White Mountain Chapter BMW CCA
Social Events Committee Meeting
Wednesday May 20, 2009
The meeting was called to order @ 6:30 by the chairperson, Cassandra Vorisek-Creto. In attendance were Cassandra, David and Rachelle Harrison, Tracy Wolf, Tom Blinn, Dana Sion, Michael Morin, and Mikey Brenker.
The meeting venue was The Common Man in Windham, 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 June 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. David and Rachelle reported that they have a tentative route that will include sites in Nashua, Hollis, and other towns in the Merrimack and Souhegan valleys, possibly ending in Concord.
Michael Morin is investigating a possible Wine and Cheese Rally, probably targeting a date in September, perhaps the 12th or 19th. More details to be revealed as planning progresses.
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.
David Harrison mentioned the idea of using brightly colored “slash folders” to organize an “Easter egg hunt” type of rally. This might work well with the maple sugaring route as a “puzzle” aspect to the drive.
Other topics:
There will be a “Diesel Day” introduction at BMW of Stratham on Thursday, May 21, supported by BMW USA. Details have been communicated via the web site and email blast.
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. We think BMW of Stratham may choose to bring some new BMW models for display.
We are planning to deliver a reception in the infield garages at NHMS on Saturday, October 24th during the three day track weekend. There is a concern that NHMS may have changed their guidelines about what kinds of beverages may be served in the infield. During last year’s reception, a selection of beer and soft drinks was provided and the German beer was very well received. We may not be able to provide beer this year if the rules have changed.
Dana reported that the Driving Events members present at the recent general meeting were disappointed that the SEC was not planning to run a karting event. Some of them may decide to organize the event, provided they can get favorable consideration from the Hot Laps karting venue. If they do so, the SEC may offer to support the event by doing a picnic style cookout providing cold beverages, burgers, salads, and the like – whatever can be done with minimal cost and preparation within the budget determined by the DEC team, who would have the responsibility to assure the overall event was revenue neutral or profitable.
Winter Reunion planning:
The recommendation of using the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester for the winter reunion was reportedly not enthusiastically received by the board. The concerns included the size of the non-refundable deposit that would be needed and the cost for off-street parking. The board suggested two alternative venues for consideration, the Manchester Country Club (which is actually in Bedford http://www.manchestercountryclub.com/ ) and the Derryfield Country Club’s restaurant ( http://www.derryfieldrestaurant.com/ ) known as The Derryfield. Of the two, the latter looks more appealing based on their website. Cassandra will investigate availability and pricing. There was some concern that golf course club house restaurants might not provide the qualify of experience that we have had in the past, especially at C.R. Sparks. Cassandra will also find out if we can consider C.R. Sparks. This will depend on pricing and availability. The sense of the members present was that the Radisson was still a good choice.
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. That will in turn depend on selection of a venue and available dates.
Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM.