SW Florida Section MBCA Sep 2012 Fourth 2012 Edition - Sep 2012 See YOU at Mimi s Café for the Ft Myers Monthly Breakfast Meetings 2nd Saturday of most months Next Meetings - Oct 13, Nov 10, Dec 8, Jan12 ***** See YOU at Perkins, on Pine Ridge for the Naples Monthly Breakfast Meetings 4th Saturday of most months, Next meetings - Oct 27, Nov 24, Dec 22, Jan 26 Inside This Issue: Art Museum Tour...5 Breakfast Meetings...1,8 Calendar...8 Classified..6 Dinner Theatre 3 Holiday Party..4 MBCA Info....6,8 New Members......7 Officer Listing..2 President s Column.....2 Renewed Members...5 Mal and Edyth Newbourne s 190SL Tom and Loretta Starrett s E 320 at Breakfast Meeting at Mimi s Section Members at Breakfast Meeting at Perkins Naples August 25, 2012 Jerry and Anita Kinderman s CLK 500 Breakfast Meeting at Mimi s in Ft. Myers Sep 8, 12 1
President s Column - March 2012 Greetings to all and welcome our new members, 2012 has been a good year for our Section. Our Section membership currently stands at 288 members with 8 new members the past month (as of 9-29-12). Our Section membership has had 45 new members so far in 2012. Please keep up the good work and renew your individual efforts to bring in a new member. You are our most important recruiting source. If you are happy with our Section, our Section activities, and the benefits of Club membership, you will be the best spokesman for recruiting new Club members. Membership applications are available at each Section event and by Email if you desire. Just contact me at tharruff1813@comcast.net to request your copy. We are about to start a new season when our summer northern members return. Already we have four upcoming events scheduled. Oct 5th in Punta Gorda will be our second annual Oktoberfest event. The Downtown Merchants Association was pleased with our cars last year and will be providing us a larger venue this year so we can have more of you attend. The German food, beer, and music were great. If you plan on attending this year. You must contact Tom Starrett soonest! See the flyer sent by email. Nov 17th in Fort Myers we will be attending a presentation of the Musical 9 to 5 at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater. Those who have already seen the production have said they enjoyed it very much. Contact Loretta Starrett as seating is limited and pre-payment is required. See the flyer in this newsletter. Dec 2nd at the Vanderbilt CC in Naples is our Annual Holiday Party. This year we will be providing entertainment by a professional singer by the name of Lady Blue along with our prizes and table favors as before. See the flyer in this newsletter for details. Get your reservation in early! Officers and Directors: President/Newsletter Editor: Tom Harruff 239-591-8049 tharruff1813@comcast.net Vice President/Treasurer: Glen Sholl 239-272-1328 gsholl@comcast.net Secretary: Anne Harruff 239-591-8049 AnneHarruff@comcast.net Membership Chair: Tom Harruff 239-591-8049 tharruff1813@comcast.net Section Directors: The Officers Named Above and Chet Young 239-288-4121 chetyoung30@gmail.com Southeast Regional Director: Scott Suits 727-460-5739 Suits@ij.net Sunshine STAR Publisher: Tom Harruff 1943 Empress Ct., Naples, FL 34110 239-591-8049 tharruff1813@comcast.net Dec 15 at the Naples Museum of Art is a docent guided tour of movie and TV costumes entitled Out of this World followed by a buffet lunch. After lunch you are free to browse the museums other collections. Again, details are in a flyer in this newsletter. Contact Anne Harruff for your pre-paid reservation so that we can schedule the required number of docents. If you are not receiving periodic emails from me you have either not given your email address to the MBCA National Business Office or have not updated your previous email address. Call them at 1-800-637-2360 and update their records. You can also do it on line at www-mbca.org. We are looking for more volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors or take over some Section responsibilities. If you are interested in helping SWFL grow and provide services to our members give either Glen Sholl (239-272-1328) or myself (239-591-8049) a call. Join your Board! Keep your car on the straight and narrow and we will see you soon. Tom Harruff, President, 2
