The new and improved www.mbca.org website launched on Sept. 1, 2010. Please visit the site, login (yes, all MBCA members have an account) and explore! Also, you can renew your membership, update your own contact information and read the current Star magazine online. There are too many new features to list so  visit the site and let us know what you think.

• MBCA National Website: www.mbca.org

More Than a Car | We’re a Community!

In this issue…

• Read this Newsletter Online
• June 27 – Tech Session and Dinner Party
  
• Editor’s Message
• Central VA Website
  

We look forward to seeing you at our next event, which is the Tech Session and Dinner Party on June 27.

Questions? Please contact us at your convenience.

Best Regards,
Greg Magnus
Newsletter Editor
MBCA Central Virginia Section
Regional Director, Eastern Region

Here’s your chance to help us create a MBCA-related Virgina special license plate similar to the ones available to members who reside in Maryland!

Virginia MBCA members will now have a chance to show off their pride in membership in the Mercedes-Benz Club of America through official Virginia State license plates. The tags will include the MB club logo! To make this happen, we need 350 pre-paid applications. Club members can order the new tags for any legally registered car they own. Your E Class daily driver, your weekend SL, your UNIMOG, or even that old beat up American pickup truck you use to haul Mercedes-Benz parts from the junk yard! Learn more about the program and get your plates here!

StarFest® 2010 – MBCA’s Premier National Event
Don’t miss out on the Concours d’Elegance, Rally, Seminars, Clinics, Social & Track Events and much, much more in beautiful Winchester, Virginia! Hosted by Greater Washington Section. For complete details and registration info, visit the – StarFest® 2010 website here!

Our next event is Sunday, June 27 starting at 11 a.m.. It will be a technical inspection and a Sunday dinner at the Bavarian Chef. The new Mercedes dealer in Fredericksburg, has agreed to host a technical inspection of our cars and provide finger foods to tie us over to dinner. On display are many of the new and more exotic Mercedes-Benz as well as a 1971 350 SL housed in its own private display room. Fredericksburg Mercedes has a brand-new facility. Well worth just coming out to enjoy! In addition, they plan to have the Parts Department open in the case anybody needs something to fix their precious Mercedes-Benz.

After the technical inspection we will travel to downtown Fredericksburg to have dinner in the 100-year-old railroad station. The Bavarian Chef has just recently opened its second restaurant in that building. You will have the choice of one of eight entrées, and you will not need to make your choice until you arrive. For those of you who have been in the club for many years, you may recall we’ve eaten in the other Bavarian Chef restaurant in Madison. For anyone who’s had the opportunity to eat in the Bavarian Chef it is a culinary treat with excellent German food.

Details

Date: June 27, 2010
Time: Starts at 11AM
Event Cost: The cost of this event is $25 for the first 25 people, who make paid reservations. After that, the cost is $35 per person. PLEASE NOTE: The cost is the same whether you plan to join us for dinner or not. The registration fee includes the technical inspection and dinner.
Register NOW: Please send your reservations to Richard Schwartz, 5215 Calvert Ct. Fredericksburg, VA 22407. If you have any questions, call Richard at 540-891-5334. Deadline for reservations is June 21.
Directions: Take I-95 to exit 130B and exit towards Culpepper. Take a right at the first traffic light, which is Carl Silver Parkway follow this around to Fall Hill Avenue (WalMart on the left, and a Sheets gas station on the corner) and make a right-hand turn; Fredericksburg Mercedes is about two blocks on the right.

Visit the Fredericksburg Mercedes website here for additional directions and information.

Fredericksburg Mercedes
3400 Fall Hill Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Sales: 1-888-276-6449 | Service: 1-888-858-6986

Our Smithfield Station Dine and Drive event will take place on Saturday, April 24th. Our trip will start at 9:15 AM at Phillips Mercedes, located at 4949 Virginia Beach Blvd in Virginia Beach. We will have some fresh donuts from the nearby Krispy Kreme as we socialize and wait for everyone to arrive. We will depart around 9:30 AM to meet the rest of our group around 10:00 AM at Tysinger Mercedes located 2712 Magruder Blvd in Hampton. After a visit to the showroom we will head out around 10:45. We will travel north along Route 17 to the Yorktown Battlefield, down to the waterfront and onto the Colonial Parkway. There is no passing on the Parkway so try to stay together as people are entering all along the route.

