Driving Tour Staging Hosted by the always-engaging and entertaining (and Arizona Region member) Mark Shevitz, the Concours d'Elegance and PCA National Awards Banquet on Tuesday evening featured an address by PCA President Tom Gorsuch, talks from Porsche and PCNA dignitaries, and the presentation of national awards: The Lazar Blanchard PCA Enthusiast of the Year, The Porsche Family of the Year, The Ferry Porsche Trophy for PCA Region of the Year, The Zone Representatives Award, and The Porsche Concours d'Elegance Awards. See list of award winners here: https://www.porscheparade.org//concours-results-2022 A tradition each year at this banquet is to ask everyone to stand, then sit based on the number of PCA Parades they have attended. Of the 800+ in attendance, our Arizona Region friends Rob and Kerry Biddle were among the last standing! Check out the video: https://
www.facebook.com/PorscheParade/videos/752838126155766
It was a long day for Debbie and me, so we ducked out early so we could get some sleep before the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. the next morning.
Wednesday-Thursday Though mornings were busy, once the last tour group departed we had a chance to relax and took time to socialize with friends old and new, and checked out the Hospitality area and Parade Store (I found a nice event polo that goes well with my mostly red-andblack Porsche wardrobe!). I was glad to have a chance to say “Hi” to Charlotte Chirinos, who was in charge of the store, and who as PCA Member Services Manager has been my “Most Valuable Resource” whenever our club has had a question or issue that required attention from the National office. She is always responsive, conscientious, and a delight to work with. Most afternoons were free and offered time for us to head out in our Nissan Kicks rental vehicle to explore the area, following routes suggested in “Destination Drives” Greg had developed for those who chose not to participate in the guided driving tours or who wished to head out on their own to a destination not covered by the guided tours. On Thursday we took the scenic drive to Jim Thorpe, PA, a town renamed in 1954 in honor of the famous athlete whose exploits in the early 1900s made him a national hero. Jim Thorpe, the town, is quaint and historic, with its major feature being the Lehigh Railway that hauled coal from the mines in the area. The railway now offers tours in historic rail cars through the scenic Lehigh Gorge.
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