THE LYONS ROAR

President's News Letter, January, 2012
by Dr. Ron Gaertner, VJC President

Ladies and Gentleman,

Happy New Year! We are at an exciting crossroad!! With the beginning of the New Year, we are six months away from our Virginia concour, and we don't have an event site chosen. Will it be in Richmond, Williamsburg, or elsewhere??

We are eighteen months from the national Challenge Championship when our club will host the national slalom, rally, and concour, but where!?!? Our nuclear membership is busy scouting site that will be unique, tasteful, and geographical accessible to the northeast and southeast, and offers all that is great about Virginia, but cheap. These requirements take some effort to roll into one package over a four day period in June of 2013.

Why are we starting the process so early? We must be approved in our scope of activities by JCNA, have time to obtain sponsors, international speakers, and contract with a host hotel to accommodate 150+ participants.

We were quite successful in putting on the AGM, the Jaguar Annual Meeting, in March 2011, and attracting Jaguar, North America, Norman Dewis, and the XKExperience.

We must do it again. 2013 initiates the new XK sports car; a hybrid, 41 mpg, 186 mph. Would it not be great to have the new car present, and the designer, Ian Callum , from Great Britain?! These will be the goals in our attempt to beat our last national showing.

Our annual meeting and open house will again be at the Murff residence the last Sunday of this month on January 29. Please try to make this meeting for your ideas, and involvement.

Ron Gaertner