AUGUST, 2015 - miataclubofsouthwestflorida

THE MIATA CLUB OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA http://www.miataclubofsouthwestflorida.com
AUGUST, 2015
ZOOMZOOM...
Board Members
Dana Breda, President
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
BY DANA BREDA
336-416-7464
[email protected]
Jerry Williams, Vice President
Hi everyone,
864-436-2902
[email protected]
Jean Fischer, Past President
305-389-7864
It's really, really summer here - Even I am riding around
with the top up and the A/C on - and I usually keep the
top down unless the storm has a name!
[email protected]
Noni Cockrum, Treasurer
239-278-1729
[email protected]
Leslie Schmitt, Secretary
651-235-4803
[email protected]
Donna Noyes, Membership And
Events Coordinator
239-454-5665
[email protected]
Sandy Bowers, Newsletter Editor
239-567-2149
[email protected]
Gary Blessing, Webmaster
We've had a couple of great activities this past month our Facebook page has lots of pics of the trip to the
museum at Marco Island and we had a great ride (in
the driving rain) to Bradenton for Cox Miata's unveiling
of the 2016 Miata. If you haven't seen a 2016 ND Miata, you should take a look - it's a bit smaller than the
NC model, and really good looking.
We made the newspapers in Marco Island and Bradenton this past month - hope you've all read the emails
with the details. My personal thanks go to Donna
Noyes, Ruth Brewer, Noni Cockrum and the others for
all the work done to make these events happen for our
club.
239-910-4610
[email protected]
Dealer Liaisons
Please join us for the good rides we have coming up in
August - details in the newsletter.
Steve Bowers, Palm Mazda
239-567-2149
[email protected]
Ruth Brewer, Cox Mazda
517-331-4618
[email protected]
Ron Lindensmith,O’Brien Mazda
239-699-6339
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 25th OF EACH MONTH
What a great club we have! We have lots of folks doing
all kinds of work so we all can have a good time with
our cars - and all I have to do is show up and give away
the door prizes!
Hope to see you at Victory Lane on August sixth! (you
snowbirds should come back and play with us!)
Dana
NEXT MIATA MEETING
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
WHERE:
Victory Lane Café 239-995-2015
4120 Hancock Bridge Parkway on the
Southwest corner of Orange Grove
Blvd., next to CVS, N. Ft. Myers 33903
TIME:
Meeting at 6PM, dinner preceding
REPLY TO: Donna Noyes, 239-454-5665, or email
[email protected]
PLEASE RESPOND BY TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015
SAVE THE DATES
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Monthly Miata Meeting
Monday, August 10, 2015
Dinner at Three Fishermen
Monday, August 31, 2015
Lunch at Columbia and
Ringling Tour-Sarasota
Friday-Sunday, Dec. 4-6, 2015
Key West Christmas Parade
Friday, December 11, 2015
Annual Miata Club Christmas Dinner-Herons Glen
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Punta Gorda Christmas Canal
Cruise
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Three Suns Ranch Tour
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Annual Miata Club Picnic
When ordering from Duragloss Car Care
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EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE SUNSHINE
By Sandy Cole
As I write this column, we are relaxing (?) and enjoying a visit with friends and family in
Illinois and Michigan. Weather has been wonderful. And, I realize that August is just
around the corner. The good news is, I have not heard from anyone of our members regarding needs for added sunshine. WOW, that makes two months in a row. I trust many
of you were able to take advantage of the fun events planned for July, and/or have had
safe travels. Yes, July is hot and often wet, but this is Florida in the summer! I trust you
have made the best of things.
As always, we have several members who are celebrating another year on this wonderful
planet. We are all blessed and grateful. Please join me in wishing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:
Gary Blessing, Dana Breda, John Chapman, Ray Dezendorf, Marlene Erhardt, David
Greenwood, Jerry Grego, Bob Gresh, Frank Kinslow, Fran Kinslow, Paul Marcuzzo, Rudy
Munoz, Butch Reynolds, and Denny Small.
Stay healthy and safe! Hope to see you all soon.
