Category Archives: Events

March 23rd Meeting – Rob Melick Presentation

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grinnell-steakhouse

When: March 23, 2014 – 4-6 pm

Where: In Grinnell at The Grinnell Steakhouse (map)

What: MINIUSA Regional Rep Rob Melick will be here to give us a presentation on some secret things going on with MINI. Ok, maybe not so much secret as cool. In Rob’s words: “I will have a lot of information on the new F56 (HT) and will also have more information on MINI Takes the States 2014.”

Please, please attend this one, it will be fun. The Eastern Iowa MINIs will be joining us. Rob said to “let everyone know that I will have a special offer at the end of my presentation for both clubs.” That sounds interesting. What could it be?

RSVP on the Facebook event page

Feb 9th – “Garage Tour” at Lyle’s house

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lyle-mini

When: February 9th 2014 @ 5 pm

Where: Lyle’s home at 7320 NW 54th Court in Johnston, IA

After enjoying the “food and fellowship” we will go on a “garage tour” where we will see 5 Mini Coopers…including a 1968 Innocenti Mini (assembled and sold in Italy), a 1965 Mini Cooper S, former SCCA race car…now street legal, a 1964 Austin Mini Countryman “Woody Wagon”…a survivor of a garage fire at Lyle’s house, a 1965 Mini Cooper S, plus, one of the first “new” MINI Cooper S’s in Iowa in 2002, with about 6,000 miles on it already!! Also, they will see a 1958 (the first year) Austin Healy “Bugeye” Sprite, a 1960 Austin Healy “Bugeye” Sprite race car, a 1953 MG TD…and even a 1990 “summertime only” Miata!!

A meal of brats, burgers, baked beans, chips, and soda will be provided. We will also provide the plates, knives, forks, spoons and napkins. Members are welcomed to bring their favorite side dish or a dessert item to share but are also welcome to just bring yourselves.

Please RSVP to me by responding to the club email no later than 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Feburary 6th so we can have enough food available.

RSVP’s can also be done on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/395913443887434

December Meeting

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Sunday, December 1st, 2013. @ 5 pm

wig-pen.jp

Place: Wig and Pen Restaurant, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard – it’s across US 69 from the main entrance to DMACC

Cost: Dinner will be billed on individual tickets

Agenda:
-Socialize
-Order dinner from their menu
-Introductions
-Board of Directors nominations
-Club web site
-Club events for 2014
-More Socializing

Please RSVP no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 26th so we can let the Wig and Pen know how many they will need to seat in the meeting room.

RSVP’s can also be done on the club Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/248500168638265/

As an incentive, the club has been given a limited number of Motortober Sales event t-shirts from MINI of DM. These will be available on a first come first serve basis for $2. Proceeds will be put into the club’s account.

As a club we would like to start supporting some local charities. This year we are going to start with 2.

  1. Marine Corp Toys For Tot’s Campaign We will collect toy’s at our December meeting and then deliver them to a drop-off location. Toys for Tots accept only new, unwrapped toys. For more information check out their website: http://des-moines-ia.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/Default.aspx
  2. Make-A-Wish foundation’s Jolly Holiday Light’s This year Kelly Alliss is going to organize a drive through the light display as a group. After driving through the light display and stopping at Santa’s Wish Shop, will be a stop at a local coffee shop for anyone that wants to. As for next year, we could volunteer as a group to help where needed. We are currently looking for someone that would want to head this up next year. Any takers?

2013 Iowa Fall Colors Drive – October 12th

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Who’s ready for some twists and turns and beautiful sights? Look out for the buffalo, Dutch letters, Warhawks, and Pioneers!

fall-colors-drive-2011

Saturday, October 12th

CIMC caravan from MODM to Pella:

Our friends at Eastern Iowa MINIs will have their own caravan to Pella.

