Vol 41 Number 03 August, 2020 View Through the Star by: Joe Martin, President Contents Welcome New “Are we out of the woods yet?” Peatchtree Section Members 2 “Are we in the clear yet?” Social Media Update 3 No not really! Nonetheless the Peachtree Auto Renew 3 Section has begun to get out! Auto Renew is Here, On Saturday, 27th June we had an on-line Concours Judging Clinic. Over Opt-in Today! 4 40 participants from all over the US Peachtree Section Adapts 4 participated and were certified as Concours Judges. This was a first for Introducing the new E53 AMG 7 Mercedes Benz of America. That same New and Enhanced weekend also began the transition back to live events. On Sunday, June 28th MBUSA Rebate Incentives 7 Peachtree put on our first in-person Invitational Vintage and Classic car show at the Halcyon development in Alpharetta. This open to the public event marked the Election Special return of Peachtree to in-person activities. Reports on these two FIRST’s Officers Vote for Four 13 are included in this Newsletter. Directors Vote for Three 15 As you may know we converted our April, May, and June events from in-person to Virtual on-line events. I must say we were really very successful at this. Some of our on-line events resulted in over 250 participants. You can read about all the on-line activities in the newsletter. Events Thanks go to Vice President Gary Edwards and Past President Diana Events Schedule 19 Quinn for developing and executing the on-line events. Missed one of the Caffeine and Octane 20 on-line Peachtree sponsored events well you can view those events on the new MBCA Peachtube channel on You Tube. Thanks to Scott Martin Urban Survival Course for setting up the MBCA Peachtube channel. at Atlanta Motorsports Park 22 Peachtree has a full schedule of events for the remainder of the year. Recovering a Long-stored This includes new to Peachtree a performance driving event, a time, “Barn Find” Mercedes-Benz 22 -1- speed and distance Rally, and includes the annual fall foliage drive, this year Waterfalls and Wine, an R129/R107 Gathering and the Holiday R107/R129 Gathering 23 luncheon. All are listed in this Newsletter. I encourage you to “get out” and join us. 2020 Concours d’ Elegance 23 Event Planning Workshop 30 This issue of the Newsletter contains a Special Election Section. It Peachtree Section includes information on all the nominated Officers and Directors for next year. I encourage you to become familiar with these individuals. I will be Holiday Luncheon 31 sending the ballots out by e-mail early in September. Please take the time to vote. The directors are your representatives on the Board. MBCA TSD Rally 31 If you are looking for a new Mercedes or the Benz in the garage needs service, please consider using one of our sponsors. The new Peachtree Section web site MBCA Peachtree features links to all our sponsors web The Rundown pages. I am sure our sponsors will accommodate you and your car in Concours Judging School 32 a safe and protective manner. I personally utilized My Mercedes and Bimmer Place recently for repairs on our older Benz. The owner was Invitational Display Event 32 very knowledgeable, and the actual service was exceptional as one would expect from a Peachtree sponsor. If you do utilize a sponsor to get you and a Mercedes back on the road, tell them of the Peachtree Section referral. Our sponsors make important contributions to the operation of the Peachtree Section. Time to start your motor running and come out and play with your friends. Stay safe and healthy. Joe Martin President, Peachtree Section Mercedes Benz Club of America Welcome New Peatchtree Section Members Diana Quinn, Doug Geganto, and Roger McKissick, Membership Committee Welcome to the newest 27 Peachtree members, joining in March through June 2020. Daniel Abernathy - Marietta GA Deborah Hevesy - Dallas GA Michel Belland - Marietta GA Tom Hollis - Roswell GA Grant Cleaveland - Alpharetta GA Josephine Howard - Stockbridge GA Steve Cohen - Atlanta GA Arnon Isaacson - Roswell GA Nathaniel Cooley - Alpharetta GA Charles Kilgore - Mableton GA Glenn Cooper - Norcross GA Jeffrey Kingsfield - Atlanta GA Chip Cornell - Cumming GA Nathan Regan - Atlanta GA Tom Creely - Suwanee GA Scott Roberson - Atlanta GA Mike Dougherty - Alpharetta GA Joseph Saulsbury - Peachtree City GA Jerry Fields - Anderson SC Daniel Serrato - LaGrange GA Douglas Forrester - Gainesville GA Nicholas Sherman - Kingston GA John Freeman - Canton GA Christer Sundell - Johns Creek GA Chris Hadorn - Atlanta GA John Woods - Roswell GA Darlene Hassanveh - Hilton Head SC Welcome to the Club! Attending club events is the best way to make new friends that share your passion for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. As a member, you will receive our section newsletter “Stars in Georgia”. Please