Once we get through Williamsburg, be on the lookout for red detour signs at exit to Route 199. If they are there, follow Route 199 to Route 31 onto the FREE ferry. It’s a short trip to Surry and if you wish you can feed the seagull out of you hands so bring some bread. Once across, stay on Route 31 to Route 10 and make a left. We will enter Smithfield on Route 10 business. Just before crossing the bridge out of town you will see our destination Smithfield Station on the left. Parking is across the street on the right. Our lunch should start around 1:00 PM. This looks to be a great event and we are inviting members of the Central Virginia Section to join us.

For more information concerning this event, please contact Don LaBar at 757-620-6772 (Virginia Section website).

DODGE, Shirley Cooper, 74, of Richmond, went to be with her Lord on April 5, 2010. She is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, Oliver Cromwell Dodge; children, Jeffrey Michael Dodge and wife, Lyn, Therese Dodge and her husband, Sean O’Grady, all of Richmond; as well two grandchildren, Katie and Emily Dodge. Shirley was born October 24, 1935, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., the only child of John and Adele Cooper. She will be remembered always for her love of cooking and gardening. She especially cherished her grandchildren and spent many wonderful times with them. She married Oliver Cromwell Dodge in 1957. Shirley attended Miami of Ohio, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond. An avid chef, Shirley was a former president of the Richmond Culinary Guild. Her biggest thrill was having brunch with Julia Child at a celebration in Washington, D.C. Thank you to the staff at Beth Shalom Home, especially Andrea, Terry, Shannon, Connie, Juliana and Bernice. The family will receive friends Wednesday, April 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bliley’s-Central, 3801 Augusta Ave. Funeral services will be held in Niagara Falls, N.Y. at the River Dale Cemetery at a later date.

MBCA CVA Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Event
Date: April 17, 2010
Cost: $30.00
Registration ends April 4th.
[Complete registration form below to register now!]

Join us for a stroll along the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. A million blooms will have begun. See the tulips, jonquils and hyacinths in full bloom. We’ll take a guided tour of the gardens so be sure to bring your camera. Arrive promptly at 11:30  to be included in the tour.

Heart of the Garden Tour and Lunch Buffet

Explore the Central Garden closest to the Robins Visitor Center. Enjoy the Conservatory displays, the Sunken Garden, Healing Garden, and Four Seasons Garden. Visit the current exhibit in the Gallery space of the Education and Library complex. All paths are flat and ramps are available. Benches and restrooms are conveniently located.

Garden Guides can pace the visit to suit your group. Abundant displays from orchids to artwork make this a rewarding visit without extensive walking. Groups are free to visit the rest of the garden at their own pace after the tour. Most paths are paved and benches are widely distributed. Direction for Lewis Ginter here.

The tour will last approximately and hour to an hour and a half. We will return to the visitors center to enjoy the Savory Lunch Buffet. The buffet is a choice of two salads; grilled chicken with fresh steamed vegetables; pasta or potato salad; bread; dessert; iced tea and coffee.

Upcoming Events

New Kent Winery – June 19, 2010

Bring a picnic and enjoy a tour and tasting at the New Kent Winery.  Arrive at 11:30 to enjoy the picnic you brought. At Noon the tour begins. We will be tasting seven different wines and you will be able to keep your souvenir wines glass. The tour and tasting is $7.00 per person age 21 and over. Registration ends June 5th. Directions to the New Kent Winery here.

Future events include the following (check back for details):

• August:  Gray Rock Inn
• September:  Starfest 2010 in Winchester, VA
• October: Brown Tech Event
• January 2011: Holiday Gala

APRIL 17 EVENT – REGISTRATION FORM

Thanks to everyone that already registered for the CVA Holiday Gala! We have a great group of members and non-members joining us. And, if you’re a new member the holiday party is a great opportunity for you to meet fellow Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts, while enjoying Rockett’s Landing.  Register online here – last chance, the event is this coming weekend!

