The Arizona Chapter is blessed with year around perfect driving weather and sheer cliff mountains that are over 100 million years old. So while things physically hadn’t changed much after our little 3-month self-quarantine, the Club’s excitement level of breaking out onto our ridiculously twisty mountain roads is off the charts. And the Arizona Drive n’ Dines search for the perfect greasy food at the perfect tiny town diner is officially back on!
Pre-quarantine, our goal was to be the busiest Chapter in the country with a scheduled 52 Audi-centric events for 2020, mostly combination Social and Wheels Down events. And “busiest” is still our goal!
We will have a minimum 2 wheels-down events a month, plus a couple Meetups a month at our favorite neighborhood establishments thrown in. We will get back on our favorite Arizona Audi road, AZ 89A to Jerome, an old mountainside town that mined copper in the 1900’s and successfully mines tourists and foodies today. We’ll get a guided tour of the Penske Racing Museum, led by a former Penske pit crewmember. We’ll also tour Arizona’s largest brewery and distiller (Ohhh, this might turn into a semi-annual event!) We’ll see Mission San Xavier del Bac, a mission that is actively in use today that was founded in 1692.
We will resume our monthly social Meetups, rotating to an adult beverage establishment near your house soon. A professional night photo shoot is planned under the Audi-loving LED street lights of High Street. A couple overnights are scheduled, one to SoCal Big Euro in San Diego (over 200 Audis last year!) and another to explore only-one-on-the-planet Arizona monuments and sites. We can’t forget another Arizona classic, the Buffalo Chip Saloon for Friday night bull riding, of course. And, yes, we do think you can ride the bull without spilling either of your drinks.
A new Board of Directors has been appointed to keep this sprint turned marathon running at full tilt.
Our new Board is:
Leanne Kopras, Chairwomen
Randy Nelson, President
Kelly Batton, Vice President
John Lee, Treasurer
David Rindone, Secretary
Dan Klaudt, Director
We are undergoing some internal tightening of the ship, with our Bylaws updated to reflect our new structure, two signatures required on Club checks going forward, monthly reporting requirements instituted, etc. Ah, that cute little Arizona Chapter is growing into adulthood!