December, 2013 - January, 2014 www.kcmbca.org Uplift Donation Saturday a Success
In this issue: Columns
Presidents Message
by Bob Smith
2
Feature Articles & Photos
Uplift Saturday 1, 4 Winter Gala Information 2 First-Sunday Drive Changes 5 Wisconsin Rallye Story 5 MindDrive Electric Cars 6
Miscellaneous Rants, Raves and Ramblings
Officers and Board 5 Logo Shop 9 NTB Tire Discount 9 Uplift 9 Tire Rack Rebate 9 Advance Auto Rebate 9 Request from NBO 9 Loyalty Rewards Program 9 New Members 11 Car Club Network 11 How to Join MBCA 11
Coming Up Dec. - March
Winter Gala SpaĂ&#x;nacht Dates Calendar
2 5 12
Jim Schmidt and two special guests, Coop and Larry, attended the November breakfast meeting. Jim is the Service Manager at Aristocrat Motors and a longtime volunteer in the Uplift Organization, Inc. in Kansas City. Each Saturday and Wednesday Jim prepares food and sees that the food and other items of clothing and toiletries are delivered to the homeless in the area, of Jim Schmidt, Aristocrat Motors Service Manager which there are many. Each and UpLift volunteer relates his experience with November the Kansas City UpLift. Jim was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of UpLift. Section makes donations to Photo by Bob Smith Uplift. Members donated food and clothing, and cash donations exceeding $700.00. Recently, the The City of Kansas City, Missouri notified Uplift that it is preparing an ordinance to make it illegal to give out food on the street for the benefit of the homeless because of the concern of food quality. Because of this, Uplift is coordinating an effort with the Salvation Army to try and find a resolution of the issue. Thanks to the generosity of Aristocrat Motors, there are now four vehicles in use by Uplift for the distribution of food to the homeless. Jim showed off the newest vehicle, a Ram Sprinter, which was outfitted complements of Eveland Brothers Collision Repair with custom made racks and shelves in the cargo space. Coop and Larry enjoyed their time at the breakfast. They both expressed how much they appreciate what the Kansas City Section’s donations mean to them. More photos and captions on pg. 4
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President’s Message by Mark Moody
Mark Moody, President Photo by Morgan Klepac
Greetings Benz Friends, I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving Holiday, filled with good food and good company. As you may know Jeff Klepac and I recently presented a proposal that many of our board members had prepared to the National Board of Directors for MBCA. This proposal, to host StarFest 2014 next September in Topeka went well, however the board has asked that we revise the proposal and resubmit it to the board. We are currently working to do so now. This is an exciting opportunity for our section to host the national event for our club. For those of you who have not attended a national or regional event, this presents a great opportunity to attend the event close to home and meet fellow club members from around the country. For me, attending these events has brought me new friends, and the chance to travel and see places in our beautiful country. This event will also mean that we will need lots of help, there are lots of things to be done between now and next September. Stay tuned for more information to come. Mark Moody, President Mercedes-Benz Club of America | Kansas City Section
More about the Winter Gala
Gala
January 11, 2014 Tatsu’s French Restaurant Social 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM
4603 W. 90th St. Prairie Village, Ks.
Look for your invitation and reservation form to arrive in the mail, and make your reservations soon.
Donna Ryan and her crew of volunteers are working hard on the details for the 2014 Winter Gala. Look for your invitation and RSVP form to arrive in your mail in December. The menu is set for a meal of shrimp appetizer, salad, beef and salmon, sweet potato and dessert. A cash bar well be provided. A substantial door prize will be awarded to a lucky winner. Trophies and awards will presented for those who participated in the Smith Rallye, the DD/AX, and the Concourse d’Elegance events during 2013. The cost is only $50.00 per person. So lets make this years’ Winter Gala the best attended yet! Send in your reservations promptly.
Monthly, Third Monday 6:30 PM
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Handle with care
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A MEMBER OF THE SOAVE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
9400 W 65th Street | Merriam, KS | 913.677.3300 | aristocratmotors.com
10% off service for MBCA members
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As a proud KCMBCA member and an equally proud owner of a Mercedes-Benz from Joe Machens, I understand how customers should be treated. I am a certified new and preowned Mercedes-Benz Sales Representative and would love to talk with you about your next vehicle purchase. We feature a wide selection of new and certified pre-owned Mercedes-Benz models. Personal vehicle delivery to Kansas City (or any outlying location) is available.
