doris Bowyer.
Some of you may not of heard of Beverly's Tropical Glass. It is a small company that creates custom desigh art work.
They desigh and create images on etched glass or mirrors, stained glass windows, beveled glass entry ways and hand crafted
blown glass objects in any color combination and shape that customer request. They offer a free tour of the design studio and
their beautiful home in South Naples.
They are open to the Public only on Friday Nights from 7:00 PM till 11:30 PM at no charge
We will start our early evening between 5:30 PM and 6.00 PM, by meeting at Alice Sweetwater's Bar & Grille where we will
order of the Menu.
At 7:30 PM we will caravan about two miles East on Pine Ridge road to Beverly's Tropical Glass.
DIRECTIONS: Since most everyone will be coming South on I-75 to Naples, exiting at 107, onto Pine Ridge Road. Proceed East to
the third stop light and turn left into the Vines Hotel Entrance and immediately left again into Alice Sweetwater's Bar & Grille and
Parking Lot for dinner.
After Dinner we will leave the way we came in through the Vines Hotel Entrance and Turn Left onto Pine Ridge Road East.
Contine
through the next stop light at Logan Blvd, drive for one mile east to 4711 Pine Ridge Road. The entry driveway on your left is flanked
by two short lighted colored Pillars with an open steel gate on the north side of the road just across
street from a Jewish Temple.
There will be parking available for our Miatas.
DECEMBER 2010
Friday & Saturday, December 3rd & 4th ,"The South Florida Key West Christmas Parade ", Sponsored by The South Florida Club,
Our coordinator for the event is Jess Dunham
Details to follow later.
Friday & Saturday, December 11th ,"The SouthWest Florida Christmas Party ", Sponsored by The SouthWest Florida Club,
Our coordinator for the event is Jess Dunham
I have received confirmation that we can use the Herons Glen Ballroom from 4 - 10 pm on Saturday, Dec 11, 2010, for the Miata Club Christmas Party and buffet. That way we can do everything without moving to another room (same as last year). Sandy Dunham
Details to follow later.
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