SUNSHINE SANDY
DINNER AT THE THREE FISHERMEN RESTAURANT
BY SANDY COLE
I have arranged for our club to have dinner at The 3 Fishermen Restaurant on Monday,
August 10 at 5:30 p.m. The restaurant is located just north of the Caloosahatchee River
in the Best Western Hotal off of Route 41 in N. Ft. Myers. They have Happy Hour from
3—6 pm, and an “All You Can Eat” fish dinner special (select the type of fish and the way
it is cooked) with choice of 2 sides for $13.99. The regular menu is varied and reasonable, and includes some choices for you non-seafood eaters. The restaurant has a great
location on the river, so come watch the dolphins and stay for the sunset! As a bonus,
you can enjoy a relaxing evening with your friends in the Miata Club. By the way, guests
are also welcome. You will need to make reservations by Aug. 8. You can sign up at
the regular monthly meeting on Aug. 6th, or send Sandy an email: [email protected], or call 239-997-7679. The current plan is for everyone to just meet
at the restaurant at 5:30. Hope to see you there.
Three Fishermen Seafood Restaurant
13021 N. Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers, FL 33903
http://www.threefishermenseafood.com/
BACK TO THE BEACH AND NERVOUS NELLIES
By Dick and Lynn Wright
On July 1st, we met at Publix on the corner of Bonita Beach Road for the beginning of
a great event. Of course, any time it includes eating it is a great event. We had
planned on having 10 cars for the 14 mile run up Estero Blvd, but when we pulled
out we had 12 cars which was a nice turn out. We pretty much kept together, but I
understand whoever followed Jean had some issues keeping up with her.
We made reservations for 40 at Nervous Nellie’s and, low and behold, everyone
showed up! The only minor setback is that they gave us the group room—with broken air conditioning. They were working on it and I asked them if they would have it
fixed in 10 minutes and when they said no, I politely asked for the manager. In light
of 40 paying customers vs whoever might be walking in at noon, he correctly chose
to move us to the main dining room. It appears that everyone had a great time and
many are ready to go back there again. Lynn and I have been there several times and
we each order the lobster roll. How big is it? We each ate 1/2 and took the other
halves home. We bought New England style rolls and had 4 more lobster rolls.
Those who didn’t stuff themselves as much as Lynn and I did went up to Love Boat
Ice Cream – about 15 folks. On the way out of Nervous Nellie’s, a gal coming in
looked at me and said, “A Miata meet?” I said, “How can you tell?” Her reply was, “I’m
pretty smart for a blond.” A great day…looking forward to the next outing.
Members enjoying lunch at Nervous Nellie’s
CONTINUED….
Club Members are enjoying ice cream at the
Love Boat
Don Cole, Paul Shilinsky, Sandy Cole
Dana Breda and Sandy Rusin
Elaine Weissbarn and Ron Lindensmith
Jerry and Bonnie Friedman
Steve and Sandy Bowers
MIATA SHIRTS AND CAPS
Embroidered shirts and caps available
from Cathy, owner of the Golden Needle
941-743-4410
Port Charlotte
Note to our members: You can bring in any type of clothing or a cap to the Golden Needle and
have our club logo embroidered on it in your choice of colors! Let’s all show our club spirit!
RIDE TO SARASOTA—COLUMBIA RESTAURANT AND RINGLING MUSEUM
BY SANDY COLE
SAVE THE DATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2015
We plan to have lunch at The Columbia Restaurant in St. Armands Circle followed
by a tour of The Ringling Museum. Or, if you prefer, other options include: going
to the beach, shopping in the Circle, stopping for ice cream or whatever!!!!
The Columbia Restaurant is considered the 'Gem of Spanish Restaurants' and this
is one of their seven locations. There is plenty of parking behind the restaurant.
The menu is extensive and should satisfy both large and small appetites. So,
even if you choose to just join us for lunch, it should be a worthwhile outing. Besides, Miata owners are great company and full of fun!!
