MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA - Hudson Mohawk Section Newsletter

This last newsletter of the year features the highlights of all of 2010’s events and articles. It also contains a brief overview of our plans for 2011. We are going to have a new feature in our 2011 Newsletters that list businesses and professions of our members. If you want your business or profession listed, please send your information to hudsonmohawkmbca@gmail.com. You may also suggest or volunteer to lead events and activities for the coming year.

President’s Message

Welcome to 2011. I am sure it will be another outstanding year for the Hudson-Mohawk Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. The Directors and Officers of the Section wish all of our members a happy and safe New Year. It has been an exciting year ending with a $500.00 donation to the Elise Donlon Foundation. Read more about the Foundation elsewhere in this Newsletter. This donation was made possible due to what the Board felt was excess funds in the treasury and voted to give it to charity.
Jim Wright was awarded the Northeast Section Officer of the Year as determined by Regional Director Doug Dees of the Toronto Section. Bob McShane won the Member of the Year award for 2010 for all the work he does in helping to make our events a success.
Just a reminder that this is election year. I ask that you give it some thought and consider becoming more engaged with the Hudson-Mohawk Section by becoming a candidate for the Board. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information regarding this year’s election and the responsibilities of Board members.

We began the year with a very successful “New Member” luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Colonie, an event we hope to repeat this year. Once again Keeler Motor Cars sponsored our annual Tech Session.The staff and management did an excellent job. We had record attendance and will repeat this event. Next, some 36 members enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the magnificent Mohonk Mountain House where we had a chance to tour the spectacular grounds. A similar event will be planned for this year. Next we toured the Bridge of Flowers and a tour will be planned for this year. A bit dampened by the weather, we had our annual Car Show on the banks of the Hudson River and finished the year’s activities with our Fall Foliage Tour. Read more about the tour in this issue.

For the coming year we will repeat the most successful events and add some new activities including a two night Fall Foliage Tour, details to follow. We welcome your ideas for events and urge you to help organize any event that interests you. Our 2011 calendar of events is now being developed and will be published soon.

A new “Member in Good Standing Loyalty” program has been developed. Read all the details in the January/February issue of the STAR. Of interest to many will be the new Roadside Assistance program with details in the above mentioned issue of the STAR.
We look forward to 2011 and wish all of our members a wonderful year. We hope to see you soon at upcoming events.

Ron Tanner, President

President’s Message (Fall 2010)

OK, first of all, where did the summer go, wow the older I get the faster time passes. In spite of going by too quickly it was a great summer and all of our events were well attended. In June some members attended the Northern New Jersey Section’s June Jamboree at the MBUSA headquarters in Montvale, NJ. The cars in the show were spectacular as were the new Mercedes-Benz cars on display in the showroom and on the grounds. MBUSA rolled out the carpet for club members and a great time was had by all. Hudson-Mohawk member Carlos Heligmann won the Judges Choice Award for his outstanding 1978 230.

In July we had our Annual Section the riverfront in Hudson. With such a dry summer it only stood to reason that on that Saturday it would pour all morning which limited the attendance but those who braved the bad weather had a great time. The ladies took the tour boat out to the Hudson-Athens lighthouse and said the guided tour was very informative. After the show we all retreated to the American Glory BBQ house and had great conversation and a few adult beverages and wonderful southern cooking.

August found 33 members enjoying lunch at the Mohonk Mountain House. The weather was spectacular and many of us spent hours touring the grounds and of course enjoying an outstanding lunch. We will repeat this type of gathering next year and would like your suggestions on where it should be held. As members your input is important to us so let’s hear from you. If you have an idea for an event let us know, we will certainly consider it and do our best to put it on the 2011 schedule.

As you know the National Business Office is “re-branding” the club in order to gain and retain more members; to that end a National Membership Committee has been formed and I will be serving on that committee. To date most of the work has been internal, however the new website is up and running, I urge you to go to www.mbca.org and navigate around the now user friendly site. Fall Foliage Tour is just around the corner and if you have not sent in your reservations, I urge you to do so today if at all possible. It is going to be a great tour and you will find more details elsewhere in this Newsletter. Membership remains steady, the treasury is up a little from last year and all in all things are looking great for your Hudson-Mohawk Section. Please join in the fun and I hope to see you at our next event and you are always welcome to any of our Board meetings. Drive safely, see you soon.

