Annual Spring Drive – Brucemore Mansion in Cedar Rapids – April 24

The 2021 edition of the Annual Spring Drive will begin in Des Moines and end in Cedar Rapids at the Brucemore Mansion in Cedar Rapids on April 24, 2021.

The spring tour will leave BMW of Des Moines at 9:00 am and head east to Newton. At Newton we will exit Interstate 80 and follow US 6 to the Amanas where we will join US 151 to SW Cedar Rapids.  A lunch stop will be determined as the drive gets finalized.

The drive will then progress through Cedar Rapids with a tour of Brucemore Mansion in the heart of the city. A tour of Brucemore Mansion explores more than 130 years of Eastern Iowa history of the 21-room mansion including a self-guided tour through the Queen Anne mansion, which investigates the art, furnishings, technology, architecture, surrounding landscape, and stories preserved at Brucemore.

The tour will be self-guided of 6-8 people at a time with the others touring the outdoor areas of the Mansion. The fee for the tour is $10.

For more information about the Brucemore Mansion, visit the following websites:

https://www.brucemore.org/visit/take-a-tour/guided-mansion-tours/

https://www.bmwia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-Spring-Drive-Info.doc

BMW Informal Social – Virtual Wine Tasting Friday at 6:00 – 7:00 PM – March 12

While in-person socializing is still significantly limited until we get broad vaccination availability, we do need and want to socialize however we can with our fellow club members.

Allan and Gina Graham, owners of the Johnston Winestyles Tasting Station, and longtime supporters of our club activities, have offered to include Iowa Chapter members in one of their upcoming virtual wine tasting events on Friday, March 12th at 6pm.

Here’s how it works: Prior to the event, the wines to be sampled will be announced and interested members may acquire “wine tasting samples” (or actual full bottles of the wines), to be tasted. Cost of an individual tasting set of the 5-6 wines is $10.00 per person. Then through the Internet “magic” (or at least it seemed so about 9 months ago!), we’ll tune into the live on-line tasting via Zoom. Allan and Gina will provide us an overview of each sampled wine, its origin, growing region and winemaker background and then encourage participants to voice their opinions on the wine. They are knowledgeable and fun hosts. Typically, following the tasting, special purchase discounts are applicable for those wines.

So that Allan and Gina can anticipate the number of BMW Club participants and need for wine samples, please RSVP to Rick Talbot, 515-782-1429 or rickminir59@gmail.com , no later than Friday, March 5^th regarding your intentions to participate and whether you intend to buy the set of wine samples. Rick will provide you with details on acquiring the wine at Winestyles prior to the event as well as Zoom login instructions for the night of tasting. Even if you can’t make the on-line tasting, Johnston Winestyles offers on-line ordering and on-site curbside delivery. Check out their wine, beer and cheese selections at: https://winestyles.com/johnston/ . Their store is located at 8460 Birchwood Court, #500, Johnston IA 50131 (just north of I-80; east side of 86th Street, behind the former Burger King & Village Inn).

Hope to see you at the event! Please support our local small businesses!

MX1 Enthusiast Weekend, Grenville, SC – April 9 – 10, 2021

The BMW Car Club of America is excited to announce a brand-new event—MX1 Enthusiast Weekend, presented by Michelin—which is set to take place April 9–10 at the world center of all things BMW in upstate South Carolina.

Event website:  https://mx1.bmwcca.org/

Registration website:  https://web.cvent.com/event/6bec821d-9b22-43ae-be03-d6ca1c653ed0/summary

BMW Informal Social – Merle Hay Food Court, Des Moines, IA at 6:00 pm – February 9

Choose Your Own culinary adventure.  Check out the link to the mall website to choose your dinner.  In the past due to COVID the food service had ended at 7:00 so we have moved the time up to 6:00 pm to give everyone a little more time.  Currently the website shows they close at 8:00 but to be on the safe side.

Merle Hay Mall, 3800 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, IA 50310

https://merlehaymall.com/

Contact email: Alison Bell, alison.bell@bmwia.org

Holy Gemütlichkeit Batman! – We’re Headed to the Amanas Saturday Oct 17th!

The Iowa Chapter of the BMW Club of America is planning a one-day drive from Des Moines to the Amana Colonies.  Our route will begin at BMW of Des Moines (9631 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50322) with registration / waiver signing beginning at 8am and departure by 8:30am.  Face coverings will be required at registration so we all can remain as safe as possible.

Our planned route will take us northeast with a pit-stop in Marshalltown and then generally follow the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway (https://www.traveliowa.com/trails/iowa-valley-scenic-byway/8/) with a planned arrival in the Amanas around noon.  Upon arrival in Amanas, we’ll either dine at local restaurants (conditions permitting) or enjoy our own (brought from home) lunches at a nearby park…details still to be finalized.   Following lunch, all are encouraged to explore the many shops and attractions the Amanas have to offer….just for instance….Millstream Brewing…if we’re lucky, not ALL of the Oktoberfest bier will have already been consumed.  Then there’s the Amana Furniture Shop…where furniture is made locally of solid wood!   For those who may enjoy local wines, several wineries in the Amanas offer tastings as well as bottles for purchase.  Then my wife reminds me of the Christmas Shop, bakeries and ice cream shop, etc.  There’s also plenty of “unique” photo opportunities!  We are not planning a group return drive so everyone is free to set their own afternoon schedule and desired departure time.

Please let either Rick Talbot (talbot_e@msn.com), 515-782-1429 or Dale Rupp (bmw2@netins.net)  515-238-9118 know if you intend to join us so we might have some idea on attendance and can anticipate your arrival at BMW of Des Moines 8am Saturday, October 17^th.

P.S.  Come with a full fuel tank and face covering!

P.P.S.  Gemütlichkeit in German, refers to a feeling of coziness, contentedness, comfort and relaxation.  We ALL need more of that these days!

If you are going to attend you can print a waiver out in COLOR and sign it.  We will have them available the day of the event as well.

Adult Waiver,  Minor Waiver