White Mountain Chapter BMW CCA
Social Events Committee Meeting
Monday April 27, 2009
The meeting was called to order @ 6:40 by the acting chairperson, David Harrison. Cassandra Vorisek-Creto could not attend due to a conflict. In attendance were David, Rachelle Harrison, Tom Blinn, Dana Sion, Michael Morin, Paul Michali, and Mikey Brenker.
The meeting venue was The Common Man in Concord, NH. The normally scheduled meeting is on the last Monday of the month. Check the chapter web site to verify the date and location (Merrimack, Concord, or Windham) for the May meeting.
SEC business: A number of topics were discussed.
Road Rallies in planning or investigation:
David and Rachelle Harrison are developing a Haunted Rally and Buffet planned for Sunday, October 18. The event will start with an optional buffet breakfast at the Common Man restaurant in Merrimack, NH from 10AM to 11:30. Estimated cost for the buffet is under $15 and would be paid directly by participants to the Common Man. The rally event would begin at the cemetery parking lot across the Daniel Webster Highway from the restaurant. Registration would begin at 11:30 and continue until noon. The rally may be done in the “sort the pictures” format, or may be just a straight-forward drive with points of interest along the way identified in the route instructions. Tom Blinn will provide David with files from the Seacoast Rally as a starting point for organizing the documentation.
Michael Morin is investigating a possible Wine Rally, probably targeting a date close to harvest season. There are many wine and cheese businesses in the Lake Winnipesauke region and the state tourism office provides a document that identifies some driving opportunities, including a visit to a June festival near the lake. Tom noted that Flag Hill in Lee and Jewell Towne in South Hampton are pretty close to one another (about 20 miles), and would be an easy drive. Tom also commented that Jewell Town seems to be good at marketing their products and would probably be quite interested in hosting a club visit.
Martin Callahan found a “Maple Weekend” route description that starts and ends in Concord, with a loop that visits a number of maple businesses, including a stop at Canterbury Shaker Village. Tom Blinn will investigate the route with an eye to visiting the same stops but using more back roads to raise the interest level for the drive. This would be a candidate for early spring 2010 delivery.
Other topics:
Canterbury Shaker Village informed Cassandra that they do not expect to offer the antique auto show event this year, and suggested that their harvest festival weekend might be a good alternative. However, the proposed date is the first weekend in October, which is a conflict with the BavAuto “Show and Shine”, so it might not work well for us.
The Northeast Exotic Car Show is scheduled for August 22nd (rain date the 23rd) at the Budweiser brewery in Merrimack, NH. As in past years, we will encourage chapter members to participate, and will support the event as before.
Winter Reunion planning:
Cassandra reported that Brian suggested the band “97 North” who perform 60s and 70s classic rock and roll numbers. We listened to a few of their sound clips from their website http://www.97north.com/ and the general consensus was that they would probably be well received by the members who usually attend the reunion. The recommendation of the members present is that we find out whether they are available for the event.
Cassandra also reported that the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester http://www.radisson.com/manchesternh seems have suitable facilities, to offer competitive rates, and should be a good choice, provided we can book a date that meets our needs. They would provide a ballroom and buffet dinner, with a cost estimated to be between $3K and $4.5K, depending on the menu choices, number of attendees, and extras such as hors d’ouvres and fruit and cheese platters. They would also offer reduced room rates for any members who wish to stay overnight. There is abundant parking in the facility. The recommendation of the members at the meeting was that we should pursue the Radisson unless some clearly better alternative presents itself in the immediate future.
Dana Sion reported that BMW USA has decided to cancel the Komen Drive this year.
The Mount Washington “Climb to the Clouds” event has been cancelled as well.
The request for a reception on Saturday, October 24th during the three day track weekend is still being considered. Plans have not been finalized.
Dana reports that (if plans work out) there will be a “Diesel Day” introduction at BMW of Stratham on Thursday, May 21, supported by BMW USA. Details to be pinned down and communicated via the web site and email blast.
Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:15PM.