JAMES SPALLO
Mercedes-Benz Sales Representative (573) 886-7040 (913) 963-9501 (mobile) jspallo@machens.com machensmercedes.com
TM
butlerbody.com
Butler’s C & D Body Shop At Joe Machens, your5747 Kessler • Merriam, KS 66203 • Tel: (913) 262-9109 • Fax: (913) 262-28 absolute satisfaction is my Web: www.butlerbody,com number one priority. Sincerely, James
5747 Kessler Merriam, Kansas 66203
Joe Machens Columbia’s All-New Mercedes-Benz Facility
1710 I-70 Drive SW Columbia, MO
Butler’s C & D Body Shop
Tel: (913) 262-9109 Fax: (913 262-2828 Web: www.butlerbody.com
More Uplift Photos from page 1
Photos by Bob Smith
Above: Jim Schmidt introduced our guest, Larry. Larry is one of hundreds that Uplift serves and he wanted to use this opportunity to say to us how thankful he is.
Above: Coop, our guest at the membership breakfast, expressed how grateful he is for Uplift. He said he feels blessed by the generosity of the people in Uplift. Right: Aristocrat Motors generously expanded the Uplift fleet with this Ram Sprinter. Eveland Brothers Collision Repair fabricated and installed custom interior shelving and lighting.
Above: KC Section member, Dudley Smith, inspects the Ram Sprinter equipped by Eveland Brothers to provide efficient transportation and distribution of meals and other necessities to the homeless.
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2014 MBCA Kansas City Section
Spaßnacht Find out more: www.kcmbca.org Click on “Club Info”
Officers
Officers and Board Members Phone E-mail
Mark Moody, president Kevin Arburn, vice president Helen Hull, secretary Kevin Arburn, treasurer Jeff Klepac, past president
Board of Directors ________________ December 15, 6:30 PM
Wallaby’s
9562 Lackman Rd. Lenexa, Ks. _________________
January 20, 2014 6:30 PM
Maloneys Sports Bar & Grill 7201 W. 79th St, Overland Park, Ks. _________________
Febraury 17, 2014 6:30 PM
Bob Del Popolo Donna Ryan Rich Carlson Bob Smith Joyce Smith Dudley Smith Ian Harns John Ryan Lisle Kauffmann
Newsletter Editor Bob Smith
(913) 685-8573 mark@kcmbca.org (913) 648-7675 kevin@kcmbca.org (913) 568-3310 helen@kcmbca.org (913) 648-7675 (913) 782-5865 jeff@kcmbca.org
(913) 888-2617 bob.d@kcmbca.org (913) 268-1252 donna@kcmbca.org (913) 897-0260 rich@kcmbca.org (913) 268-8984 newsletter@kcmbca.org (913) 338-0766 (913) 338-0766 (816) 812-9495 ian@kcmbca.org (913) 543-1252 grownup@kcmbca.org (701) 728-6329 lisle@kcmbca.org
(913) 268-8984 newsletter@kcmbca.org Webmeister-Administrator John Ryan (913) 268-1252 grownup@kcmbca.org
Membership Director Bob Del Popolo
(913) 888-2617
membership@kcmbca.org
(913) 543-1252
jlryan@kc.surewest.net
Midwest Regional Director John Ryan
Chappell’s
323 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, Mo. 64116 _________________
March 17, 6:30 PM
Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ 11950 Strang Line Rd. Olathe, Ks. _________________
New Schedule for First-Sunday Drives Because of the uncertainties of having good weather during the winter months and there being fewer interesting places available to visit in cold weather, the First-Sunday Drive schedule has been changed. The Board has voted to discontinue our First-Sunday Drive events for December, January, February and March. The event will resume April 6th, 2014.
Ryans Drive a Wisconsin Rallye Picturesque Door County, Wisconsin was the scene of a Rallye by the Wisconsin Section in which John Ryan, Midwest Regional Director, and his wife Donna participated in October. The Wisconsin Rallye scores are heavily weighted on actual miles driven, even having an odometer variation correction. There are check points along the way as well as a 20-minute break in the middle. The Ryans lost more points for driving 8/10 of a mile too far than they did for missing only one of the many questions. They said the scenery was beautiful despite the rain and they enjoyed the 1,600 mile trip.
