START-UP CRUISE Upcoming Events

Volume 16 #3
April, 2006
Upcoming Events
Sun
Apr 30
Sat
May 6
10:00 AM
Thu-Sun
May 4-7
Wed-Sat
May 17-20
Mon
May 29
Sat
Jun 3
Thu-Sun
Jun 15-18
Sun
Jun 25
Sat
Jul 8
Sat-Sun
Jul 15-16
Wed-Sun
Jul 26-30
Sat
Aug 12
Fri-Sun
Aug 18-20
Sat-Mon
Sep 2-4
Start-Up Cruise
Sat
Sep 9
Monthly Meeting at I79 Mazda and
Cruise
Mountain Miata Colorfest
www.ridgerunnermiata.com
Deal’s Gap Run - Northcoast Club
Topless in the Mountains
Monthly Meeting
Fri-Sun
Sep 8-10
Midwest Miata Gathering
Sat-Sun
Oct 14-15
Fifth Annual Train Cruise
Sat
Dec 2
Oakmont Memorial Day Parade
Christmas Party
Monthly Meeting and Cruise
Miata Mountain Mania
Make a Wish Charity Car Show
Monthly Meeting
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
START-UP CRUISE
by Rich and Ellie Lowden
S
pring has sprung - Get your Miata out of storage.
Have you put on new tires - changed the oil - put
on new goodies? Do you remember how to shift
gears? Well, here is a chance to test Horse and Rider.
Hope to hear from you soon.
April 30th is the first cruise of the season for our club.
10th Anniversary Miatas at the
Gap
Monthly Meeting and Bond’s Cruise
Place: Norwin Hills Shopping Center
Time: 11:00 am
Contact Rich or Ellie at: (412) 672-1689 or
rlowden@westpennmiataclub.com
Miatas at Mentone
www.rocketcitymiata.org
The Newsletter of the WEST PENN
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Miatas at Deals Gap
Event Celebrates
tenth anniversary
BY Thom & Sue Stuewe
T
his summer marks the tenth anniversary of Miatas
at Deals Gap. Word is that there will be a huge turn
out for this years special event and motel rooms in
the area will fill up quickly. It would be a good idea to
reserve your room now if you have any intention of going.
You can always cancel it with 24 hours notice if you do
not attend. The Northcoast Miata club and many others
will be staying at http://valleyviewlodge.com or call 1-800292-4844 . I would love to have some of the members from
the West Penn Miata Club join us down there or on the
way. Sue and myself are looking forward to meeting many
of the members of our new Miata club. The Northcoast
participants will be leaving for the Gap Wednesday July
26, 2006 and return on Saturday July 29, 2006 that
afternoon. We have not yet confirmed our directions hoping
the West Penn people will hook up with us for the trip
down. We are planning to arrive Wednesday afternoon
about 4 pm with time to get something to eat, take a run
through the dragon, go back to our rooms, wash the cars,
and enjoy some wine and good conversation with all our
new friends at West Penn. Any questions, e-mail me at
TSTU@alltel.net or call Thom at 219-598-0295.
Twelfth, and final,
Topless in the
Mountains
by Steve Lapp
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.
At this time, all five spaces allocated to WPMC are taken
and a waiting list has been started. Trillium has set a
deadline of June 1 for their members and if spaces remain
after that, more spaces will be given to WPMC. To place
your name on the waiting list, contact Steve Lapp at
slapp@westpennmiataclub.com or 412-366-3388.
WPMC members currently registered are Steve Lapp,
Paul McCullough and Lulu, Dave and Carole McLaughlin,
Joe and Linda Zimliki, and Bryan and Leslie Bond. Jay
and Lorraine Miller and Tom and Brenda Bolin are on
the waiting list.
The Newsletter of the WEST PENN
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Member Profile
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Name: Phil & Diane Prier
Miata: 2000 Mahogany Mica Special Edition
License: 4CURVES
Miatas at Mentone
by Clem Akins
Rocket City Miata Club
T
he Rocket City Miata Club of Huntsville, Alabama
is planning a late summer drive to, through and
around the mountains of north east Alabama, north
west Georgia and southern Tennessee and we invite you
to join us. We are expecting club participation from the
Music City, CAMS, Peachtree, the Carolinas, the West
Penn, Scenic City and the RCMC, plus a few that are not
lucky enough to have a club close to them. This year has
the promise of a bigger and better turn out than we had
last year. We have 28 cars from the RCMC alone, with 41
people planning on being there.
