President’s Message – September 2019

Welcome to September! Our Labor Day celebrations remind us fall is just around the corner. As we reluctantly say goodbye to summer, we need to remember that we’re heading for the peak portion of our hurricane season. As I mentioned last year, it is the perfect time to make sure that we have our hurricane preparedness plans in place and
ready to be implemented if needed. And as we found out last year, it can and does happen. So please double-check your preparedness plans.

We have some great CFMC activities planned as we ease into fall. Peggy and John Harris are hosting a trip to the International Bluegrass Music Association event in Raleigh September 27-29. Jenny and Sean Hsu have a fabulous trip to the Outer Banks planned for October 2-4.

Our next business meeting, hosted by Jo Ann Craig and Bill Bertrand, is planned for Saturday, November 16 at Elizabeth’s Pizza Restaurant in Wilmington. And we will wrap up 2019 with a Christmas time event in December hosted by Mary Sue and Don Wahl. See more details about these events in this edition of the Ragtop Tales.

As I mentioned at our April quarterly meeting, our November meeting will focus on planning for our 2020 CFMC activities and events. Between now and the November meeting, I encourage all members to identify possible
Club events and activities and forward those to Paul Reinmann, Activities Committee chair at pfreinmann@charter.net. The Activities committee, and members, will present the potential 2020 events for discussion at the meeting. The goal is to develop a list of monthly 2020 activities and hosts, between our
November business meeting and our annual business meeting in January 2020. The list of activities and hosts will be presented to the CFMC membership at our annual meeting. This will enable all members to know what activities
and events are planned and schedule these on their 2020 calendars.

As you are probably aware, Stevenson Mazda has become part of the Hendrick Automotive Group as Stevenson-Hendrick Mazda. You will notice many new faces in the Service Department of the new dealership. Please
introduce yourself next time you are there to have your Miata in for service. Soon, we will be in contact with the new owners and service managers about our Club and the support that the previous Mazda dealership provided to the
CFMC. If there are any changes, we will advise the membership.

Finally, September 11 is a painful reminder that evil still lurks in our world. As Americans we must remember all of the victims and families of those whom were lost on that day, and the many first responders and military members
and their families whom have paid the ultimate sacrifice since then to keep us safe. Freedom, safety and security are not free; someone pays the price for each of those blessings. We should never forget the cost, or those who pay
that price, for all of us. Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.
Zoom-Zoom!

Ron Carmichael

President’s Message – July 2019

I hope everyone survived our record breaking May weather and enjoyed our June respite from the heat! May was a not-so-subtle reminder that summer is in full swing. And, it is peak Miata-time. Since our last Ragtop Tales newsletter, we enjoyed the well-attended Sit, Sip and Socialize event at Soif de Vin winery in late…

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President’s Message – April 2019

Spring and April are here!  That means better weather for all types of outdoor activities including top-down motoring for the CFMC!  We have a number of great events planned for the coming months.  On March 30, Judy and I hosted an informal/impromptu visit to the Blue, Brew and Que Festival at the Duplin County Events…

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President’s Message – March 2019

As we say goodbye to February, suddenly it is March – in like a lion and out like a lamb. We have the return of daylight savings time (March 10), March madness, and St. Patrick’s Day to look forward to and we begin to envision the newness that the first day of spring promises. We…

Read More about President’s Message – March 2019