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MindDrive Students Build Electric Powered Vehicles in School Story and photos by Mark Moody
For the October Saturday breakfast meeting we made a special visit to the MindDrive location. MindDrive has for the past few years worked with students in Kansas City, providing them with an opportunity to work on several project cars. We arrived at their facility midmorning on a Saturday when the day’s sessions were in full swing. Currently the students are working on four different VW Karmann Ghia’s, converting them to electric drive, similar to what they did last year. We were able to tour the facility and watch as the work progressed, and ask questions of the students and
their mentors. MindDrive also has a communications class where students work on various types of media: writing, photography and video. Be sure to visit their website www.minddrive.org for more details about the program. Our tour guide, Audrey Navarro, thanked us for visiting MindDrive and said that the students and staff enjoyed having us. She has a list of things that volunteers can do to help support the organization which our board will discuss at an upcoming board meeting. Right photo, Left to right: KC Section members; Mark Moody, Helen Hull, Ed Harper, Norm Kressmann, Lisle Kauffman, Bob Del Popolo and Jack Williams at the MindDrive School in Kansas City.
Audrey Navarro explains electric car technology to Ed Harper, left and Lisle Kauffman.
Complete Garage
15209 W. 87th Street Lenexa, KS 66219 913-322-9175
For the best in Car Care For all your detailing needs, visit us at the Complete Garage. We have Griot’s full line of car care products. Save the shipping and get it today.
www.Complete-Garage.com
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Refinishing
Straightening
Remanufacturing
Kansas City’s independent Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Lexus, Land Rover and Audi repair shop.
5400 Antioch Rd. Merriam, Kansas 66202 913-432-7800
Not just your average garage...
Bosch Authorized Service
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Eveland Bros. Collision Repair
Certified Mercedes-Benz Collision Repair Center • Vehicles restored to pre-accident condition • Expert color matching • Foreign and domestic
• Factory trained technicians • State of-the-art equipment • Rental cars available
Call for an appointment
• Insurance claims assistance • Environmentally safe • Written limited lifetime warranty
913-262-6050
7200 W. Frontage Road, Shawnee Mission, KS 66203
www.evelandbros.com
CoreFirst Bank & Trust was a major sponsor of the Mid-America Caravan in 2009
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MBCA|KC Logo Shop
Our section can now offer the Club Logo and special events graphics to be embroidered onto hundreds of different items ranging from T-Shirts to Polos, Jackets to Jerseys, and everything in between. Item(s) will be delivered to your mailbox or doorstep. And, every item purchased provides additional revenue to the section’s treasury to help fund the great events where you’ll be wearing your new “duds”. Head over to our website, www.kcmbca.org and click on Logo Shop.
2013-14 Loyalty Rewards Program (U.S.)
Advance Auto Parts offers many online-only specials and rebates to our section with 8% of the sale being returned to the KC Section. You can have your order shipped to your home, or pick it up at your neighborhood Advance Auto Parts store. Just click on the Advance Auto Parts banner ad on our website, www.kcmbca.org, and you will be taken to their websites to shop.
Mercedes-Benz, Members can take $500 off a NEW 2013 or 2014 Mercedes-Benz and combine that discount with a second MBUSA Dealer incentive — including guest appreciation certificates, seasonal event discounts like Summer and Winter Clearance sales and other Dealer offers. In some cases, you may actually SAVE MORE THAN $500 when you combine discounts.
Request from the NBO
There is a link to TireRack on the Kansas City Section’s website, www.kcmbca.org. Click the link, which is the logo shown above, to enter the TireRack website to buy their products. The K.C. Section receives a small rebate when you purchase their products through our website.
With every email and address update that we receive at the NBO, (either by website, phone, email or snail mail), we will send a 10 % Off Coupon for one item in the Club Store. One coupon per member will be sent electronically (so it must include a valid email address). Please send these updates to Geni at geni@mbca.org. Remember, incorrectly mailed items cost the club money!
NTB Offers Discount to KCMBCA Members
Uplift Organization, Inc. accepts donations of goods and funds. See the Uplift website at www.uplift.org for a list of needed items and how to donate them.