This spring’s annual “Twelve Point Inspection” Tech Session was held at Keeler Motor Car, Route 7, Latham, NY. Rick Walker, Service Manager, discussed the latest car care techniques followed by a question and answer period. The future evolution of Mercedes-Benz automobiles was also a topic of the event. Everyone was fascinated by the exciting options and standard features service director Dan Rothstein, sees coming down the pike. How to evaluate and price pre-owned Mercedes was included as part of the gathering as well as the safest way to change a tire.

Members who owned older cars shined them up and brought them for the indoor display. You can see some of the proud owners here and the raffle winners too. Three raffles were held. The proceeds of the 50-50 went to our Section’s Friends in the Auto Restoration Program at Northeast Parent & Child School.

As always the event was a great deal of fun and a big success. We thank Keeler for their hospitality and sharing their technical expertise. Reservations are required, so if you plan to attend next year sign up early. It’s a bargain.

HUDMO Club members on Labor Day

September 6, 2010

Seven members and three guests spent Saratoga’s racing season’s final day at the barbecue buffet. Members were greeted by me dressed in the appropriate Saratoga hat. They were then escorted to VIP seating on the rail in an air conditioned tent with it's own betting windows. Food and beverages were available all day with superb service and a Dixie Land band.

Everyone shared their techniques for choosing winners which included racing forms, jockeys with winning records, birthdays, and horses with great sounding names. All those methods had limited success until Jim and Carlene came up with a “sure fire plan” that could not fail. “Bet on all the horses that are in the race and you're bound to get a winner.”

Submitted by Saundra Griffin

Editor's note: Saundra Griffin is our newest board member. We welcome her to the board. She has great ideas, is a hard worker and has an infectious sense of humor.

New Member Luncheon Huge Success!

The new member luncheon was a huge success. It was held on April 24th at the Turf Holiday Inn in Albany and hosted by Paul Lotters and board member David Bullard. Thirty-eight people attended. It was the first for HUDMO, but it is going to become an annual activity. President Ron Tanner discussed the benefits of membership and talked about this years exciting calendar of events. After lunch there was an informal car show. A great time was had by all and we look forward to having more guests next year.

Carlos Heligmann

I was born in Mexico City, and I came to the U.S. at an early age. I served in the U.S.Air Force as a mechanic, and still use the excellent training I received to maintain the 230. For many years I was an industrial engineer, and before retirement I worked in the Boston area as the Engineering Manager for Federal Mogul’s Wagner Brake Division.

I’ve always loved cars (Kathy does too) and I still have the 1947 DeSoto my father drove when I was a child in Mexico City.
Now about the car. In 1978, we purchased our new Mercedes Benz 230. When we saw the car in the showroom, it was love at first sight. We liked the deep green color, the size was right, and the price was fair. Owning that car with the distinctive star on the hood was a dream come true. That same year we also purchased a Pontiac Le Mans Safari wagon, and that car became the workhorse of the family. Our St. Bernard dogs fit comfortably on the Pontiac’s spacious rear deck, and we loved the power of the car’s big V-8 engine. Unlike the Pontiac, the Mercedes was destined to be the special car, driven in the good weather and off-limits for the dogs. Since we had the powerful engine in the Pontiac, we didn’t mind that the 230 was underpowered. Today, the Mercedes has about 58,000 miles on the odometer and the Pontiac has 275,000. They both are all original and still run well.

Over the years, the Mercedes has been kept in the garage and hand washed regularly. I wax the car infrequently, and only when it is really necessary to maintain the original paint. It gets an oil change about every 2000 miles, and quality Mercedes Benz parts are used for maintenance and repairs. I do all the engine work myself.

For many years, our MB 230 was pretty commonplace. There used to be so many with the same body type in the U.S., and whenever I traveled overseas on business, I noticed lots of 230s getting heavy use as taxis. There aren’t too many of these cars around anymore, so at long last our 230 is beginning to draw some attention. That’s why the show in Hudson was a special thrill!

