President’s Message – February 2024
As we welcome in 2024, we would like to thank the CFMC for their confidence in electing us as co-Presidents. We look forward to continuing to meet members and enjoy the roads and activities of North Carolina. For those we have not met, we have been members of CFMC since September 2021, and we own a 1991 Special Edition British Racing Green (BRG) Miata MX5. When we considered our move to the Wilmington area, we went online to see if there was a club we could join. We had been 20-year members of The Midstate Miata Club of NY, in our hometown of Syracuse NY.
The summer of 2000 was our first time belonging to a car club, and we had no specific expectations. What we found was a group of people from all walks of life, and different backgrounds that got together all because of this little sports car, and we slowly became friends as we travelled and socialized together. In the beginning, the club had one event per month and two ice cream get togethers. As the years continued, we expanded to two events per month, and two ice cream/dinner get togethers. We soon realized if members would plan just one event, the rest of the time we all would be enjoying many wonderful adventures, and all we had to do is show up, the planning was already done. Many members would replan the same events yearly or bi-yearly as there were always members that missed an event they really wanted to attend. You don’t need to come up with a new idea every year. We enjoyed many of the same events most clubs enjoy: historic sites, museums, parks and waterfalls, wineries/micro-breweries, and beautiful winding roads. It was amazing how many things we saw and enjoyed in our own backyards, that we did not know about or never took time to visit. Of course, we also patronized local eateries and received much attention as we lined up our cars in the parking lots. The club continued to grow, and we incorporated another club that needed help. Our area grew from one hour North, South, East and West of Syracuse and has a roster of 160+ cars! Big is not always better, but being active and participating is so rewarding. So, the moral of the story is this club can be whatever the club members want it to be, and fun is always on the agenda!
We look forward to bringing new ideas to the club and members sharing new ideas with us. Many hands make light work, and we will all enjoy the rewards of our adventures. This is your club, and we encourage everyone to share one idea with the club to make this another successful year. Our plan is to send out a news blast in the next few weeks and incorporate a planning meeting in one of our Saturday meetings.
Please feel free to contact us with your ideas; we look forward to all suggestions.
Zoom Zoom,
Karen Abbott, 315-656-4247-cell, KLDAbbott@hotmail.com
Norm Abbott, 315-378-2575-cell, NAbbott57@hotmail.com