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Holiday Party Before you know it December 2nd will be here Start the Holiday Season with your MBCA Club Members Please join us Sunday December 2, 2010 6:00 PM at the Vanderbilt Country Club 8250 Danbury Blvd, Naples, FL 34120 (239-348-2662) Off of CR 951 @ Vanderbilt Beach Rd. go East, Main Entrance on Left (.8 mi) Good Food, Companionship, and Entertainment Door Prizes Table Favors Pre-Dinner Snacks Dinner @ 7:00 PM - Entree Selection is: House Salad - w/balsamic Vinaigrette Prime Rib, au jus or Stuffed Chicken Breast Whipped Potatoes Rice Pilaf Seasonal Vegetables and Dessert Coffee, Tea or Iced Tea, Soft Drinks Cash Bar @ 6:00 PM Single Member $40.00 Each Membership Couple $75.00 Member and Guest $75.00 Additional Guests $40.00 Includes Snacks, Dinner, Entertainment, Tax, Gratuity, and Private Dining Room Seating is limited to 140, Send reservations and checks (Made out to MBCA, Southwest Florida Section) ASAP, Please. Reservation must be received NLT November 27th. Mail to: Glen Sholl, 3048 Ellice Way, Naples, FL 34119. Single Member Name: $40.00 Membership Couple $75.00 Member and Guest $75.00 Additional Guests at $40.00 How Many? X $40.00 Check Total: Dinner Orders Please, Number Each: Prime Rib Chicken Breast 4
SWFL Ladies of Mercedes Event December 15th at 11:30 AM Tour of the Naples Museum of Art Exhibit Out of this World followed by a luncheon from the Garden Café The Southwest Florida Section, MBCA proudly announces our next Ladies of Mercedes event of the 2012 Season. We will be having a private docent guided tour of a display of Film and Television costumes entitled Out of this World at the Patty and Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art at the Philharmonic Center located at 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. The event is scheduled for December 15th at 11:30. The cost of the tour will be $10.00 per person (pre-paid) followed by a buffet lunch including soup, salad, sandwich, and assorted dessert bars from the Garden Café. Cost of the buffet lunch will be $18.00 or a total of $28.00 per person. Please bring a friend or a spouse/partner if you so desire. After the guided tour and lunch you are free to return the museum and view their other collections at your own pace. Their visual arts center includes a three-story, 30,000-square-foot museum with 15 galleries, a glass-dome conservatory, entrance gates by renowned metal artist Albert Paley, spectacular chandeliers and a Persian Ceiling by acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly, a resource room and the Museum Store. The museum is dedicated to displaying worldclass paintings, sculpture, drawings and other art forms, while providing educational programs and lectures. For security purposes, please do not bring large pocket books (a small pocket book is acceptable), cameras (must be checked at the desk), or active cell phones into the Museum. Please send in your reservation and a check made out to the Philharmonic Center for the Arts for $28.00 per person for the tour and buffet lunch to Anne Harruff, 1943 Empress Ct, Naples, FL 34110 to arrive not later than December 5th. Paid reservations are needed prior to the event to determine the number of Docents required for our private tour. 5
Classified and Info Corner Classified Ad: Become a Member of the Mercedes Benz Club of America (MBCA) Receive MBCA s impressive STAR Magazine - Every 2nd Month Members qualify for MBUSA Loyalty Rewards after 12 months of membership, Receive $1,000 off the lowest negotiated price of your next new Mercedes. Contact any Officer listed on page 2 or Call: 1-800-637-2360, or log on to www.mbca.org, Membership, All Benefits Change of Address & Membership Info Especially important to those of us who do not spend full time in Florida. Send your change of address directly to MBCA at : 1907 LeLaray St, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909 or call 1-800-637 2360 By Email: Admin@mbca.org You can also add a second Section preference. Copying us assures this newsletter forwarded. NAME TAGS from MBCA 1-800-637-2360 1907 LeLaray St Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909 Blue+2 Line+Magnetic for $9.75 or 3 Line+Magnetic for $10.75, both w-shipping Ask for Karen Hilborn Support your local Mercedes- Benz Dealer Roadside Assistance (MBUSA) The program was changed effective Jan 1, 2011. Eligibility now includes vehicles under any M-B warranty or regularly serviced by an authorized dealer ($100 in prior 18 months). Call 1-888-454-9907 or visit www.mercedesroadside.com for more information on this program. Sunshine Star is a newsletter published by the Southwest Florida Section of the Mercedes Benz Club of America, Inc. (MBCA). It is mailed to all members of the Section and appropriate members of other Sections and MBCA executives. Please send all material for publication as soon as you have it available. All insertions in the Sunshine Star are the opinions and statements of the writers, advertisers, etc and to not necessarily reflect the opinions of this Section or MBCA. No authentication is given or implied as to the validity of any expressed opinion or statement. 6