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Miata owners since 2000
Miata Clubs: Eastern Oklahoma, Anchorage, WPMC
Current Home: Presto, PA (near Bridgeville)
Previous Homes: Colorado (we both grew up there),
Houston, Tampa, Farmington New Mexico, Green
River Wyoming, Tulsa, Anchorage
Passions:
Eating – er, check that, Our Grandson!
Eating
Miata club cruises
Golf
Included in our other interests are fishing, hiking,
reading, cooking and visiting wineries
We both grew up in Colorado and we married just outside
of Denver not quite 26 years ago. The early years of our
married life had us moving to Texas for Diane’s job and
then to Tampa for Phil’s. After that we decided to follow
Diane’s career path that eventually brought us to Pittsburgh
in December 2004 after a circuitous path through four
other states. Last May, we were blessed with our first
Grandson who has taken over the top spot on our priority
list. We didn’t think we would be silly Grandparents but
boy were we wrong! We enjoyed belonging to Miata clubs
in Tulsa and Anchorage but the West Penn Miata Club is
our favorite, without question. There seems to be some
event going on almost every weekend during the driving
season which takes us to a new place over fun roads. Most
of all, however, we enjoy – and appreciate – all the friendly
members of the club that we’ve met. It has really helped
us transition into the area from the far reaches of Alaska.
Thanks everyone!
The second "Miatas at Mentone" event will be held the
weekend of August 18, 19 and 20, 2006 in Mentone AL.
We are planning this event, with some local dealer support,
as a social gathering for those who own, drive and support
the Mazda Miata/MX5 sports cars. We anticipate different
clubs would lead or plan a drive out which when combined
would provide a couple of days of driving pleasure in our
area as well as some great social opportunities. We are
planning some self-guided driving tours and a place to
show off your cars. There could easily be a couple hundred
cars involved. The main area of operation will be at The
Mentone Inn in Mentone, AL at the flashing light on Hwy
117. Look for the clubs’ banners and the Miatas.
Mentone is located near the AL/GA/TN borders in the
foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. There are a number
of lodging and dining possibilities. Each group will be
responsible for their own lodging and dinning reservations.
There are no fees or charges for the drive outs or activities.
None of the events are competitive type racing events and
all are conducted on public highways open to general
traffic; all traffic laws apply. Some of the lodges in the
area require a 2-night minimum. Lodging in the Mentone
area may be found by going to www.tourdekalb.com and
varies from camping to very nice.
The planning is complete and we are ready for the fun
to begin. Many of the resorts and lodges in the Mentone
area are full beginning in mid September through
(continued on page 4)
The Newsletter of the WEST PENN
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4
(continued from page 3)
November with old folks, not like us, to look at the Fall
Color. One additional note; Mentone is in a dry county so
bring it with you or do without, bring it in a bag and keep
it out of sight.
Additional information and event updates will be posted
on our web site www.rocketcitymiata.org or you can email
me at info@rocketcitymiata.org. We have four drive outs
planned, Little River Canyon, Crow Mountain (RCMC),
A Mountain Run (Scenic City) and the Unclaimed Baggage
/ Ice Cream Parlor Trail (RCMC). We'll have a Bar-B-Q
late Saturday afternoon at the Mentone Inn courtesy of
Jeff Sikes Mazda in Huntsville, AL, followed by some
evening entertainment. There is promise of a special treat
like last year. Remember it's AUGUST 18, 19 & 20 2006
in Mentone, AL
Live and Let Drive
by President Bond,
James Bond
C
ar and Driver just recently released their list of the
“10 Best cars sold in America.” I’ll bet you can’t
guess what was on the list...... the MX-5 took the
“Best Roadster” category, of course! Does this surprise
you? Check out the April edition of Consumer Reports.
Under the reliability section, the only car pictured was
see one out there - and you will - give them a “Nice Miata!”
card. They will be glad you did. Ask John and Clara,
Tom and Cindy, Jay and Lo—Ohhh!! You get the picture.
