2017 Shenandoah Region Summer Picnic aka Anniversary Party

By Hank Weil

Click here to see a gallery of photos from this event.

It has been 22 years since the Shenandoah Region of the Porsche Club of America (SRPCA) was founded on August 17, 1995. SRPCA was founded by Porsche enthusiasts in central Virginia who found it difficult to attend Porsche Club events owing to the distances to adjacent PCA Regions. The founding officers were Cole Scrogham (President), Terry Felts (Vice President), Dave Lasch (Secretary), and Steven Lord (Treasurer).

In late 1995, SRPCA had approximately 20 members and in August 1996 celebrated its first anniversary with a party and a birthday cake. After that, enthusiasm and events took off. The first annual Holiday Party at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville was so successful that the 1996 Holiday Party was booked before the 1995 Party was over. By the end of 1995, membership had more than doubled from 22 to 43 members. Fast forward to 2017; our Region has grown to approximately 260 primary members and 160 affiliate members.

The Anniversary Party became a tradition, held at different venues each year. The 2017 Anniversary Party (aka Summer Picnic) was held at the Keswick Winery. However, given SRPCA has grown in both members and events, continuing this event as the Anniversary Party became a bit overwhelming. Therefore, the current Executive Committee decided to hold the Anniversary Party only every 5 years and replace it in the other years with a Summer Picnic, which is why this year’s event at the Keswick Winery was a Summer Picnic.

A delicious lunch catered by Basil Mediterranean Bistro was accompanied with wine for sale from the Keswick Winery. The owner of the Basil Mediterranean Bistro, Raif Antar, graciously donated the food as he has done for many events; the $10 lunch charge was set aside for the Club’s 2017 charity fund. Charitable giving is now a major focus of SRPCA. In 2016, SRPCA changed from a taxable corporation to a non-profit tax status and has been approved by the IRS to operate as a 501(c)(4) exempt organization. SRPCA has chosen the Blue Ridge and Central Virginia Food Banks to be the 2017 charities. Attendance at this year’s Summer Picnic (88 primary members, affiliates and friends) put almost $900 into the 2017 charity fund.

The 2017 Summer Picnic concluded with the presentation of several awards to individuals for their service and contributions to SRPCA over the years. First recipient was Raif Antar, the owner of Basil Mediterranean, for his generosity of catering many of the Clubs activities both this year and in past years. The second recipient was Ben Briggs, a principal owner of PrintSource, for providing printing services for SRPCA’s RPM event, as well as other printing requirements over the years. The third recipient was Bill Sanders, a Past President, who has given his time to grow SRPCA and to prepare SRPCA’s annual tax returns. Bill and his wife, Jill, will be moving to Hawaii in the Fall and they will be missed.

Behind the scenes many volunteers ensured a successful event. For those members residing in the eastern portion of the Region, Randy Bell organized a “fun run” from the Manakin Sabot area to the Keswick Winery. Parking at the winery was handled by Jason Wavell and Shannon Kennedy to ensure that the members Porsches were properly parked. No door dings were allowed. Registration was aptly handled by Marquita Doherty and Jolly Weil. Mark Doherty assisted in setting up the picnic area. A great big THANK YOU goes to Katrina Stumpf for her work in finding the venue and working with the winery staff to ensure that the picnic was a success.

Wrapping up the picnic, Cole Scrogham (remember him? Founder and first President and still enjoying SRPCA after 22 years) provided a sneak preview of the 2017 Fall Fling that he and Alex Smith are planning for later this year. He also mentioned that the 2017 Picnic was a great Porsche social event. His enthusiasm was reaffirmed by many of the 88 participants who said that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Thanks again to all who attended and assisted in the administration of this event. Remember, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people.” This was a great event and “Thank-you” to all who attended!!!