Volume 16 #2 March, 2006 Upcoming Events Tue April 4 6:00 PM Sun Apr 30 May 6 10:00 AM Thu-Sun May 4-7 Wed- May 17-20 Mon May 29 Jun 3 Thu-Sun Jun 15-18 Sun Jun 25 Jul 8 -Sun Jul 15-16 Wed-Sun Jul 26-30 Aug 12 Monthly Meeting at Smail Mazda Start-Up Cruise Monthly Meeting at I79 Mazda and Cruise Mountain Miata Colorfest www.ridgerunnermiata.com Deal s Gap Run - Northcoast Club Oakmont Memorial Day Parade Monthly Meeting and Cruise Miata Mountain Mania Make a Wish Charity Car Show Monthly Meeting Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 10th Anniversary Miatas at the Gap Monthly Meeting and Bond s Cruise Fri-Sun Aug 18-20 -Mon Sep 2-4 Sep 9 Fri-Sun Sep 8-10 -Sun Oct 14-15 Dec 2 Miatas at Mentone www.rocketcitymiata.org Topless in the Mountains Monthly Meeting Midwest Miata Gathering Fifth Annual Train Cruise Christmas Party West Penn Miata Club Dues Reminder T he deadline for 2006 dues is March 31, 2006. As you can see by the schedule, we have another great year planned. Make sure you re a part of it! If you ve not yet paid your dues, please fill out the enclosed application and write a check for $30 to West Penn Miata Club, Inc. Mail to: WEST PENN MIATA C/O Joe Zimliki 3929 Highlands Circle Murrysville, PA 15668
2 T MMM UPDATE BY LINDA ZIMLIKI he registration for Miata Mountain Mania closed on March 4, two weeks ahead of time. The committee is very pleased there are so many people who wanted to attend MMM that it closed early. There are 29 clubs from 21 states plus Canada represented. The stats are on the MMM forum under Registration Closed Stats. The Canadians have a nice showing with 20 cars and our club has 17 cars. For those of you that don t have a computer, represented clubs are listed at the end of the article. Twelfth, and final, Topless in the Mountains by Steve Lapp We were finally able to acquire the sponsorship needed to get the Band Brass Knuckles under contract for urday night s entertainment. It s called Stretch Your Legs Party. People are asked to wear the color of their car to the party. It will be a great addition to the event. The committee will now be able to order the items needed. We will be working on self- guided & guided cruises, organizing & fine tuning the special cruises & tours, Kentuck Knob, Fallingwater, Pittsburgh & Nemacolin. We ll also be taking care of all the little details that come up during the planning of an event. Thanks to the members who are leading the guided cruises. CARS GREATER CINCINNATI 3 MIAMI VALLEY 1 WEST PENN 17 DEL VAL 7 MiMIATA 2 PACE 3 NORTHCOAST 4 BUCKEYE 1 PEACHTREE 6 RIDGERUNNER 5 CENTRAL FLORIDA 3 TRILLIUM 11 UNDERGROUND MIATA NETWORK 9 MIATA ENTHUSIAST OF UPPER PENINSULA 2 MIDSTATE MIATA OF NEW YORK 7 MASS MIATA 4 CENTRAL VIRGINIA 1 BLUEBONNET 5 BADGERLAND 6 LAKE EFFECT 6 LOW COUNTRY 3 T he twelfth, and last, Topless in the Mountains is scheduled for September 2-4, 2006. Trillium Club members Rick and Chris Annis, who have done an absolutely fantastic job with this event, are retiring. This event is really about one thing - DRIVING. Over the course of two days, expect to take your Miata over 500 miles on some of the best roads West Virginia has to offer. Because of the large turnout expected from Trillium, five spaces have been allocated to WPMC. If interested, you are encouraged to book early, but please only make a reservation if you fully intend to come barring some last minute complication. The procedure for registration follows: 1. Contact Steve Lapp at slapp@westpennmiataclub.com or 412-366-3388 to insure open spaces are available. 2. If spaces are available, Steve will send you a registration form which you will send to Rick and Chris after completion. 3. Book your room at the Buckhannon Hampton Inn for September 2-3 by calling 304-473-0900.