Following lunch, if you choose to go on to the Ringling Museum, there is NO
charge for entrance. You will be able to wander the grounds, which are lovely,
and visit the 'House of John', (which is the family residence on the Sarasota
Bay). If you select a guided tour of the house, there is a $5.00 charge. You may
also visit the Museum of Art which is free on Mondays. If you have not already
done so, I would recommend you take the tour of the Circus Museum. There is a
charge for that tour which is $23.00 (the normal entrance fee). However, If we
should have 20 people interested in the tour, the cost would be $20.00. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
We will meet at the McDonalds on Jones Loop Rd. in Punta Gorda at 9 am with
plans to depart at 9:15 am. We will caravan to Sarasota and meet for lunch between 11:15 and 11:30. We should be able to get to the Museum by 1:30
which should allow you ample time to explore the facilities. Directions will follow
later.
I will have a sign-up sheet at the next meeting on Aug. 2nd. Or, feel free to call or
email me and I will sign you up. (email: [email protected]., phone: 239-9977679.)
Columbia Restaurant
411 St Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL 34236
http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/sarasota.asp
The Ringling Museum
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL 34243
http://www.ringling.org/
St. Armands Circle
Lido Key, Sarasota, FL 34236
http://www.starmandscircleassoc.com/
MIATA CLUB TAKES MARCO ISLAND BY STORM!
BY DONNA NOYES
Luckily, there was no “storm” – only a light shower early in the drive to Marco Island,
lasting just a very short time. However, the arrival of our 14 Miatas (and 26 folks) in
Marco did cause a bit of excitement, especially after our drive from Mango’s Dockside
Bistro to the Marco Island Historical Museum. The sight of our caravan of spiffy little
roadsters caused several drivers to follow us to the museum parking lot to check us out.
Our day started at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers and we took a leisurely drive
along Three Oaks Parkway, Livingston Road, and Collier Blvd, passing through some lovely residential areas. Tables were set and ready for us when we arrived at Mango’s for
lunch. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals and the service was good. The restaurant
is in a lovely location and I recommend it if you are ever down that way.
The drive from Mango’s to the museum was just under 3 miles. When we arrived there,
we were greeted by Pam Miner, Interim Manager of the museum, and Elaine Michaelis, a
journalist from the Marco Island Sun-Times newspaper. They had us line up our Miatas
so that Elaine – perched at the top of a ladder in the parking lot – could take a good photo of us to include with her article in the newspaper. Elaine subsequently talked to some
of the folks who followed our caravan to the museum in curiosity.
British tourist checks out a Miata
CONTINUED ….
MIATA CLUB TAKES MARCO ISLAND BY STORM! (CONTINUED)
BY DONNA NOYES
At the museum, Pam gave us a nice introduction and briefly discussed the other Collier
County Museums and then showed us an interesting PBS film about the history of Marco
Island and its development. We then had some time to walk around the museum to see
some of their exhibits. The museum facility is an unusual structure, built to look like a
typical Calusa Indian gathering place, and it contains several artifacts and displays of
Calusa life.
Replica of Key Marco Cat
Our final stop – Ice Cream! Less than 2 miles from the museum is Beebe’s Ice Cream
shop. Although a few members decided to skip this stop (maybe watching their waistlines?), the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed the homemade ice cream here. Picking among
the various unusual flavors like Butterscotch Bomb, Garbage Can, Salty Caramel Peanut,
Superman (wild colors!) and the more traditional ones was a tough job but someone had
to do it! It was a nice ending to a lovely day on Marco Island – and we made the local
news! Thanks to all that joined me on this trip.
Parker and Elaine Moore are excited
for their ice cream!
Leslie Schmitt loves it!
Yum!
MEMBERSHIP MISSIVES –AUGUST, 2015
BY DONNA NOYES
Our summer residents are sweltering, but so are many of our northern snowbirds. Those
of you that thought you were escaping Florida heat and humidity found that you took
some of that “H & H” with you! We full-timers tried to cool off this month by celebrating
National Ice Cream month twice (or more) by visiting some of our local ice cream parlors.
Meeting attendance continues to decline from the peak of the season due to many members taking vacations but we still had 32 members at the July meeting – extremely good
for this time of year.
The following new members joined us in July:
Rayanna and Rick Edwards of Lehigh Acres. They just purchased a 1999 Twilight Blue
Mica Miata to replace their previous Miata.
Rayanna and Rick are new to the area, so when you see them at a future meeting or
event, be sure to greet them and give them our typical friendly welcome to the club and
area.
