Off to a Roaring Start in 2021!
LAST REMINDER: SHARE YOUR BEST STORY FROM 2020!
Today is the last day of our Best Story from 2020 contest. It all ends at midnight tonight. It’s easy to enter, and I’ve already received several entries and lots of great photos. There will be a winner of the $250 Visa gift card! Larry and Carolyn Braxton have graciously volunteered to be our unbiased panel of judges, and their decision will be final. We will publish all the entries in our upcoming Spring Horizons newsletter, along with as many photos as we can fit into the edition.
Here are the particulars to submit an entry:
As upside-down as 2020 was for all of us, there may be some positivity that came out of last year. So, just tell us how 2020 created something positive in your life. It could be that new “lock-down recipe” you tried (gotta share it), that magnificent beard you guys grew (need a pic), that new workout routine (yes, I need to lose my lock-down weight), that project you finally completed, home improvement idea you finished, new hobby you launched, new job, new home, new business, new travel adventure (lots to see in the USA), new what-ever! We want to know what our members did to retain their sanity and enjoy life in 2020.
Send your stories to me at the HCR email address at the bottom, plus pictures if appropriate (ahem, if no picture, it didn’t happen). Here’s what we will do with them: our afore-mentioned, highly qualified panel of judges will review all submissions. The panel will select their favorite stories and photos, and those will be published in the next edition of our Horizons newsletter (Spring edition). Deadline for entries is midnight, January 31, 2021. Photos should be high-quality and in standard photo file format.
Remember, the winner receives a $250 Visa gift card! You can’t win if you don’t enter! (You can buy a lot of cool stuff at the new online Porsche Austin store with that amount: https://shop.porscheaustin.com).
Let’s All Go Touring
Our fabulous Grand Master Champion Tourmaster, Chris McChesney, has announced two (2) tours coming up, and they are both already listed on the HCR Club Calendar on our website: hcrpca.org.
Kent Black’s BBQ Tour
The date is Saturday, February 13th. We already have 88 registered for the event….88! For this tour, we are heading back down to the new Black’s BBQ location in New Braunfels. Kent Black is a Horizons advertiser and big supporter of HCR, and we would like to show him some support in return! So, come hungry if you choose to stay and eat afterwards. The tour will end at the restaurant. We will wind our way down to Wimberly, over the Devil’s Backbone, through Canyon City (rest stop), and finally down the river road to New Braunfels.
If you don’t wish to stay for lunch, that’s OK…register and take the drive anyway. As usual, the tour starting point and gathering time will be published by our Tourmaster and emailed out to all registrants 1-2 days before the event. Please register at: clubregistration.net
HCR Annual Bluebonnet Tour
Here it is, our world-famous Bluebonnet Tour (that always sells out). The date is Saturday, March 27 (weather permitting). More details to follow soon, and we will let you know when the event is opened for registration on clubregistration.net. For now, SAVE THE DATE!
REMEMBER: Each adult participant must register separately on clubregistration.net, for each event, and using their own account. The eSignatures feature must be enabled on your account, and you must tap on the buttons (on your Dashboard where the event shows up) to request the eSignature links be emailed to you…COVID waiver is good for 1 year for all events, and the PCA waiver must be completed for each event). Minor children must have their form completed and signed at event check-in. If you need help getting registered and/or figuring out the eSignature part, when you log onto clubregistration, there is a help document that can be found under the My Account tab (tabs are across the top of your Dashboard screen), then in the dropdown box click on “eSignatures, How To”. Or get in touch with me and I can help you.
If you don’t do your eSignatures, you won’t be allowed to go on the drives!
Tech Session at XPel Austin
Tuffy and I had a great visit with the folks at the XPel location in N. Austin on Tuesday. As a result, we likely just landed a new sponsor and advertiser (working out the details). But we definitely have a Tech Session scheduled for Saturday, March 13. We will use the same format as they recently performed for the Tesla club. We will gather up outside for our usual check-in with coffee and breakfast tacos, and small groups will be circulated throughout the business during the morning. Their facility is HUGE, both the indoor reception area as well as the shop area in the back.
We will follow all COVID protocols for local, state and PCA requirements. XPel is well-versed in the protocols…they will even include a forehead temperature check pre-screen at event check-in.
Watch for this event to open up out on clubregistration.net in the next week or so. It’s already posted on our club calendar.
CARRERA OF THE AMERICAS
The 2021 Carrera of the Americas Club Race and Advanced Solo DE is scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2021 at Circuit of the Americas. This event features both wheel-to-wheel racing and an Advanced Drivers Education event for solo drivers only.