This and That Many of us are fans of our local Mercedes Benz dealership for our parts, service and repairs as they are the most qualified to work on our vehicles, especially with all the electronics on newer Mercedes Benzes, but some of us do use independent repair shops. Do you have a favorite Independent Mercedes repair shop? If so please let Vice President Glen Sholl know of your experiences especially with older or vintage Mercedes Benz models. Glen will put together a list of those shops, the models of Mercedes Benz that they specialize in, and make the list available to other Section members. Also, Glen has available a limited number of MBCA Poster Kits that you might want to provide to your favorite Mercedes repair shop to promote the club. Contact Glen if you want a Poster kit. He is available by Email at gsholl@comcast.net or by phone at 239-272-1328. Help promote the club by using our local dealers for service and also with your favorite Independent Mercedes-Benz repair shop. Membership Fortunately our membership has continued to climb with new members as a result of your recruiting, by the local Mercedes-Benz stores telling their customers about MBCA, and also from your local independent repair sources who have agreed to place MBCA applications in their establishments. However your personal contact is a better way to improve membership. The challenge for each of us is to contact at least one new member each year and try to bring them into the club. Not only will our Section grow but you will make a new friend and allow them to enjoy the benefits of Club membership. Try inviting a Mercedes owner to one of our Breakfast meetings to meet other Mercedes owners and give them an application. For every member you bring into the club your membership will be extended by one month. Glen and Tom both have application forms and a handout that explains the club and the advantages of club membership. They bring them to each month s Breakfast meeting and will gladly email you copies if you desire. Our membership has grown this past year but we can each do more to recruit a new member! Use the new membership application. Welcome 14 New Members of The Southwest Florida Section Mercedes-Benz Club of America since our July newsletter John Allen, Paul Brezovsky, Paula and Thomas Falciglia, Michael Goddard, David and Andrea Harley, Eugene and Sally Katt, Natalia Kitt, Dennis Maselli, Gilda and Bill Moskal, Thomas and Lori Neglio, Scott Presti, Susan Rosen and Donald Johnston, Kyle Rotondo, John and Diane Scaduto, Thank you to 17 renewing members over the same period (since the last newsletter) for your continuing MBCA membership. It is easier to keep a member than recruit a new member, especially if your Section leadership continues to respond to the members with events of interest. This season was full of events for everyone. We are now at 289 SWFL Section members including 33 members with dual section memberships. Our Section is continuing to grow but You are our most important recruiter. Your positive experience with the MBCA and the SWFL Section makes you our front line membership recruiter. Help us in 2012 to further expand our Section by each of you recruiting an additional member. Let s double our new members growth in 2012. Breakfast Meeting Speakers We have occasionally had local Mercedes-Benz Dealers, repair shops, specialty automotive product suppliers and other speakers for short discussions at our Breakfast Meetings. If any members want to sponsor someone to speak for not more than 10-15 minutes at one of our Breakfast meetings please contact Tom Harruff at tharruff1813@comcast.net or 239-591-8049 or Glen Sholl at GSholl@comcast.net or 239-272-1328. 7 7
1943 Empress Ct, Naples, FL 34110 Please update your Email addresses Since the club and our Section uses electronic communications more and some sections are sending electronic newsletters, please let the NBO know of any changes to your email addresses to ensure up to date information to both the NBO and your section Newsletter editor. Email changes to Geni@mbca.org Fourth 2012 Edition, Sept 2012 See you at Mimi s Café in Ft Myers on most 2nd Saturdays of the month for a Breakfast Meeting or at Perkins, 3585 Pine Ridge Rd. in Naples on most 4th Saturdays of the month for a Breakfast Meeting Oct 5 Oct 13 Oct 27 Nov 10 Nov 24 Dec 2 Dec 8 Dec 15 Dec 22 Jan 12 Jan 26 Calendar of upcoming auto related events of interest to our Members (mostly in and around Florida) SWFL Section Oktoberfest at Punta Gorda..941-286-2760 SWFL Section Breakfast at Mimi s Café Ft Myers..239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Perkins, 3585 Pine Ridge Naples.239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Mimi s Café Ft Myers..239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Perkins, 3585 Pine Ridge Naples.239-591-8049 SWFL Section Holiday Party Vanderbilt CC 239-272-1328 SWFL Section Breakfast at Mimi s Café Ft Myers..239-591-8049 Ladies of Mercedes Naples Museum of Art Tour..239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Perkins, 3585 Pine Ridge Naples.239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Mimi s Café Ft Myers..239-591-8049 SWFL Section Breakfast at Perkins, 3585 Pine Ridge Naples.239-591-8049 8