As of July 22, 2015, our membership now stands at 76 cars and 142 people. If you know
someone that has or just acquired a Miata, tell them about our club and encourage them
to attend a meeting – as most of you know, I’m always ready to sign someone up!
Another reminder - PLEASE wear your name badges at our meetings or events so that we
know who you are. I try very hard to recognize and remember each of you . . . but my
“senior” memory sometimes fails, so please help me out. I suggest keeping your badges
in your Miata – then you will always have them handy.
I look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, ZOOM-ZOOM!
UNVEILING OF THE 2016 MIATA AT COX MAZDA
BY DONNA NOYES AND SANDY BOWERS
The weather was not the best – in fact, it was pretty much miserable. But a little – or
even a lot – of rain would not dissuade Miata lovers from attending the Unveiling of the
new design 2016 Miata. Cox planned a big event to celebrate the occasion, inviting our
club as well as the Gearheads from Sarasota and other interested folks from the area.
The MCSW was well represented in the large crowd that assembled inside the dealership. A total of 39 members attended, 21 traveling to Cox on their own and 18 caravanning from Punta Gorda. The Punta Gorda caravan actually split roughly in half. Donna
Noyes (a rain-chicken who won’t drive her Miata on I-75 in the rain) took a group of 5
cars on a leisurely and uncrowded “rural” route to Bradenton. The remaining 6 cars from
the Punta Gorda group bravely stormed up I-75, rain be damned! We all arrived unharmed at Cox, just in time to get soaked as the rain started coming down in earnest. In
the middle of the showroom sat the object of our travels, elevated slightly, cordoned off
by barriers and ropes, covered in cloth. We all anxiously awaited the unveiling.
The time finally came to see what we all drove so far in the rain for. Even the buyer of
this new 2016 Miata (Gary Fischman) had not seen his new car! Cox managed to keep it
covered and hidden. Our president, Dana Breda, gave a brief speech in which our club
honored Joe Centofanti, the first liaison to Cox (see separate article). Then the unveiling
began, with Kelly Cox (Dealership owner), Frank Underwood (Sales Manager), and Gary
slowly removing the cover from the Miata. Many oooo’s and ahhh’s followed, with applause. That shiny red beauty was worth the wait. The ropes came down, and we all had
the opportunity to walk around the Miata for a closer look (but do not touch!).
Cox provided us with sandwiches, beverages, and goody bags. We had the opportunity
to talk to the staff and members of the general public who came for the event. Perhaps
we even convinced a few of those Miata owners to join our club! The heavy rain did not
dampen our spirits, and I think several of us drove home with visions of a new fourth
generation Miata in our garage. Thank you Cox Mazda for a great event!!
Our Miatas got a free car wash in the Cox parking lot
A rainy drive to Cox
CONTINUED….
Anxiously waiting…..
Finally, the unveiling, as Gary and his wife see their new Miata, and the Club members “ooo” and “ahh”!
Donna Noyes takes a picture of the
little red beauty
Noni Cockrum with Larry
Larson’s “fur baby” Gracie
Club members admire the interior
Pam Wilson, Lynn Soller, Leslie
Schmitt, Sandy Rusin
But will 40 pounds of candy fit in that trunk for the
Key West Parade???
JOE CENTOFANTI AWARD PRESENTED TO COX MAZDA
BY NONI COCKRUM
Just before the unveiling of the new fourth generation Miata, our Club President (Dana
Breda) and Christin Commons (Joe Centofanti’s daughter) presented Cox Mazda with a
plaque in Joe Centofanti's memory, our first liaison for Cox Mazda. When Joe passed
away he left a great tradition of love and friendship that still lives in the Miata Club of
Southwest Florida.
Joe loved the club and working with Cox Mazda. His son said it best in a letter to Ruth
Brewer, “He was quite proud of the relationship he built with Cox Mazda and really loved
the people there. When he got a nice sponsorship from them, he was delighted. Had a
big grin that day. Said it was like being back at work, but without the stress.” Joe was a
true word artisan; some of us still use his old letters as a blueprint for the letters we need
to write. He helped many of the club members when they needed advice on how to approach a dealership for sponsorship, put a car show together, or just a new approach to a
car problem.
