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

Posted on July 4, 2013 by admin

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.

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

Posted on June 3, 2013 by admin

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 11^th 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 11^th 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.

April 20-21, 2013 – Photo Scavenger Hunt in the Des Moines area

Posted on April 12, 2013 by admin

Pick the day that works for you: Saturday or Sunday, April 20th or 21st, 2013
Join us for a Photo Scavenger Hunt in the Des Moines Metro area.

Beginning at 2 pm on both days, you will meet up with Jeremy Moyle at MINI of Des Moines and be given a list of phrases with one word missing.

Your job is to figure out the missing word and then photograph it on any sign, building, etc that you find in the area. There is a strict 2 hour time limit.
Return to MINI of Des Moines when you have all the answers, or by 4 pm at the latest. Jeremy and crew will tally the results to see who comes out on top.

Example: Pillsbury Doughboy – Poppin ______
E.g., Take a picture of a Subway sign, highlighting the word Fresh in your picture

Don’t forget that Willis is also having their Spring Cleaning Sales event (and maybe a new buyer car clinic on the 20th) so the sales staff will probably be really busy on Saturday and therefore less chatty than usual.

May 18, 2013 – Joint Drive for CIMC/KCME Groups

Posted on March 10, 2013 by admin

James Flowers has done it again.

On Saturday, May 18, 2013, starting at 11:00am at 100 N 16th Street in Bethany, MO, the CIMC will be gathering with the drivers from the Kansas City MINI Enthusiasts for a drive through the countryside – from nowhere to nowhere, but with lots of curves in between. We’ll do a “fast” group for the more spirited drivers and a “slow” group for those that just want to relax and enjoy the area.

The preliminary plan is to have a short meeting on the town square in Bethany, MO to distribute maps and info, then a jaunt over to the Sonic in town for a quick lunch (make it light – hills aren’t good for the stomach!) and then we’ll line up in the Wal-Mart parking lot and drive at noon.

Stops will probably include Leon, IA and Lamoni, IA. Not sure where we’ll finish yet!

July 9, 2012 – MINI Takes the States Arrives in Des Moines

Posted on July 9, 2012 by admin

MINI Coopers from near and far descended on Des Moines as we welcomed the Motoring world to Central Iowa. Starting with dinner and visiting the animals at Blank Park Zoo, drinks at Johnny’s Sports Bar, and a fund-raiser pancake breakfast the next morning served by and with a free-will donation to benefit the Waukee Fire Department. After that, the MINIs hit the road again on the journey to Denver and, ultimately, Los Angeles. But before we all left, those nice fire fighters were kind enough to take a few pictures of us all from high atop one of the cranes.