Joint Meet:

  • RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/160054457535947/
  • Arrive Pella town square late morning, visit, have lunch on your own.
  • Meet on North side of square in Pella after lunch for the pre-drive meeting before noon
  • Group departs Pella at 12 noon
  • Arrive Grinnell 5:00pm
  • Supper in Grinnell
  • Depart for home after supper

Suggestions and help needed for Fall Colors Drive

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As many of you know, the Iowa MINI community (primarily Eastern Iowa MINIs and Central Iowa MINI owners) has had a fall colors drive each October since 2003. This year will be the eleventh such event. Over the years, the location has varied, and route planning/event responsibility has alternated each year between EIM and CIMC. In all previous years, the work has been handled by Daryl Hanneman (of EIM) and Greg Beachy (of CIMC).

This year it’s the responsibility of the Central Iowa owners to come up with a date and route for the event. Unfortunately, Greg has been relocated to the Kansas City area by his employer, and is unable to do much work for the event this year. I’ll have some time to coordinate route planning, but I’m going to be out of town from time to time in September and I’ll be out of town for most of October, so other members of the club will need to help on this.

Please send me any and all ideas you have for a scenic Iowa countryside drive, and I’ll try to assemble a good route from those ideas. In addition, someone will need to take charge of things the day of the event itself since I won’t be here. Without help from other members of the club, this longest-running and most enjoyable Iowa MINI event may end, and that would be sad.

At this point the tentative date is Saturday, October 12 (which is the traditional Columbus Day holiday) with an alternate date of Saturday, October 19. Any and all comments, ideas, suggestions, and volunteers can contact me at rogersitterly (at symbol) yahoo dot (.) com or using the contact form below.

Thanks, Roger

Performance Diving Experience at Iowa Speedway – Thurs. Aug. 15th

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This is not an official CIMC event, but the Des Moines Valley Region Sports Car Club of America (DMVR SCCA) is having their last Performance Driving Experience (PDX) of the year on August 15th at the Iowa Speedway in Newton.  Sounds like a lot of fun!

MINIs On The Mac – August 3, 2013 – drive from DSM to St. Ignace, MI

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MINIs On The Mac

As you know, there will be an attempt to set a new Guinness Book of World Records mark for the most MINIs/Mini Coopers in a parade at the Straits of Mackinac Bridge on Saturday, August 3. The goal is to have at least 1,451 cars, and one lane of the bridge itself will be closed to all traffic EXCEPT the MINI/Mini parade.

This is going to be one of the largest gatherings of MINIs in the world, and will certainly be the largest such gathering ever for the U.S. If you’re a MINIac like me (Roger Sitterly), that makes this an absolute “must-do” event, so I’ve already registered. Now, I’ll be working with contacts in Nebraska and Iowa to see if we can assemble a single caravan of Nebraska/Iowa owners for the trip to northern Michigan.

Tentatively, the route to get there would be through Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so that registration packets can be picked up in St. Ignace on the way to participants’ motels Friday night without the need to cross the bridge to get them (and then, perhaps, cross it again to get to a motel in Mackinaw City). The total distance from Des Moines  to Mackinaw City (no matter how you get there) is between 690 and 725 miles, so tentative plans are to take two days to do the drive. This will be especially important if the caravan includes owners from Nebraska who will have an additional 130 or more miles to drive the first day just to get to Des Moines.

The event is now about four weeks away, and those who plan to attend should be making motel reservations quickly because area lodging are filling up. If anyone who plans to attend would like to join in a caravan to the area, please let me know as quickly as possible – an email will work just fine rogersitterly @  yahoo.com you can call me in Des Moines at 515 – 270 – 8095. Having some idea of how many people will be joining in a caravan will help us plan the route in terms of necessary stops along the way.

The deadline for early registration (with a discount) is July 19. The $25 early registration fee includes your bridge toll for the event, an antenna topper, lunch on August 3 in St. Ignace, admission to the music festival and some local swag. Cars will begin assembling in Mackinaw City Saturday morning, August 3 at 7:30 a.m., and departure for the parade across the bridge will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. After crossing of the bridge, lunch, entertainment, and contests will be held in St. Ignace, with a music festival scheduled from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. In addition, there will be a fireworks show at dusk.