Joe’s daughter (Christin) and her husband (John Commons) attended the celebration of
Joe’s life and the unveiling of the new fourth generation Miata. The new Miata on the
show room just happened to be Joe’s favorite color combination, bright metallic red with
beige interior, which seemed so fitting for this occasion. Christin and John enjoyed listening to club members’ stories about Joe and the warm feelings they have for Joe. Christin
and John thought the club did a beautiful job thanking an old friend.
President Dana Breda speaking, with
Kelly Cox, dealership owner
Christin (Centofanti) Commons with Kelly Cox
and Dana Breda
The award
presented to
Cox Mazda
Christin and John Commons
MEET YOUR BOARD!
RUTH BREWER, DEALER LIAISON FOR COX MAZDA
My husband Dick and I are probably the longest serving members of our Club since joining approximately
August 1997. We had purchased a ’95 M Edition Merlot Mica a couple of months earlier and then discovered a Miata Club existed in our area (Punta Gorda). There were about 7 or 8 couples who had started the
Club about a year earlier, and these couples along with the Founders, Bob Frantz and John Starke, set the
stage for meeting wonderful down to earth people who enjoyed driving their roadsters, hosting tech sessions at Bob’s garage aka Sparkey’s Garage and at least once a year would hold a huge barbeque at Bob’s
home. We would also frequently take long weekend trips together to such places as Mt. Dora and the Clermont Winery, swimming with the manatees in the Crystal River plus several runs to the Tail of the Dragon
(U.S. 129 in Deals Gap, N. Carolina claiming 318 hairpin turns in 11 miles of road).
Our 1st Generation M Edition led to a 2nd Generation 2001 SE Sunlight Silver Miata followed by a 3rd Generation 2012 MX-5 PRHT Crystal Pearl Mica which is our current Miata. We are curious to see the new 4 th Generation MX-5 Miata that has just entered the showrooms, but we’re so happy with our present Miata, I just
don’t see us making a change, but who knows!!
Prior to becoming snowbirds from Michigan in 1995, I spent my growing up years in Tiffin, Ohio, graduated
from Bowling Green State University with a B.S in Spanish & Sociology and then received my M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from Eastern Michigan University. I met my husband Dick (now married 46 years!)
while we were both employed as Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors for the State of Michigan. We later
owned a career school in Lansing, MI from which we retired 5 years ago. We love wintering in southwest
Florida, but we also love to summer in Laingsburg, MI to spend time with our 2 sons and their families. They
have blessed us with 1 grandson and 3 granddaughters! Whether we are in Florida or Michigan, we enjoy
boating, top down driving (in MI it’s an ’08 VW Convertible) and are active in volunteering in our communities and church. We both look forward to making more new friends in our Club and continuing to travel to
new and exciting places in our little roadsters. We feel truly blessed to belong to such a great Club!
STEVE BOWERS, DEALER LIAISON FOR PALM
MAZDA
I was born in Detroit a long time ago but grew up in the suburb of Allen Park. I went to
Eastern Michigan University and received my B.S. degree in Psychology and my M.A. in
Guidance and Counseling. (I just learned that Ruth Brewer and I were both in that same program at the
same time at Eastern Michigan….we may have been in the same classes! It’s a small world afterall….). I then
spent two years in the Army and ended up doing group counseling in the Fort Hood Drug Rehab program.
After the Army, I worked for the State of Michigan doing Test Development Research with the Employment
Service in a Department of Labor program. The best thing about the job is that is where I met Sandy (now
my wife of 39 years). We enjoyed traveling, antiquing, and spending time on our 36-foot boat “Halseaon.”
After we both retired, we moved to Florida in October, 2001 to the community of Herons Glen.
I have always loved cars and working on them, since my father was an engineer at Fords and developed high
performance parts. I was driving Ford factory experimental cars at the age of 16! I bought my first Miata
(red 1999) because it fit in my garage behind my golf cart! We joined the club in Nov., 2006 and have thoroughly enjoyed all the people, places, and food! We now have a 2003 Garnet Red Mica Miata and plan on
staying in the club as long as we can get in and out of our Miata!