3 I Live and Let Drive by President Bond, James Bond t s that time of year again: SPRING!! The end of cold weather means a lot of things to a lot of people, but to us it signals time to uncover those little 2- seater babies! That s right...grab the water hose, turn on the water, and clean off the winter dust. I can already see the smile on your face as you tackle this chore without someone harping at you. Check the air in your tires, replace that old oil, and fire up that Bumble Bee. Back out of the driveway, drop your top and take a spin around the block topless (the car that is, unless you re really brave). Spring has sprung and it s finally Zoom- Zoom time again. We are all looking forward to another great year for WPMC. Our big planning meeting went very well. The calendar is filling up fast for a summer of fun. There are still plenty of empty spaces to list that event that you have been thinking about all winter. If you have never lead a cruise in the past, you should think about it. It s a lot simpler than you would think. Just pick a place of interest to visit, an event to go see, or just a great drive that you have enjoyed in the past. Then add some place different to eat, mix this together, top it off with an ice cream stop and you have just put together a great day for all to enjoy. We kicked off the year with our successful participation in the Pittsburgh Auto Show. A lot of interest was given to the all new MX-5. Several applications were distributed to potential members and the aps for Miata Mountain Mania were also handed out. Thanks to all the members that helped make this a success. WPMC was also invited to Don Allen Mazda in Pittsburgh for the unveiling of the Mazda Speed 6. WPMC members were treated to great food and, of course, an opportunity to drive the 6. You want to talk about power? WOW!! What a nice ride. Thanks to all who attended. Bernadine Leach has asked me to find a replacement for her Cruise Director job due to a career change she has made. Her new job keeps her busy on most weekends. I have asked Richard Lowden to fill this position, which he gladly accepted. If you have a question pertaining to a cruise or an idea of one, please feel free to e-mail him or give him a phone call. Our very first regional event, Miata Mountain Mania, planned for June is rolling right along and on schedule. The enthusiasm for this event is running rampant from Canada to Florida. In fact, the Canadian delegation rivals the representation of our own club in size. We started filling up so fast in February that our quota was met several weeks early. MMM is sure to be second to none. I personally am very excited. After much discussion, the decision was made during the planning meeting to post the newsletter links directly on the website. This makes it easier to access it from any computer at any time with just a click. Previously, if you missed the link that Steve e-mailed, you were just out of luck. In the past, members have contacted me to find out how to get a copy of the newsletter. It shouldn t have to be this hard. I believe that the advantages of adding it to the website far outweighs any disadvantages. It also lets potential members see what they are missing by not joining. I know that I enjoy reading the newsletters of other clubs and wanted their members to see what we re up to, as well. A vote was taken on the issue and was approved by more than a two-to-one margin. I look forward to seeing you at an event soon. Til next time, Live and let drive April Deadline The deadline for articles for the April newsletter is April 6, 2006
Officers e-mail: web site: wpmc@westpennmiataclub.com http://www.westpennmiataclub.com Founder: Paul Fronko President: Bryan Bond Vice President: Bernadine Leach (724) 439-4001 (412) 781-1232 West Penn Club Legalese The FUN N THE SUN TIMES is published as a service by the West Penn Miata Club, Inc. a non-profit corporation. Treasurer: Joe Zimliki Secretary: John Whitmire Events Chair: Rich Lowden Past President: Linda Zimliki (724) 327-1762 (412) 262-1813 (412)672-1689 (724) 327-1762 Editor - In - Chief: Steve Lapp Send all editorial contributions to: WEST PENN MIATA c/o Steve Lapp 105 Gadshill Place Pittsburgh, PA 15237 e-mail: slapp@westpennmiataclub.com The WEST PENN MIATA assumes no liability for any information contained herein; or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, maintenance, opinions, or modification tips expressed are to be used at the readers discretion. Individual contributors and/or editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. WEST PENN MIATA c/o John Whitmire 131 Nyetimber Parkway Moon Township, PA 15108 a big thanks to billco motors for mailing this newsletter!! Address goes here West Penn Club leave room for mail bar code to go here
West Club Penn MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION / MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL MEMBER INFORMATION CHECK HERE IF RENEWAL NAME: STREET ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE NO: RES: ( ) FAX: ( ) CELL: ( ) E MAIL NEWSLETTERS AVAILABLE FROM THE S WEBSITE. IF THIS IS A PROBLEM, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE OFFICERS OR CHECK HERE FOR AN OFFICER TO CONTACT YOU. SIGNATURES OWNER DATE CO-OWNER DATE VEHICLE INFORMATION YEAR: PLATE NO: COLOR: PACKAGE: REMIT A CHECK IN THE AMOUNT OF $30.00, PAYABLE TO WEST PENN MIATA, INC. MAIL TO: WEST PENN MIATA C/O JOE ZIMLIKI 3929 HIGHLANDS CIRCLE MURRYSVILLE, PA 15668 RENEWAL DUES ARE COLLECTED YEARLY AND MUST BE REMITTED PRIOR TO MARCH 1st How did you hear about us? West Penn Miata Club Website Word Of Mouth Mazda Dealer Other - Please explain:
West Penn Miata Club MEETING MINUTES Date: March 21, 2006 Where: Smail Mazda Time: 10 AM Present: Bryan Bond, Joe and Linda Zimliki, Tom and Brenda Bolin, Lorraine and Jay Miller, Rich and Ellie Lowden, Karen McMahon, Randy Shellhammer, Mark and Susan Tuite, Diane and Phil Prier, John Whitmire Call to Order: Bryan Bond, President Previous Minutes: None Officers Report: President: Miata Mountain Mania is sold-out. There are 129 cars registered. Richard Lowden has agreed to be the Cruise Director for 06. A note will be placed in the next newsletter reminding people to renew and setting a deadline of the end of March. Ed Dull, mechanic at Smail Mazda has gone into business for himself. An e-mail reminder or letter will be sent to old members who have not renewed. Vice President: No report Secretary: No report Treasurer: No report Committee Reports: Newsletter: No report Holiday Party: Officers and other committee chairman will be the committee. Bryan Bond to secure the Comfort Inn for the 2 nd of Dec. 1 st choice, 9 th of Dec. 2 nd choice. Membership Committee: No report Bylaw: No report Nomination Committee: No report Store: Linda Zimliki Lots of different style shirts available. Can have M1 or M2 on the shirt, M3 not yet available. (see new business) See store on website to purchase items Old business: Newsletter article deadline is 2 days after the monthly meeting. Monthly meetings during the summer will be short followed by a short cruise. New Business: Event planning: upcoming events for the 06 season discussed and will be added to the calendar to be sent to all members. Miata Mountain Mania: The event is sold-out. There will be 129 cars. A motion was made to digitize the M3 image for use on the shirts sold in the store. Cost to be $100. Passed unanimously. Pins with the club logo on them cost $1.98 ea. to produce in a quantity of 200. We sell them for $3.00 ea. Linda Zimliki to see if cost to produce falls if we order 300. A motion was made by Randy Shellhammer to place the newsletter on the web site where it would be available to members and non-members alike. The web-master would still send a reminder to members when each new issue is available. After discussion of pros and cons, the motion passed by a show of hands. 9 for, 5 against. Next Meeting: April 4, 2006, 6 PM, Smail Mazda Meeting adjourned: 12 PM Respectfully submitted John Whitmire Secretary