NTB National Tire & Battery is offering a discount for KCMBCA members. Offer is only available at the 119th & Metcalf store. The new contact name at the 7333 West 119th St. 66213 store is Corey Ross - Manager 913.338.5030. Mention account number 9136608439 and your club membership to the salesman/service writer.
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Willkommen New Members ! J. P. Ader Timothy Hall Dan Hayes Lawrence Jeffries Ann Lenertz Mark Smith
Chillicothe, Mo. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Topeka, Ks. Columbia, Mo. Overland Park, Ks. Manhattan, Ks.
We look forward to meeting you soon at one of our events.
Monthly,
Gala
Third Monday 6:30 PM
January 11, 2014 Tatsu’s French Restaurant Details on Pg. 2.
Join Mercedes-Benz Club of America Kansas City Section • Bi-monthly issues of our award-winning, full-color national magazine, The Star, and bi-monthly issues of our award-winning section newsletter, der Benz! • Owner Loyalty Program with a $500.00 Discount Certificate good on the purchase of certain M-B vehicles. • 15% discount on parts, labor and accessories at Aristocrat Motors and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City. • National events with a wide variety of driving and social events, technical information and active discussion forums.
• Local events: Monthly breakfast meetings and pub nights, tech sessions, dining events, historic and driving tours, autocross and driver education events, rallyes, track events, picnics, annual holiday party, charitable events, concours, and more. Your membership includes an associate membership for another person in your household in the MercedesBenz Club of America and the Kansas City Section. Ownership of a MercedesBenz not a prerequisite. 1 year $49, 2 years $95, 3 years $139.
JOIN NOW! Call
Bob Del Popolo cell 913-269-4498 email bob.d@kcmbca. org or go to www.mbca.org 1-800-637-2360
Car Club Network The Car Club Network is a customized video player that we’ve added to our club website. The network has a variety of channels updated constantly with content designed just for automotive enthusiasts like us. Included in the playlist is our own customized channel, Kansas City MBCA TV, where we can add videos from our events, recaps of our meetings and anything else we want to add. It’s completely free to us with no maintenance or other fees. So check it out on the home page of our site http://www. kcmbca.org And, if you have YouTube videos of our events and happenings, please forward their YouTube addresses for review to webmaster@kcmbca.
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First-Class Mail U.S. postage paid shawnee mission, ks permit no. 1131
6532 W 134th St. Overland Park, KS 66209
December
Dec. 1 No First-Sunday Drive*. Dec. 7 Breakfast Meeting, First Watch, Shawnee, Ks. 9 AM. Speaker, KCPD. Dec. 16 Spaßnacht, 6:30 PM, Wallaby’s 9562 Lackman Rd. Lenexa, Ks.
January
Jan. 4 Jan. 5 Jan. 11 Jan. 20
Breakfast Meeting, First Watch, Shawnee, Ks. 9 AM. Speaker Joe Tasler, Sports Car Club of America. No First-Sunday Drive*. Winter Gala, Tatsu’s French Restaurant, 6:00 PM. Spaßnacht, 6:30 PM, Maloneys Sports Bar & Grill, 7201 W. 79th St, Overland Park, Ks.
For the latest list of events, visit our Web site at: www.kcmbca.org
February
Feb. 1 Feb. 2 Feb. 17
Breakfast Meeting, First Watch, Shawnee, Ks. 9 AM. Speaker, Tom Strongman, Automotive writer and photographer. No First-Sunday Drive*. Spaßnacht, 6:30 PM, Chappell’s 323 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, Mo. 64116
March
Mar. Mar. Mar.
1 Breakfast Meeting, First Watch, Shawnee, Ks. 9 AM. 2 No First-Sunday Drive*. 17 Spaßnacht, 6:30 PM, Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ 11650 Strang Line Rd. Olathe, Ks.
Smart Phone Users, click this QR Code and our website will magically appear on your phone.
* First-Sunday Drives will resume April 6, 2014.
What activities would you like to do with your Benz friends in 2014? Contact a board member and let them know.
Breakfast is at 9 AM the first Saturday of each month at the First Watch, Shawnee Mission Pkwy. at Nieman Rd., Shawnee, KS. Order your favorites from the menu. Individual checks.