MEET YOUR BOARD!
GARY BLESSING, WEBMASTER
I have been sports car crazy since well before I could drive growing up in Omaha, Nebraska in the 50s. I
have had over fifty cars so far starting with an 1962 MG Midget, hardtop-no soft top, sliding screw on plastic windows, 42HP of 948cc engine. That didn't stop me from autocrossing it or driving around with the
top off hoping it would not rain or snow. My dream car has always been a Lotus Elan, like Emma Peel's. I
kept the MG and various English sports cars through college at the University of Nebraska. Most were
project cars that made me money. That along with working as a mechanic for FIAT, MG, Triumph, Jaguar,
Lotus, SAAB and Mazda dealerships paid for college. Learning to fly and marriage brought changes and a
few sedans but always a sports car and almost no manual transmissions to my household . Even my
wife, Jean's Mazda 6 wagon has a 5speed manual. A 93 Miata purchase in 2001 was so close to an Elan
but without the pain of English cars that I was hooked on Miatas. Way back in 2002, before I moved here
from Wichita, Kansas in 2007 for a job flying a corporate jet, I bought my first new sports car. At the end
of warranty, a cold side supercharger and intercooler from Flying Miata just about doubled the horsepower. I up the boost, changed injectors and computer since then; Tim Allen effect “always more power.” So
kind of hard core on cars. I even road raced an Austin Healey and a Fiat 124 Spyder. I still have my fire
resistant underwear and driving suit but racing the FIAT ended with getting into sailboat racing. Sailing got
me here and all three of my sons are now down in Florida with me. Number one son here has a 99 Red
Miata that is autocrossed and number three has a 95 Black Miata with roll bar from when the wild driving
number two son owned it. Number two drives like he is "Driving Miss Daisy", now in his Corolla automatic. They all can't have the same interests. At least he likes sailboat racing along with the other sons,
their wives and my wife. Being a family affair, sailing events trump Miata events just like it did road racing. Its wonderful to do things with one's adult children.
I am still flying, so my schedule precludes regular attendance to meetings or events, but I want to be one
of the people who help keep things working for the club. My computer skills are laughable to my computer programmer son, but seem to be adequate for our web position. I took this knowing I would have Steven to back me up with any problems. I am always happy to help members with technical issues on the
cars, so don’t be bashful to call me for help. I would even host a “Tech Day” with the Air Capital Miata
Club I used to belong to in Wichita, KS. We would change oil, do tune ups, minor repairs, a top replacement, and even a limited slip differential install during the day. So this position and hosting an event or
two keeps me in touch with the incredible people in our club.
KEY WEST CHRISTMAS PARADE, December 4-5-6, 2015
I know it’s a little early , but time moves faster each day. I have
reserved 10 rooms at the Sugarloaf Lodge again this year. If you
are thinking about going this year, then you might want to reserve
a room; please check their cancellation policy. The phone number is 1-305-745-3211 and tell them you are with the Miata Club of
Southwest Florida.
After you make your reservation, please email me at [email protected] so I can make a list of attendees. That way I can
keep you updated on any changes and get you an itinerary as
things evolve.
Thank you.
Jess Dunham
Miata Event – Punta Gorda Christmas Canal Cruise
Thursday, December 17, 2015, 7:30 pm, Fisherman’s Village, Punta Gorda, FL
Join the fun with the beautiful cruise through the canals of Punta Gorda Isles to oooh
and ahhhh over the lovely Christmas displays on private residences. We will board the
Banana Boat at 7:30 and enjoy this fun filled cruise with Captain JR. This is a covered,
open air boat with tables and bench seats, perfect for your beverages and snacks that
you are allowed to bring on board.
The boat holds a maximum of 49 passengers. Cost is $17.00 per person.
Call Susan at Kingfisher Charters, 941-639-0969, to make your reservation. Tell her you
are with the Miata Group. She will mail your tickets to you. Tickets are refundable up
to two weeks before the event.
Dinner prior to event – details to follow.
Please notify Leslie Schmitt at 651-235-4803 or
[email protected] when you make your reservations so we know how many to expect for dinner.