From the President November 2013
There’s a chill in the air… The ghosts and goblins have come and gone. And many of our best toys have been put away for a long winter’s nap… Fall is now upon us. Welcome to November ARPCAers! This month is wonderful for many reasons, but in particular, we get to celebrate Thanksgiving. We have the opportunity to reflect on the blessings we’ve received and share them with family and friends. I write this to you from 35,000 feet above sea level. Those of you who know me well know that being in the clouds is something of an occupational norm for me. When I turn off work [you know, that thing that allows us to enjoy P-Cars…] for a minute, I get the chance to reflect on how fortunate we are to have this club and each other. Sure the cars are cool [see my column from last month…]. But the friendships developed in the club are the real benefit. There are many instances where life tosses us a curve ball and it’s a club member who helps us hit it out of the park.
As with anything, this club is what you make of it. You can be a casual member and participate every now and then. You can be one of the usual suspects who attends every event. I can tell you from 20 years in this group that the latter is a lot of fun. I’ve made so many treasured friends over the years and I am humbled that I get to write this column to you each month.
November is an interesting month in that there are no official events other than our monthly business meeting. This month’s business meeting will happen on the 14th at the Window System’s office [thanks to Drake ‘the Trackman’ and Beth Love Core – our club CFO] at 7:30p. Directions on the web site arpca.com. As always, you are ALL welcome. If would like to present an idea for an event, come out. If you want to take part in the execution of one of our annual events, come out. If you want to see how we manage things, come out. If you have nothing to watch on Thursday night TV, come out… As I often say, nobody is not invited. After you read this paragraph, ask yourself why not come? It’s 90 minutes of your life. You may find something to do that melts your butter. A sound time investment I would suggest…
Now I said that there are no ‘official’ events aside from our business meeting. That doesn’t mean that an ‘unofficial’ event can’t pop up… There are many options. LOTS of racing on TV [F1, NASCAR, INDY Car etc.]. There are movies [hope you all saw Ron Howard’s Rush]. There are great events at local businesses [Animal Friends for one]. There are 2 very hospitable Porsche dealerships who always treat us right [Auto Palace & Sewickley Car Store]. There are football games. There are hockey games. If you want to hook up with some club members and ‘create’ an event, just shoot me an email at pres@arpa.com. I’ll make sure your event goes out on an email blast to the club. You’d be happily surprised how many people will show up…
October was a full month with several fun and varied events. We started off the month with an elegant affair [a ‘gentle’ concours with refreshments] at the Grand Concourse at Station Square. John & Lisa Malobicky came to us with an idea a few months back and turned it into an event that I’m sure will be an annual gathering. Well done! It was serene to see so many beautiful Porsches on our closed street. It’s also great to share our cars with people who appreciate our marque but don’t yet have one. I remember being one of those people… The following week, Melinda and Chuck Clark hosted our monthly meeting in their ‘shed.’ It was a wonderful meeting [and one of our favorite places to meet…]. Thanks again. Two days later, our second Road Rallye kicked off in Bridgeville for a picturesque run. Iron Jack Purvis and Frank Bunecicky created a route few will forget. We wrapped up the month with our fifth AutoCross followed by a little Oktoberfest at Solomon’s. Thanks again to those who resurrected and supported our AutoX program and Mike Benlock for orchestrating the Solomon’s wrap-up after party. Still the best way to take your car to new limits in a highly regulated and safe atmosphere.
Beyond November, we have our Holiday Party in December. More on that via an email blast while we get our confirmation date and the details finalized. December also marks another incredible venue for our business meeting. Bill and Sandy Zelinski host a holiday business meeting that is simply breathtaking. If you’ve never made it to the North Pole and toured Santa’s workshop, this meeting will be a close second. Come join us. Again, January will bring the dawn of the 2014 road racing season at the Daytona 24 Hour race. Let me know if you’re interested in going. I’ll compile a list. It’s a great event and Porsche treats us well.
Again my thanks in this month of Thanksgiving – to all of you. Too many names to list, but you know who you are. Thank you for your participation. Thank you for stepping out and trying an event. Thank you for your generosity to our charitable causes. Thank you for volunteering your time. Thank you for advertising. Thank you for hosting our events. Thank you for your expertise. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your instruction. Thank you for your time. Thank you for loving these wonderful machines.
So many events. So many good times to happen. I hope to see you there. It truly is a great club that we have. Please engage in it and come out to play. Thanks for all who make our club great & GUTE FAHRT!!!
NEW GERMAN WORD
“Cold” translates as “Erkältung “
PS. I had 2 members ask me what the 1998 Porsche GT1 [which I referenced in last month’s Rundschau] looked like. See below… Now you know why I like it!