Here’s a link to the information and registration page. http://www.miniofgrandrapids.com/News

I’ll be at the club picnic July 13, and will be available to discuss potential routing and caravan issues. And if you have any questions, please feel free to call me.

Rock n’ Pie Drive – August 3, 2013

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Kelly Alliss is putting together a tasty drive out to see the Freedom Rock in Menlo with a stop for some mmm mmm good tasty pie, too.

Rock n’ Pie Drive – 8/3/2013

Meet at MINI of Des Moines around 8:30am, departure time of  9 am
Drive route of approximately 80 miles
Passing Through:
Waukee – Adel – Redfield – Dexter – Stuart (part of  the WhitePole Road Route)
Head North to Panora
West to Gurthrie Center
South to the Freedom Rock
East into Menlo

Stop for lunch and homemade pie at the Menlo Café.  In addition to pie the café has great home cooked food and ginormous tenderloins (will shoot to stop between 11 and 11:30)
Then about 40 miles back to Des Moines via I-80

You know you want to go! RSVP here or on the CIMC Facebook page so Kelly knows to expect you. Now for the big decision – Which variety of pie(s) to order?

Swamp Fox Parade – Marion, IA – Saturday, September 7, 2013

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It’s time to start thinking about another trip over to Marion, IA to showcase our wonderful cars, have a bit of fun, and get some quality time on the road. To learn more about the event, visit the Marion, IA events page regularly for updates.

If you’d like to participate, here are a few things to know:

  • Meet up no later than 8:30 AM (or earlier if you want to clean up your car) at the car wash across the street from a mini-mall at the intersection of South 11th Street and Grand Ave.
  • Get there via highway 100 (Marion bypass), turn off at East Post Road, go North about 3 blocks.  East Post turns into South 11th Street.
  • Highway 100 is Collins Road from the West, and from the East it intersects highway 13/151.
  • Staging point for the parade is two blocks from meet up point.
  • DUE TO LIABILITY ISSUES: Each car must be registered through me no later than August 16, 2012.  I will submit all the registrations at the same time in insure that we will all be together.
  • Our registration (group) will be assigned Entry Numbers, which is our position in the parade.  I will pass them out at the meeting point.
  • We must be in position no later than 9:30 AM.
  • Parade starts at 10:15 AM.
  • Candy is encouraged however they discourage throwing it from the cars/floats/entries because of the danger of children running into the road to retrieve it.
  • This year we escort “Miss Eastern Iowa MINI’s 2013” who will be riding in Steve & Bobbi’s Convertible.  She is Rebecca Darling from Tipton, IA.

Please RSVP to Larry Hoffman through the Central Iowa MINI Club’s event’s page (preferred!) or via the contact page link above.

THIS weekend, a new event – Greenwood Revival

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THIS Saturday – June 8, 2013 – from 10:00am until 4:00pm, is the 50th anniversary of Greenwood Roadway‘s first race!

There will be a Car Show, Parade Laps of some truly spectacular cars, and seminars about a variety of topics related to Iowa’s original, premier racetrack.

Where: 16299 Quebec St, Indianola, Iowa 50125
(I am told this is a short distance off the highway and includes maybe a half mile of gravel road. Persnickety  drivers have been warned.)

The event starts at 10AM in Indianola. Scott Paulson is planning to stop at MINI of Des Moines at 8:45 am for anyone that wants to caravan, leaving around 9 am.
There will also be a raffle for a club T-shirt for members attending the Greenwood Revival event. You’ll put your name in a hat and we’ll pull a name to see who takes it home.

You can find more event info at the Greenwood Revival website and Facebook Page

The Central Iowa MINI Club has a few members attending, so if you’re looking to travel over as part of the group be sure to RSVP there. Regardless, it is probably a good idea to RSVP on the official FB Event Page.

Articles of Additional Interest –
Iowa British Car Club visit to Greenwood in 2008
Greenwood may have inspired a Gran Turismo track