President's Message Winter

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The Minuteman Section is in the planning stages for our 2012 events, there are some new and some old favorites. Dates and descriptions are being posted on the website as they are finalized.

2011 saw changes to the Section Board. Director Col. Al Cooper passed away, Al was a great guy who truly loved driving his Mercedes Benz'. After being elected by the National Board to Northeast Regional Director, Ernie Fancy has resigned as Treasurer.
Ernie has served the Minuteman Section since 1976 in every capacity, and is always the first to greet new members. He'll still be Director at Large and at our events, best wishes on your new post!

I'd like to thank Mark Fancy, Ed Owen and Nancy Piekarczyk for assuming new responsibilities. Mark has moved from VP to Treasurer, Ed from Secretary to VP and Nancy along with her fine work as Web and Communications Director, has added Secretary
to her resume. Without these three individuals along with the Board of Directors, this Section could not function.

I'd also like to thank all of our Sponsors, their financial support makes it possible to have such great events.

I hope 2012 is a great year for the Minuteman Section and all it's members.

John S Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section

President's Message Fall 2011

The Minuteman Section had a number of great events this summer and I want to thank all the Event Chairman/Chairwomen for all their hard work. These members deserve a lot of credit for organizing these events. It's not as easy as seems. Events like Germanfest Presented by Intercity lines are very complicated events to put on and I want to thank John Slamin and the Judges and Registration Staff for all their hard work.

Year in and year out the core group of members run events. I get suggestions for new events often and we want new and different events every year. When I get these suggestions I often say, "Thats a great idea and we'll be happy to help you organize and run the event". That's where it ends. It's great to suggest an event, but why not run it? The same people who run these events year after year may decide not to do it. We need fresh faces with new ideas for events. Remember that this is your Club and the events that we have can be new and different.

I want to thank Bonnie Fancy, Nancy Piekarczyk and Kevin Murphy for Chairing new events this year.

I hope I hear from you and as always I can be reached at 560sec@charter.net .

John S Piekarczyk.

Presidents Message Summer 2011

I hope the summer weather has given you all a chance to get out and enjoy New England with your Mercedes-Benz. Nancy and I like to take evening ice cream cruises, using different routes each time. We truly live in one of the most beautiful parts of this country. It's a great way to end your day and I can't believe how many ice cream stands there are in New England. While your cruising take the opportunity to put The Club Door Hangers, available from the National Office on the Mercedes-Benz that you see along your trip, they'll experience the joy of membership and you'll get a free month's membership extension. I do this all the time, the last time I paid dues was for 2009 and I'm good until October 2013!

I want to welcome Kevin Murphy to the Board. Kevin has already run an event he and his wife Kristin will Co-Chair Farberallye 2012. He has a lot of enthusiasm for the brand and The Club and I look forward to working with him.

Board member Ric Fair is moving back home to Florida to take over the family business, I want to thank Ric for his contributions to the Section.

We have a number of great events this spring, European Auto Solutions Tech Session, Nationwide Auto Recyclers, Summerfest Presented by Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury and Bonnie Fancy and Nancy Piekarczyk's Winery Tour. The ladies did a great job running the event. I'd like to thank MB of Shrewsbury for providing the Burl Wood Tumblers for Bonnie and Nancy as a reward for a job well done. We all look forward to their next event. Run an event get a gift, what a concept!

Section Secretary Ed Owen and his partners at European Auto Solutions, long time supporters of the MM Section have moved to their new and expanded facilities at 1486 Main Street {RT 117} in Waltham same numbers and email. Best wish's guys!

This is the 25 th year for our Germanfest Concour d'Elegance, and will be held at the Museum of Transportation in Brookline on September 25th. We have a new class this year, winners from last year's event, Class and Special Trophies will be placed in Class 12. They will compete for 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd and will not be eligible for the Special Trophies. This will enable others to experience the joy of winning.

Information for Ken Bourque's Nautical Cruise Presented by AlphaCars and Farberaylle are now on the Website. Looks like Ken and Northern New England Stars Section have done a great job planning their respective events.

Have great summer,

John S Piekarczyk

President Minuteman Section, MBCA

Presidents Message Spring 2011

I want to thank Rich Garick for the fantastic job he did with the Annual Dinner. Rich has been Chairman of this event for longer than he might want to remember and certainly longer than any Chair of an event in the Section. Every year the event gets better and I look forward to next years.

At the dinner elections were held with the Officers continuing for another term, thank you for your leadership and dedication to the Minuteman Section. I'd like to thank the Membership for electing me as President for another year.

Congratulations to Mark Fancy for his well deserved selection as 2010 Minuteman Section Member of The Year and to Kevin Murphy as 2010 Minuteman Most Active Member, thank you both for your service to the Section.

