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Club Meetings | MG Classics of Jacksonville
Maintaining our Meeting Program During the Covid Crisis
The current COVID-19 environment has forced the Club to suspended all monthly Monday evening restaurant meetings until further notice. However, to insure that members who wish to keep in contact with their MG friends, drive their MG, and kick a few tires the club has organized a new monthly meeting option. This new meeting option features an outdoor meeting location with meetings scheduled on the last Saturday of each month. In this way we have an opportunity to catch up with our MG Club friends, kick a few tires, and listen to the latest club news.
The Saturday schedule had its origin as a Club Drive and
Picnic on Saturday, May 24 with the drive destination as Trout Creek Marina. We picnicked in a socially distanced circle under the shade trees in an area adjacent to the Marina. Eight MGs' and fifteen members arrived to enjoy a relaxing picnic under the large shade trees about two hundred yards from the water and away from the boating community. The drive involved two caravans, the weather was excellent for the early morning drive, and the late morning heat was tolerable in the shade. We left at mid-Day before the high heat of the afternoon and made a commitment to have a similar event in the month of June. This time opening the event up to all Club members who wished to participate.
The June format was similar to May; a Drive and Picnic. For this event a notice was eMailed to all Club members to join us. To accommodate those members whose MG was not roadworthy we suggested they arrive in their ‘daily drivers’. Eleven MGs', two daily drivers, and nineteen members and guests turned up for the June event. This time we congregated under the large, open sided pavilion in the marina grounds a few hundred yards from the water. This gave us good shade and also allowed adequate social distancing. With the increased interest in the June event it was decided to drag along the Club PA system in July and hold a short Club meeting.
The July event was widely advertised to members as a Picnic and Club Meeting, including the traditional MOSS part at cost and 50/50 Club raffles. The July event attracted twenty members and the PA system allowed everyone to hear and participate in the meeting yet stay social distanced from each other. Having set the format it was decided to continue with this format each month until the end of 2020, at which time we will review our options for 2021.
All members wishing to attend the new series of meetings are requested to Register on the Website. In this way everyone has an opportunity to read additional “Terms and Conditions” for the event intended to mitigate us and our guests from COVID-19 virus transmission. Registrations for the August meeting held on Saturday, August 29 topped out at 30 members and guests. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the day was unattractive. However, 24 members and guests arrived in nine MGs’ and several daily drivers.
Starting with our June event we had always sort permission to use the Pavilion area by contacting the site manager. Our initial May Drive & Picnic had attracted 8 MGs’ and 15 members and guests. Our expectation was June would attract a similar number so the site manager thought it was a small informal gathering he was approving. At our August meeting he wandered over to our Meet to look at our MGs’. He was surprised that there were 24 people in a more formal setting including a table and PA system. As Trout Creek Marina is owned by Ring Power he requested that we put our relationship with Ring Power, his employer, on a more formal basis. Having not identified an alternative location we considered matched the benefits of Trout Creek Marina it was decided to Poll the Club Officers and Directors for approval to move forward to a more formal agreement with Ring Power (d/b/a Trout Creek Fish Camp/Marina). This has now been done. A copy of the Agreement, including more customized benefits to MG Classics has been published in the ‘Members Only’ area of the Website. This is a protected area containing both the Club Roster Listing and the Trout Creek Agreement. MG Classics members can access the Agreement using their Roster access ID and PW. This is not a downloadable document.
In accordance with the Agreement, the required Event Insurance Certificate in Favor of the Property Owner has been provided by NAMGBR and is in effect until May 2, 2021.
Having attended all the events described above, I believe Trout Creek Marina location serves our requirements well in the current COVID-19 environment. All those attending are able to manage their micro environment at the event. It is a spacious outdoor environment with a large covered space providing ample room for Social Distancing.
Join us at Trout Creek for our monthly Club meeting during 2021 until the COVID threat is in remission. Details and Registration for our next Club meeting can be accessed By: Clicking Here.
To help maintain a safe environment we wish to limit the registrations to Club Members Only and one Guest per Club Member.