As you can see, the events calendar is filling up.
Looks
like another great year for WPMC. If you have an idea for
a road trip, just pick a date and email Rich Lowden to
get it listed on the events page. Trust me, planning the
event is as much fun as the event itself.
Our first regional, Miata Mountain Mania, is moving
along just as planned. I can’t believe that it’s only 2 months
away. If you weren’t able to register due to other
commitments, at least stop by to say “Hi.” Have you ever
seen 130 Miatas in one place before? What a sight that is.
Did someone say photo?
Is there a picture of you and your car posted on our
member page? If not, send one to Steve Lapp. We would
love to see all of you on WPMC’s website. Have you signed
up on the forum? What are you waiting for? It’s easy!!
Got a question to ask or a problem you need help with?
This is where to get the answers. Where to get that dual
exhaust you’ve been dreaming about? Ask and you will
receive. Sign up today and join in the fun.
The season opener is only days away. Our cruise director,
Rich Lowden and his wife Eleanor, will be leading our
“Start-Up Cruise” on Sunday April 30. Check out the
events page for more details. I hope to see you there. ‘Til
next time,
the Miata. Only 5% of 2004 Mazda MX-5 owners reported
any problems last year. That’s right! The MX-5 Miata
was rated higher than the Honda S2000, BMW Z-3, and
the Nissan 350Z. How can the best get better? If you
don’t know this answer, you need to visit one of our fine
local Mazda dealers to test drive the all new MX-5 Roadster
(if they have any left). Maybe this is the reason the sales
figures for the month of March ‘06 are 194% higher than
in March of the previous year. Year to date sales of the
new MX-5 through March ‘06 are at 4,362 units, versus
1,769 units sold during the same period in ‘05. That’s a
147% increase! Sports car buyers are finally learning
what we already know!
Live and let drive
There are new owners out there having half the fun that
The deadline for articles for the
May newsletter is May 8, 2006
we are. To complete the ownership of this fine Roadster,
these new Miata owners need to join us on a cruise. If you
May Deadline
The Newsletter of the WEST PENN
CLUB
e-mail:
web site:
Officers
wpmc@westpennmiataclub.com
http://www.westpennmiataclub.com
Founder:
Paul Fronko
President:
Bryan Bond
Vice President:
Bernadine Leach
Treasurer:
Joe Zimliki
Legalese
(724) 439-4001
(412) 781-1232
West
Penn
The FUN ‘N’ THE SUN TIMES
is published as a service by the
West Penn Miata Club, Inc. –
a non-profit corporation.
Club
The WEST PENN MIATA CLUB
(724) 327-1762
Secretary:
John Whitmire
(412) 262-1813
Events Chair:
Rich Lowden
(412)672-1689
Past President:
Linda Zimliki
(724) 327-1762
Editor - In - Chief:
Steve Lapp
Send all
editorial contributions to:
WEST PENN MIATA CLUB
c/o Steve Lapp
105 Gadshill Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
e-mail: slapp@westpennmiataclub.com
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 CLUB
c/o John Whitmire
131 Nyetimber Parkway
Moon Township, PA 15108
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Address goes here
West
Penn
Club
The Newsletter of the WEST PENN
CLUB
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West Penn Miata Club
MEETING MINUTES
April meeting at Smail’s
6:15 Bryan called meeting to order
New Website has 12,586 hits, which is about 1,500 hit s a month
Member photos on the website need to be updated. Encourage people to send in photos.
Phil and Diane will do an article on themselves. This was suggested last year but never followed up.
Christmas party will be 12-2-06 at the Comfort Inn in Monroeville - put down deposit of $500.00.
Bryan will look and see how many new members since Jan..
Bryan gave treasurer’s report will send both in attachment
Bryan will check on when new membership roster will come out.
Randy said Eddie Dull will do a tech session some time in the summer.
New business
To renew the domain rights on the website, Steve needs $120.00 to renew.
Eleanor made the motion to renew the domain and Randy seconded it.
Rich made motion to adjourn
Eleanor seconded
7:30 meeting adjourned
Attended
Bryan Bond
Randy Shellhammer
Rich & Ellie Lowden
Todd & Joanne Welty