Registration for the race opens January 11. The DE registration also opens January 11. Both the DE and Club Race registration will be at ClubRegistration.net
There are also now additional Schnell Fest dates loaded onto our calendar for March/April, June, and November. This is shaping up to possibly be one of the busier track calendars HCR has had of late.
SAVE THE DATE: ALL MEMBER SPRING FLING
This is our annual “Holiday Party” that we had to reschedule from this past December. We’ve set the date for May 1, 2021 and it’s at the same venue: The Hills of Lakeway Clubhouse…same place we held the Holiday Party in 2019. Anyway, we’ve set the date and just moved our deposit out to May 1.
Watch for more details coming soon here and out on our HCR website Calendar.
AUTOCROSS – SAVE THE DATE
May 8, 2021 at the Travis County Expo Center. The event is now open for registration at www.clubregistration.net. If you are interested in volunteering for the AX committee or just want information, contact AX Chair Alfred Freudenberger or Asst. Chair Alan Neiman at ax@hcrpca.org.
OPEN POSITIONS
HCR has open volunteer positions where we could really use some help. Those are:
* Membership Chair – Gordie is filling this role in the interim, but we need someone to take it over, as Gordie cannot fill both this role and Board Secretary long-term. If you enjoy communicating with people, this role is a good fit for you.
* Social Chair (A Standing Committee Chair and a voting member of the HCR BOD). At some point, we will be able to get back to doing some social events. Helping to plan events with other coordinators is the primary objective, along with planning our larger annual events like Spring Fling, New Member Picnic, and Holiday Party are primary goals.
* Community Service Coordinator – this position works to coordinate events with our two charitable organizations: Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Texas Burn Survivors.
If anyone has interest in the open positions, please contact me and I can give you more information. My contact information is at the end of this email.
WE ARE BLOOD
We want to urge all members to remember We Are Blood. The pandemic is still with us and they need blood and plasma, especially if you became infected and have recovered. We Are Blood has added a new service that should be useful. Everyone who donates blood will have their blood tested for COVID antibodies. It takes about one week to get the results. This is NOT a test to see if you’re infected, only to see if you have the antibodies from having had past exposure. Read more at:
https://weareblood.org/blog/we-are-blood-covid-19-antibody-testing/
If you choose to donate, give them the group code of D103 or indicate that you are donating on behalf of “Hill Country Region Porsche Club of America.”
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES (DSS)
Our first event of the 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) was held on Tuesday January 19. The focus was on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb (PPHC) and featured Jeff Zwart and Kathy Mead. As predicted, this DSS was well-attended by members from around Zone 5, and didn’t disappoint. It’s unbelievable the preparation these racers go through to successfully compete, and complete, the run up the mountain.
For those of you who missed the DSS, the webcast can now be found out on the Hill Country Region website, under Activities/Distinguished Speaker Series tabs.
Many thanks to Gordie Robbins and Bill Plein for recording and posting the webinar for all to enjoy!
ANNUAL MEETING
On Saturday January 23rd the Board of Directors held the Annual Members’ Meeting virtually via Zoom webinar.
Our agenda was absolutely packed. Caren Cooper and West Dillard gave us all a great update from PCA National. Chuck Bush provided the same from our Region 5. Bruce Harris worked his usual magic with our year-end Financials, and everyone got a chance to see the makeup of our Executive Council and Board of Directors, and all our Event Coordinators. Finally, we presented our 2020 annual awards, including Volunteer of the Year, Enthusiast of the Year, and the very special Rika Preuss Award. We also acknowledged all our sponsors and advertisers, and they all receive a cool plaque. Tuffy and I already made a run this this past week, handing out 7 of our sponsor plaques…we only have 15 more to deliver! Each time we hand one over in person, it is such a reward to see the faces of our sponsors and advertisers just light up at the recognition. It’s awesome!
I do have to acknowledge that we had a technical “glitch” in the webinar, and weren’t actually able to take questions from the audience. Sorry about that, and we will try to ensure that doesn’t happen again (yes, we are still “learning” zoom tips and tricks). But, again, thanks to Gordie and to Bill, the event recording AND the slide deck we used are now both posted here on the Hill Country Region website, under the tabs About Us/Documents.
Our objective continues to be to keep our membership up to date on what is going on in HCR, as well as PCA nationally. Please remember, our goal is to deliver events that allow you to participate safely, and to ensure you have fun!
Any questions or comments, please let me know.
Charlie Sparks
President – Hill Country Region
Porsche Club of America
918.510.3604
Charlie@hcrpca.org
president@hcrpca.org
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