Presidents Message - January 2024
Good evening club members and friends, and happy new year to everyone. Welcome to 2024 and hopefully your new year resolutions are still being maintained. My resolution for the year is to try and be more punctual with the newsletters. On behalf of all of the club’s officers and committee members, may love and laughter light your days and warm your heart and home for the upcoming year.
Thanks to all who participated in the toy run with the DFW chapter of the Ferrari Club America. I am sorry I could not make it as I came down with an infectious virus and had to isolate for a few weeks. That lasted up to about Christmas, and I have been back to normal for quite a while. I also hope everyone got their 2024 club calendar. Dave Chapman has done an excellent job once more by selecting great photos and handling the publishing logistics.
The Winner’s Circle:
- There are no known winners this last month as car shows tend to take a winter break. But if you do place in a car show, participate in a track event or autocross, let me know and we will celebrate your achievements.
Memberships:
These were due by the end of last year. The cost is still only $36. Go to https://iccntx.org/ and follow the link to the eStore and select the membership renewal. It may not seem like much, but your membership is important as it helps us build up funds in invest in ItalianCarFest and also to maintain things like our website, the eStore, our wonderful club calendar, and participate in fun events throughout the year.
Official Club Activities:
January 20th (this Saturday): we are joining the DFW Fiat Club and some of the Facebook Alfa clubs for a lunch meet up.
Place: Hard Eight Pit BBQ, 688 Freeport Parkway, Coppell. Time: meet at 11:00 to talk cars in the parking lot. Noon: move inside for lunch. This is a rain or shine event. Weather is predicted to be cold but hopefully dry.
February: let me know if anyone would be interested in a club annual dinner. I am thinking Saturday, February 24th. I can set up an evening at Ferrari’s in Grapevine if there is interest. Let me know.
March 9th: in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we will be joining the Fiat club for a lunch meet up at The Irishman, 18101 Preston Road, Suite 102, Dallas. This one is a bit early as they are busy this time of year. Meet up at 10:00 am in the parking lot. Go inside at 11:00 for lunch. A pint of Guinness is on me if you are interested. The menu: http://theirishman.pub/menu.html
April 14th: Fourth Annual Bluebonnet Tour (monthly meet up). This is the annual bluebonnet drive that Michael and Jennifer Brenner put on for the Fiat Club. This is our meet up for April. Details are yet to be determined, but we will meet up at Buc-ees in Ennis, TX. Depending on how Sugar Ridge Winery decides to operate this year, we may have lunch before the Bluebonnet Tour.
May 11th: Texas Fire Museum, monthly meet up. 10:00 am: meet at the Italian Café, 387 E. Las Colinas Blvd, Irving. 11:00 go inside for lunch. The menu: https://italiancafelascolinas.com/lunch. 12:00: depart for the Texas Fire Museum, 2600 Chalk Hill Road, Dallas. 12:30 arrive at the museum and take the tour.
June 8th: A special event – a cruise and a winery! We will be having a short drive and ending up at the Fortunata Winery, a touch of Tuscany in North Texas. This is an event with the Fiat club. Meet at 11:00 am at the Office Depot parking lot, 2909 Forest Lane, Dallas. Talk cars and drivers meeting. 12:00: depart for the Fortunata Winery, 2297 FM 2931 (Main Street), Aubrey, Texas. Route will be: N Josey Ln >>Main St/423>> Left onto University Dr/380>> Right onto Main St/2931>> Left into Fortunata Winer The trip is about 29 miles and takes 58 minute. 1:00 PM: arrive for lunch and wine tasting.
Area and Regional Car Shows and Events:
March 21st – 24th: Fiat Spring Thing 2024: Hosted by the Austin Fiat Club and Gulf Coast Fiats, come join Fiats from across the region for 3 days of driving fun. Alfa Romeos and other Italian cars are welcomed. Events include a TSD Rally, scenic drives, shopping and a K1 Karting outing. Formal registration is free but required. For full details and registration go here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fiat-spring-thing-2024-tickets-749321269087
April 20st Corinthian Vintage Auto Races at Eagles Canyon Raceway, Decatur, TX. Join the Alfa Romeo Owner's Club, the DFW Fiat Club, and perhaps more clubs, to enjoy vintage car racing at Eagles Canyon. CVAR is car racing at its purest. You will be able to walk through the pit areas, check out the cars, and meet the drivers and race crews before the races start. Details TBD. We were able to get in a few parade laps along the racecourse last year, hopefully we can swing that again as it was fun.
April 21st: All British and European Car Day. I believe they have secured the same facility as last year for us, the Bath House Cultural Center. This is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning and afternoon.
April 27th: Vick Autosports Open House and car show, 601 E. Chambers, Cleburne, Tx. Details TBD.
President’s Message:
We still need a few volunteers to fill some club officer vacancies. We need a club secretary as Robbyne Tommasi has stepped down and we need someone to step up. We also need someone to help manage the club’s website. Dave Chapman has done a great job, but he has other tasks that he does for the club and we need someone who is tech savvy and can take this on.
I have enjoyed being your president for many years now and look forward to this year.
There are a lot of wonderful events planed for the year. Join us if you can, it’s ok if you cannot. But most of all, get out there and drive. You may think your Italian car is not a show queen, but to others it is a rarity and will draw attention no matter where you go. Cheers!
Jeff Briggs
Club President
214-259-1400 (Direct)
214-499-0695 (Mobile) 214-953-0722 (Fax)
jbriggs@bdo.com