President’s Message – February 2023
Hello February! The new year of 2023 is well underway. Although we’re in the midst of winter, spring is less than two months away. The CFMC has lots of great events and activities in mind for this year. We started the year with a very well-attended holiday party and annual meeting on Sunday, January 8. It was our first annual meeting since January 2020. Our hosts, (for the 4th year) were Leon and Beth Rooks and the venue was the Circa 1922 Restaurant in Wilmington. We had a fantastic turnout of over 35 members! We enjoyed an evening of fun, friendship and fellowship, a fantastic meal, and our traditional Yankee Swap gift exchange. Members came with many great ideas for events and activities for this year. We’ve scheduled several months of activities and hope to fill the remaining months soon.
I’d like to congratulate Rick Judson who was elected as our Vice-President and Catherine Fort who was elected as our Facebook Coordinator. Rick and Catherine will bring lots of enthusiasm and experience to these important positions. Please congratulate and thank Rick and Catherine, along with our other officers and committee chairs, for their willingness and commitment to serve our Club.
We ended January with the Roadkill Ride, hosted by Paul and Rebecca Reinmann. This was a casual ride along local Miata roads and culminated with a lunch at the Cape Fear River Lock and Dam picnic area. We thank Paul and Rebecca for this fun outing. I call your attention to some of our upcoming trips. In addition to our regular Bitty and Beaus gathering on February 11, Tom and Nancy Pane are hosting an event immediately following Bitty and Beaus to a local car collector’s museum and lunch afterward. This is certain to be a fun and enjoyable event. Please contact Tom and Nancy at toe45@aol.com if you plan to attend. Be sure to thank our hosts for what undoubtedly will be an enjoyable and informative visit.
And that’s not all! Catherine Fort will be hosting a trip March 23-27 to Cordele and Savannah Georgia. The highlight of the trip will be a day ride on the historic SAM Short line Railroad on Saturday March 25, which will include stops in Americus and Plains, Georgia. On Sunday we will drive to Savannah to enjoy the city and overnight lodging before returning home on Monday March 27. This will be a fantastic trip so be sure to contact Catherine at cwfort@gmail.com or John or Peggy Harris at mx5miata16@gmail.com if you are interested in participating. Our thanks go to Catherine for hosting such an outstanding event. More specifics on this trip are included in this month’s Ragtop Tales.
In addition to the above activities, we have several others scheduled throughout 2023. So be sure to check the Club calendar in this month’s newsletter.
I want to thank all our members who have, and are considering, hosting events for 2023. Activities are the lifeblood of the CFMC and are critical to reinvigorating our Club in a post-pandemic environment. I look forward to a fun and exciting year with all of our members. Be sure to take advantage of those spring-like days this month. I hope to see all of you at a CFMC event real soon. Zoom-Zoom!
Ron Carmichael