Everglades Gimmick Rally

Sebring 12 Hours

It Was No Trick -

It Was the Gimmick Rally at Everglades National Park

AJ Moffitt, Staff Writer Andrew Moffitt, Event Photography

On March 12th, and what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday, members of the Gold Coast Region of the Porsche Club of America met down in Everglades National Park to enjoy the fun of the Everglades Rally and National Park Tour. Not only was I able to cover this event for the Kassette as a staff writer, but my husband, Andrew, and I were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the festivities as participants. This was our first rally, also known as a gimmick rally, and I am certain it won’t be our last!

Organized by the club’s own Dottie and Steve Kidd, the gimmick rally had two take-off times – 9:00 am and 10:00 am. The fee for registration was $15.00 per car. Once registered, participants received a confirmation email instructing them to meet at the Coe Visitor Center at the front of Everglades National Park and to look for Dottie, Steve, and the multitude of Porsche flags. Upon arrival, participants checked in as either drivers or navigators. They were given a wristband to identify their participation, and they could get bottled water, sunscreen, and bug spray. This was a necessity since the event was in the Everglades, after all.

In short, a gimmick rally is very similar to a scavenger hunt. You are given a list of questions or tasks to complete, with each item being worth a certain number of points. After driving around the designated area and answering the questions, you submit your responses to be tallied. In the case of a tie, the team with the shorter time would place higher.

Fifteen minutes before each of the two start times, Steve held a brief meeting explaining what the rally entailed and giving participants an opportunity to ask any last-minute questions. Once questions and answers were over, the navigators grabbed their clipboards containing rally questions, final instructions, and a pen.

Andrew and I were scheduled for the 10:00 am departure, so we arrived on-site just before 9:30 am. As we traveled from North Broward County, the first stop we made was to the restrooms. As we approached the buildings, we saw many of the 9:00 am participants looking at the signage and seeking answers to the rally questions. Some teams seemed to be more competitive, keeping their answers secret from others. Other teams, however, were more open with their responses and would share what they found among each other. After using the facilities, Andrew and I headed back to the checkin area. I had an opportunity to speak to other participants and find out about their adventures. The first group that I spoke to was Herman Duran and Carmen Molina from Kendall. It was their first PCA event, and when I asked about the experience, Herman’s reply was overly positive, “So far, it’s awesome. We’re meeting some people. We’re having fun. It’s a great time of the day to be out here. I’m not an early bird, but I made it out here because I wanted to hang out with some Porsche enthusiasts. This is my first year and my first event, and I’ve already met four or five people who are as excited about Porsches as I am, and it’s just a great event to meet like-minded people.” We spoke for just a few minutes because they were still at the beginning of the rally, and they needed to complete the next set of tasks.

Andrew walked around taking pictures before the start, so I went and found a seat on a bench, where I sat next to Peggy Raben, a 15-year member. Peggy and her husband, Paul, live in Fort Lauderdale and own a 2002 996 Twin Turbo, a 1986 930 Widowmaker, and a 1964 356 with removable hardtop. The two have done many events, including gimmick rallies, before. In addition to being PCA members, they also belong to the local Florida Owner’s Group, also called FOG, which is unaffiliated with PCA but aimed at 356 owners. She loves being in groups that are as helpful as PCA and explained to me, “Joining both the clubs has been a treasure-trove of information for us on repairs – who does the best job. And then my husband likes to work on our cars himself, so he gets a lot of details and clues and tips from other owners. It’s been wonderful.”

I chatted a bit more with my bench mate until it was time for the 10:00 am group to get our instructions. Steve had us gather close, where he told us what we would need to do, and he had his sense of humor in tow. “It should be a lot of fun today.

Park Signage

You’re going to be starting here. And you’re going to start by walking in that direction. If I see anybody hop in their car and head that way, I’ll be here watching and shaking my head.” We all chuckled. Steve finished giving us the information we needed, and we were on our way.

The view behind the Coe Center

Groups headed towards the nearby signage where some of the first questions could be answered. Questions included, “Where was the bronze partner statue made?” and “What number would you call to report violations?”

It was necessary to go inside of the Coe Visitor Center to answer some of the inquiries. If you had flipped your page over (as Andrew and I, unfortunately, had not) you would see that bonus questions included getting stamps from four of the locations we would be visiting. Let me just say, “Oops.”