take some time to visit our webpage www. mbcapeachtree.org where you will find copies of recent newsletters, a complete calendar of scheduled events, contact information for our section officers, and much more. Membership highlights include the benefits themselves… The Star® Magazine - Your membership to the Mercedes-Benz Club of America includes a subscription to our bi- monthly magazine, The Star®. -2- Section Newsletter – Section newsletter is published six times a year Membership Rebate Program - Save as much as $3,000 on the purchase or lease of a new Mercedes-Benz . MBCA primary members are eligible for exclusive rebates on the leaseor purchase of select Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Classified Ads - Mercedes-Benz Club of America, may sell merchandise, goods and services through this website and in our award-winning magazine, The Star®. Club Trips to Germany - Membership benefits include the exclusive opportunity to experience a first-class European vacation and VIP tours that places you at the heart of Mercedes-Benz rich history. 15% Discount on Parts from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center - Club members receive 15% off hard-to- find parts from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California. Discounts on Parts, Service & Accessories at Participating Mercedes-Benz Dealers - As a Mercedes-Benz Club of America member, the presentation of your membership card may entitle you to 5%, 10% or (up to) 20% off parts, service and accessories from participating U.S. and Canadian Mercedes-Benz dealers. Refer a Friend Program - Refer a friend to the Mercedes-Benz Club of America and get one additional month of Club membership FREE, for every friend who joins. Local, Regional & National Events - As a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, you’ll be able to attend a wide range of driving events and activities in your own back yard, your region of the country and in five-star destinations across the U.S. and Canada Club Raffle - Up to twice a year, the Mercedes-Benz Club of America conducts a Raffle for its Members. Members purchase tickets for a chance to win great prizes. Questions about membership benefits? Other aspects of the Club or related events? Reach out to Diana Quinn at [email protected] 847-867-0620 (cell), or 770-635-8112 (home). Social Media Update Peachtree’s presence on Social Media continues to expand. Our Facebook page continues to grow with 182 active members. Since January 1st we’ve added 44 members to the group and have had 238 posts by members and friends of the group. We’ve also created our own YouTube channel, MBCA Peachtube where we have been posting our video content. Please visit our page at https://www.youtube.com/cha…/UC3V_FvbPxLgHQhDqb0h7cYw/videos and subscribe to MBCA Peachtube. Auto Renew Many of you know that MBCA has been in a downward spiral with membership growth and retention. In January the club implemented the Auto-Renew program as way to help members insure that their memberships renew on time, never accidentally lapse, and relieve them of having to handle their membership renewal manually by either going on line or calling the office to renew their membership and most importantly to help stabilize the clubs cash flow. Our section currently has 38 members who have opted into Auto-Renew. Thank you to those who chosen to do so. My goal is to have fifty percent of the section’s membership enrolled in Auto-Renew by the end of the year. To reach that goal we need 204 more members to opt into Auto-Renew. Please consider taking a few minutes to do so. Log into your MBCA account https://www.mbca.org/ select the Auto-Renew option. When you select Auto- Renew you will be prompted to enter or update your credit card information if not already on file. You can also contact the NBO at 800-637-2360 and someone on the staff will assist you to opt into the Auto-Renew program. Thank you for being a Peachtree Section Member, Anouncements Diana Quinn Past President / Membership Director See Letter from National Membership Chair Below: -3- Auto Renew is Here, Opt-in Today! By: Doug Geganto, National Membership Chair COVID 19 has totally disrupted our lives and many of the activities we’ve become accustomed to doing. Things like getting together with our friends, enjoying attending section events and getting out and meeting with fellow club members. However, one thing that has been severely affected is our ability to meet other Mercedes-Benz owners, tell them about the club and encourage them to join. We expect new member growth to be severely impacted this year because of our inability to host recruiting events. How can you help ensure that we stabilize our membership losses? Have you opted into Auto-Renew yet? When it’s time to renew your membership, it’s now easier than ever.