I'm pleased to announce that Intercity Lines has been named “Official Transporter of The Minuteman Section”. They have been title sponsor of Germanfest for a number of years and provide the ultimate in enclosed automobile transport.

Section Secretary Ed Owen and his partners at European Auto Solutions will be opening a new and expanded facility in Waltham this summer. This expanded facility will allow EAS to provide a more streamlined level of service than the present facility. EAS is a long time supporter of the MMS. Their Tech Session is April 30 th. RSVP me at 560sec@charter.net .

We have a new event on May 14 th at Nationwide Auto Recyclers Rt. 70 in Lancaster, MA. Nationwide is a leading recycler of low mileage Mercedes Benz and other brand used parts. Join us to see just how far this industry has advanced and how you can benefit by using Nationwide's services. Thanks go out to member Kevin Murphy for his help with this event. RSVP me. As always check the website for all the latest news.

John S Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section, MBCA

Winter 2011

Nancy and I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. Even though it's cold outside the Minuteman Section is in full swing with plans for 2011. It may be hard to top 2010 but we are giving it our best effort.

New: Starting with the Spring issue of Triangles , the Newsletter will no longer be printed and mailed. Email is the only way you can receive the N/L so please go to the website www.mbca.org/minuteman and sign up for Email Updates. This is being done to save money for the Section, it costs over $5000.00 to print and mail the N/L each year. We have 137 out of 600 members who are not on our email list; those members have received a letter with instructions on how to sign up.

New: Minuteman Membership Contest , this year the member who sign's up the most new members will receive a Free A Service for their efforts. Rules and information are in the N/L and on the Website. Remember you get a free month's membership for every new member you sign up so you win either way. I have not paid membership dues since 2008! You can do the same by signing 12 members a year.

New: 2011 Loyalty Rewards Program . This program will give members in good standing [12 months consecutive membership] $1000.00 off the price of a New Mercedes Benz! Print your Certificate from the National Website [good for 60 days] make your best deal on a new car and then present your Certificate and the dealer will take an additional $1000.00 off the price! See the National Website and The Star for complete details. This is a great tool to recruit new members!

2011 Schedule of events is on the Website a mixture of old and new, something for everyone.

I hope to see all of you at an event this year.

John S Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section, MBCA

Fall 2010

As you read this Farberaylle Presented by European Auto Solutions has been run and our events for the year have come to an end. 2010 was a busy one for the Section with 11 events, ranging from Tech Sessions to Plays in Boston. I would like to thank all the Event Chairmen for all their hard work. We can always use new events and members to run them. If you an idea for an event, please let me know.

I want to thank all our Sponsors without them we could not run all these events. Germanfest Presented by Intercity Lines, was a great success again this year, John Slamin did an outstanding job as Event Chairman. I want to thank all the Judges and Registration Staff for their hard work throughout the day. Thank you to Dave and Linda Wilson of Intercity Lines for again being the Title Sponsor and to all the Trophy and Class Sponsors. Please support them.

I would like to thank Ron and Mark Wagner for letting the Minuteman Section be a part of the Grand Opening of Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury. This is a fantastic new facility based on Mercedes-Benz Autohaus design. It was a fantastic affair fitting of the brand and the Wagner families tradition of excellence. Minuteman Member Jim Cosgrove owner of Oldtimer Restorations brought a 1961 300 D 4r Cabriolet that was the focal point in the showroom. Thank you to Ed Owen and Tim Allen, of European Auto Solutions for displaying a 280 SE Cabriolet, and to Nancy Piekarczyk, for displaying her 1989 560 SL. The Wagner's have been huge supporters of the Minuteman Section, please stop by and show your support.

I would like to welcome our newest Website Sponsor, Mercedes-Benz of Westwood, Parts Director Jim Parker extends a discount on parts for Minuteman Members. Thank you, Jim.

John Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section, MBCA

Summer 2010

With summer in full swing it's been great to drive the SL with the top down. I was never a convertible guy, but always loved the 107 SL's. Now I'm hooked!

We just sold our 1991 560 SEC to a collector who will keep it as pristine as we did and continue its undefeated show record.

The new branding for the Club is in full swing and you'll see it in this Newsletter. The emphasis is on making the Club recognized as a National Club and not just local Sections. The new Website templates will be coming later this summer and are designed to tie all Section Websites into one unified template, so that they all are recognized as the Mercedes Benz Club of America.

I would like to welcome Kevin Caputo as our newest Director. Kevin is from Western Mass and is a longtime member of the Club. He's running the Western Mass cookout on July 18 th at Look Park in Northampton. I look forward to his efforts to make the members in Western Mass feel a part of this Section, with more events in that part of the state.

I want to congratulate Ronald Luich for winning 3 rd prize in the Raffle. This is the 3 rd time in the last 4 years that a Minuteman Section member has won a prize in the Raffle. Remember to buy tickets for the next one!

John Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section, MBCA

Spring 2010

With the weather finally drying out, I hope everyone is taking their cars out of storage and driving. Our 560 SEC and SL have both been on the road, it sure beats looking at them in the garage all winter. It's also a great time to check over your daily driver for damage from the winter.

We had two great Tech Sessions this spring, one at Viti Mercedes-Benz in Tiverton, RI. And one at European Auto Solutions in Waltham, MA. They are both great supporters of The Minuteman Section and offer great service to our members.

Our Annual Dinner was a fantastic event as it has been for the last 23 years, hosted by Event Chairman Rich Garick, it was great to see a lot of new faces and familiar ones as well. At the dinner we held elections of Officers for 2010, with the incumbents returned for another year. I want to thank the Officers for their service and look forward to working with them for another year. I want to thank you all for allowing me to return as President, I truly enjoy being part of a great group of Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts.

We honored Ron Beaton as Member of The Year for his outstanding work on the Newsletter. Ron works hard on what is one of the most time consuming jobs in the Section. We also honored Dave Bryant for 28 plus years of dedication to the Section, with an award and a gift. Rich, Ron and Dave thank you!

Our next event is Summerfest Presented by Wagner Mercedes-Benz on June 12 th at Indian Ranch in Webster, details and registration form are on the Website. Two new events are in the planning stage for Rhode Island and Western Mass, stay tuned to the Website and Email Blasts for details.

I would like to welcome the following new members for January, February and March; Peter Hayden, Joe Previtera, Howe Allan, David Braga, David Wright, Travis Tucker, Robert Walton, David Uva, Robert McKinney, Robert Conolly, Keith Bellucci, Peter Nee, Ron Isaccs, John Licciardello, Steven Carlino, Robert Luich, Luke Zbylut, David Borkosky, Robert Bennett, Keith Fecteau, Herman Morrill, Randy Wheeler, Bob Price, David Newsom, David Westerling, Alexander Spare, Ronald Champoux, Arthur Aucoin, Scott penny, Patrick Ahern, Donna Digivovanni, Matt Marano and Joseph Marocco. Thank you all for joining the Minuteman Section.

John Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section

Winter 2010

Happy New Year and welcome to the second decade of the new Millennium. There is a lot of new happening with the Club. An extensive study was taken last year to point the Club in a new direction, including how to recruit and retain new members, new branding to focus on the direction of the Club, and of course a new website to tie it all together. You can read the results of the study in the Jan/Feb issue of The Star.

One thing that is clear from the study is that we need to increase our membership. The only way the Club can survive is by having a larger membership base. We have roughly 21,000 members, yet Mercedes-Benz sells over 200,000 cars a year in the US! Why is this? One, we the members need to recruit new members on a regular basis. Vice President Mark Fancy has come up with a new program for members, other than the board, to score points and win a cash award for attending events, and bring prospective new members to an event. Details of the Minuteman Most Active Member Contest are on the website. I want to challenge ever member to sign up one new member in 2010, this would be an increase of 600 members. The Section is paid by National $11.00 for every member this increase would add to our bottom line and enable us to have better events. We have been fortunate to have great Sponsors, but with the economy the way it is, it's harder to maintain. Two, we need our events to reflect the wishes of our members. We need your ideas on new and different types of events; you can contact me at 560sec@charter.net I look forward to your suggestions.

The National Business Office is offering discounts to The Club Store for members who update their email address; there are a lot erroneous emails in the data base. We need your email so we can keep you informed of important Club news. Contact Geni geni@mbca.org to update you National information. To get Minuteman Section updates and the Newsletter go to the Minuteman site www.mbca.org/minuteman and click Get Email Updates . These lists are Not Shared and your information is secure.

I'd like to welcome Rich Doucette and Ric Fair to the Board of Directors. I look forward to their input.

I want to welcome our newest Sponsor, Trans-Atlantic Mercedes-Bens in Hyannis . They offer a 20% discount on parts to Club members. Click their banner on the website. Thank You!

I would like to welcome the following new members for October, November and December; Robert Killion, Stanley Remiszewski,Ellen Casey, Alan Soucy, Gary Cohello, Anthony Arcari, Robert Glotzer, Bill Stephens, Jason Algress, Alfred Algress, Robert Bruno, Eric Kristenson, Anthony Miele, Edward Ryan, Robert Voelk, Donald Kiernan, Susan Butterworth, Robert Miskinis, Christopher Dykeman, Todd Day, James Arnone, Richard Airhart, Edward Chiu and James Hargreaves. Thank you for joining the Minuteman Section of the Mercedes Benz Club of America and I look forward to meeting you at our upcoming events.

John Piekarczyk
President Minuteman Section, MBCA