When: January 16, 2009 – Dinner Saturday evening (6PM)

Location: The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing
4708 East Old Main Street, Richmond VA 23231 – Phone: 804-622-2628

The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing promises a truly one-of-a-kind, waterside dining experience never before available in Richmond. We’ll be enjoying the Harbor Master Room on the second floor overlooking the James River.

Register online here – last chance!

Mercedes-Benz News: Detroit – 2010 North American International Auto Show

Positive signals underline the Mercedes-Benz presence at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. The highlight of the opening day was the debut of the new E-Class Cabriolet, which is celebrating its world premiere in Detroit. The four-seater, year-round cabriolet completes the successful E-Class family and presents a world first in the shape of the AIRCAP® wind deflector, which considerably reduces air turbulence when the top is down. One further “eye-catcher” on the Mercedes stand is an automobile sculpture that uses a stunning approach to communicate the notion of the car as a new art form, and offers a glimpse of the future Mercedes design language. The stars of Detroit also include the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, as well as the ML 450 HYBRID and the globally successful S400 HYBRID, which set benchmarks for efficiency in their segments and demonstrate the brand’s expertise in hybrid technology.

“The new E-Class Cabriolet offers unique driving pleasure for four people and I am certain that it will further strengthen our successful E-Class family, plus deliver even more emotional momentum to the brand,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars at the Mercedes-Benz press conference. “It is our stated objective to continue to expand the leading position held by Mercedes-Benz in the luxury segment – with new, stunning models and intelligent solutions for sustainable mobility that we have in the pipeline and will bring to market in quick succession.”

The success of this course is confirmed through positive sales development worldwide – in the last quarter of 2009, Mercedes-Benz was the fastest growing premium brand in the world and also the strongest German premium brand in the U.S. In December, Mercedes-Benz reported an increase of 8.2 percent compared with the same month the previous year, with sales of 20,000 vehicles making it the best monthly performance of 2009.

The new E-Class Cabriolet: “Four seasons, four people”
The new Cabriolet sees Mercedes-Benz complete the E-Class family. Thanks to its classic soft top, the convertible four-seater delivers that unadulterated cabriolet feeling. True to the motto “four seasons, four people”, it combines comfort, elegance and year-round usability. This is helped along by features such as the AIRCAP® automatic wind deflector that can be deployed at the touch of a button to significantly reduce turbulence in the vehicle’s interior. It also dispenses with the assembly required for conventional wind deflectors and leaves the side profile of the Cabriolet undisturbed. Equipment on board also includes the next generation of the AIRSCARF® neck-level heating system integrated into the back rests of the front seats. It blows warm air from adjustable air vents in the head restraints and warms the neck area of the driver and front seat passenger like an invisible scarf.

The production standard sound-dampening soft top comes with extremely high-quality insulation to deliver comfortable travel with the top up. Thus, the closed E-Class Cabriolet offers one of the quietest interiors in the segment of four-seater premium soft-top cabriolets. The top can be open or closed at the touch of a button in only 20 seconds – even while driving at speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h).

December 4, 2009 – It is with great sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Joe Wozney, long time MBCA Greater Washington Section member, immediate past president, past treasurer, and driving events chair. Joe also served as the president of the MBCA Educational Foundation. Joe will be sorely missed.

Please join us in offering our condolences to Joe’s wife Bobbi. Visiting hours are on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 6 to 8 pm at the Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 West Broad Street in Falls Church. There will be a brief visiting period from 10 to 10:45 am on Wednesday, December 9th at St. Saint Thomas Beckett Church, 1421 Wiehle Ave in Reston, VA, followed by a funeral mass at 11 am. After the funeral mass, we will return to a multi-purpose room at the church for light refreshments.

Friends and acquaintances are invited to visit a Facebook memorial wall dedicated to Joe Wozney.