We are pleased to announce that Carlos Heligmann won the Judges Choice Award for his outstanding 1978 230 at the Northern New Jersey Section’s June Jamboree at the MBUSA headquarters in Montvale, NJ.

DID YOU KNOW

The origin of some company logos begin even before the dawn of the automobile. The Mercedes-Benz famous three pointed star is commonly know to symbolize the use of its company engines on land, sea and air. But the star first appeared on a personal note written in 1872 by company founder, Gottlieb Daimler, to his wife. Mr. Daimler used a three pointed star to mark the location of the family’s new home in the town of Deutz, Germany. His sons adapted the emblem as the Mercedes-Benz logo from 1910 onwards.

ANNUAL AWARDS
Hudson Mohawk Section
Honorees
December 2009

At its year end Board meeting your Hudson-Mohawk Section of the MBCA gave out awards to two very deserving members. Past Secretary David Bullard was given a Certificate of Appreciation for serving four years as Secretary/Treasurer and two years as our most recent Secretary. Past President Ginette Maslanka was given three awards: a Certificate of Appreciation for her many years as President and the leader of our Section; a second award for 30 years as a member, (this award was given on the anniversary of her first joining the club in 1979); Ginette was also given a beautiful engraved plaque as Member of the Year for all her continuing contributions to the club. Join all of us in congratulating these two fine individuals. We know we can count on them for more in the years to come.
Ron Tanner, President

Annual Tech Session at Keeler
Saturday, March 27 10:00 AM

Our section is pleased to offer a tech session at Keeler Motor Car Company in Latham NY. The session will be open to the public and non members are welcome to attend. "Inspections will be by appointment only so we can plan accordingly" according to Rick Walker Mercedes-Benz service manager (rwalker@keeler.com) 518-7241015x120.

Past tech sessions have been well attended. Attendees will have an opportunity to see our members' older classic Mercedes
displayed. As part of the morning's program, there will be a discussion on how to wisely purchase a used Merccdes: what to
look for; the do's and don'ts, and determining fair price.

A 50-50 raffle will be held, one winner and the auto restoration program at Northeast Parent & Child School in Rotterdam
will receive the cash prizes. You will also have a chance to win a free oil change at Keeler's, our host for the event. Our club event will have many highlights including answers to these and many other questions:

How does the drowsy alert work?
What distinguishes the Mercedes navigation system from others and how does it work?
How does one change a tire when suffering a flat?
What exactly is the roadside assistance policy?
What are the twelve points of a twelve point inspection?

We will also be hearing about the future evolution of Mercedes vehicles from a Keeler professional, Rick Walker. Please plan on attending this event. The event is free and open to the public however registration is required for the 12 point inspection. To register or if you have any questions please contact me at:

T. David Bullard
The Marshall House, 136 Route 4 North, Schuylerville, New York 12871-1956 dbullard@taxredux.com

2010 Fall Foliage Tour

On a cool fall day in October the HUDMO group met at the Saratoga Auto Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, to begin its annual
autumn leaf peeper drive. Before leaving for the tour around the Great Sacandaga Lake in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains, in Mayfield, New York, many participants took advantage of the display of vintage Woodies and race cars that were the first vehicles in the racing industry of the state. Ron Tanner, president of HUDMO said, "It was another very successful Fall Foliage Tour with lots of new faces. I am looking forward to this year’s Tour which will be two nights in Lake Placid".

It was indeed a pleasure that on behalf of our membership I was able to present a $500.00 check to Sarah Donlon in memory of her daughter Elise at our last Board meeting. The money will go to the Elise Donlon Foundation, a foun-dation dedicated to providing families of children suffering from childhood cancer some monetary assistance. The Elise Donlon Foundation was established in memory of Elise who passed away after suffering from the disease for three years; she was only four years old at the time of her death. All donations are used directly to organizations dedicated to provide medical care for the young and support of their families. If you would like to donate you may do so by sending your check to: Elise Donlon Foundation, C/O Sarah E. Donlon, 12 Graffin Drive, Latham, NY 12110. Learn more about the Foundation on Facebook, Elise Donlon Foundation.