If you do get a chance to visit the Coe Visitor Center at Everglades National Park, make sure to exit through the back and take a moment to appreciate the scenery. There are two rocking chairs and some benches that you can sit on and take in the gorgeous weather and breathtaking views.

After finishing our answers at the Coe center, we headed to our next stop, Royal Palm. Along the way, more questions plagued us, including, “What is the speed limit at .1 miles after you go past the entrance booth?” Arriving at Royal Palm, we noticed a car with a blue tarp over it. Thinking it it must be broken down, we steered clear of it as we parked our car. Soon after, we noticed the sign. “WARNING. Vultures May Damage Vehicles. Vultures in this area are attracted to the rubber around windshields, sunroofs, and windshield wipers. Use provided tarps to cover vehicles.” I guess the car wasn’t broken down, after all. We knew we wouldn’t be there too long, so we didn’t bother to grab a tarp. Instead, we reviewed the area to answer a few questions and unknowingly missed the second opportunity to get a passport stamp. Might I say “oops” yet again? Upon completing the answers at Royal Palm, our next stop was the Nike Missile Site. Andrew was excited to take a picture of our Boxster in front of the buildings. “When else would I have an opportunity to take a picture of my car in front of a Nike site?” he joyfully said as he snapped away. There were two buildings to visit containing Nike missiles, and by this point, we had noticed the four empty squares on the back of the page. At the first building, there was a stamper – so THAT’S what those squares are for! I applied the stamp, realizing that we were already down 10 bonus points, as each stamp was worth 5 points. It’s a good thing we were just there for fun!

Vultures...who knew? The next and final stop of the rally was the Flamingo Visitor Center. While there, we met a lovely park employee, Roxanne Zastrow, who was happy to assist us in answering some of the questions. This wouldn’t be considered cheating, would it? We again got stamped (two out of four isn’t bad) and finished answering the rest of the questions. Steve and Dottie, along with some participant volunteers, were just outside scoring the submissions. After you answered all that you could and turned in your sheet, you had an opportunity to grab a soda, water, or snacks, plus you had a chance to peek at the answers.

Once done submitting answers, many opted to head to Schnebly Redland’s Winery & Brewery in Homestead, whose website tells us they are the southernmost winery in the United States (https:// schneblywinery.com/.) We were seated in the Grand Tiki Ballroom, though some participants arrived earlier than others and opted to dine at Schnebly’s brewery and bar. Jorge Martinez and his wife Margarita, who joined PCA in 2017, had gotten to the restaurant earlier than some, so they sat and ordered some luscious entrees before joining the rest of the bunch. PCA members continued to trickle in until we had four tables filled up. Before the food arrived, Steve and Dottie went to the front of the restaurant to announce the first, second, and third-place winners. In third place, with 56 points, were John and Celia Layzell. Second place went to Christy Spangler and Russ Karnap, who had met

once, and only briefly, before the event, but got paired together for the first time at the rally. Though they also had 56 points, they completed the rally in a slightly shorter time. First place went to Maria Armas and Julie Jones, who unfortunately were not at Schnebly’s to receive their trophy, but they had an amazing score of 59 out of a possible 60 maximum points.

Julie, who hails from Pensacola, had suffered from COVID in Jan, and experienced a slow recovery—it’s as if all of the stresses of life have affected her. Maria gave her an excuse to visit, and Maria explained, “I called her and said I need a navigator, so she came down. We went to the event and it was so much fun— it’s the type of event that is low-stress, and you can get out of your head by concentrating on what you need to do. Life’s little problems have no opportunity to sneak back in. It was the perfect respite for both of us. It gives you some clarity of mind. You can see other problems in a different light. It was great.”

As the parties finished dining, the rain was heading in, so many finished eating quickly to beat the downpour. It was a great day full of fun and friends, and Andrew and I are excited to participate in the next rally. And next time, we’ll certainly do better and look at the questions on both the front AND the back before we begin! If you’re interested in joining future gimmick rallies or other great club goings-on that require pre-registering, visit https:// clubregistration.net/. Also, check your email or right here in the Kassette for information on things you don’t need to register in advance for. For example, Porsches and Pancakes, held the first Saturday of each month, or the Thursday night socials held the third Thursday of each month. Both events have multiple locations available, so feel free to try one or try them all!

1st 2nd Jorge and Margarita Martinez