What: Join us for a day of food, fun and MINI! It's the 1st Annual Summer Kickoff Picnic and Run. This is the ONE event of the entire year that'll bring together all DCMM members to one location! But in order for this to be a success, we need all members to participate. RSVP below and join in on this big event!

Where: Black Hill Regional Park - Boyds, Maryland
(the park is easily accessible, 5 minutes off 270 @ Germantown)

When: Sunday, June 1st (rain or shine)

Morning MINI Run: Driver meeting around 9:30, photos at 9:45 and we leave exactly at 10am!

Picnic: For those people not going on the run, we have the shelter for the full day so arrive as early as you'd like. The running party is expected to arrive between 12:30 and 1:00 with food scheduled to be served at 1pm.

A registration desk whould be in place by noon so be sure to check in to get your food pass.

Food: Catered by Hard Times Cafe and will consist of typical picnic fare: fresh burgers/cheeseburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, veggie chili, nachos with all the toppings, meat-free baked beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, a fresh fruit plate and bottle water and canned soda.

NOTE: NO alcohol is allowed in the park!

Cost and Registration Information:

Costs:

Members: $15 per person
Guests and Non-Members: $26 per person
Kids 13 to 17: $15 per kid
Children 12 and under: FREE

Registration and Payment Information:

Registration must be received by Wednesday, May 21st and will be limited to the first 100 people. This is due to capacity restraints at the picnic shelter.

Payment Procedure:

1) Register by emailing dcmmpicnic@gmail.com with a complete list of DCMM members with full names and NAM identities. Also include the number and names of non-members and guests. Lastly, include the names and ages of any children attending.

2) Include in the email if you need vegetarian food options and how many.

3) Also include if you'll be attending the MINI run in the morning.

4) During the week after May 13th you will receive an invoice from us with instructions on how to pay via Paypal. If you do not wish to pay via Paypal, we can accept other forms of payment. Please indicate your preference in your Registration email and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

5) ALL payments must be recieved by Wednesday, May 21st.

NOTE: You are not considered registered until you are paid in full. The registration fee is non-refundable.

Charity: If there is any money left over after paying the expenses, that money WILL be donated to a charity called Second Chance Wildlife Center (http://www.scwc.org/). It's a place that desperately needs money that they put towards rehabilitating injured and abused animals.

Pets: Pets are not only allowed but welcome at our picnic! Dogs must be kept on a leash, however, there is a dog park within walking distance of our shelter where Fido can run wild.

Awards: Come get your DCMM Golden MINI Award!!! We plan on having a fun little award ceremony for the attendees in such categories as:

- Most Head Turning MINI
- Best Personalized Plate
- Best Run Of The Year

(the organizers will be the judges)

MINI Run:

We're starting at the Maryland Soccer Complex at South Germantown Recreational Park (see below for directions and a map).

The route will center around the roads of Upper Montgomery County and Sugarloaf Mountain. We'll alternate between rural and secondary roads throughout the run. The pace of the run will be a casual cruise. I'll try to keep a just a few miles above the speed limit towards the front of the pack. New members and/or those wanting a casual pace are encouraged to head to the front of the line. As we know, the back of the pack is faster and more spirited at times so those wishing for a quicker pace should hang to the back.


Route Ratings:
(1 to 10 scale, 10 being tops)

Speed: 5/10 - The roads change from 35mph backroads to 45mph secondary roads in residential areas. I don't anticipate going too much above the accepted local speeds.
Curves: 7/10 - We have a good amount of curves...slow, but fun.
Vertical Change: 7/10 - We hit Sugarloaf Mountain and the surrounding roads.
Road Conditions: 4/10 - We alternate between rural backroads and smoother secondary roads. But some of the rural roads do have potholes, patches and a rough texture. No gravel or dirt road, though.
Flow: 9/10 - Only one hard left and only one traffic light (that we make a right on). There aren't any good pull over catch up points so we tried to design a route that will flow easily.
Scenery: 6/10 - The view on Sugarloaf is spectacular. The rest of the roads go through horse farm country with some deep woods thrown in.

(these rating are just my (mrmellowyellow's) opinion. i tried to determine my ratings based off the other runs i've been on.)

- First Section/Start (10:00am to 11:00am):

The initial roads will be mainly rural backroads.

- Break (11:00am to 11:30am):

We'll break on top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Warning, we're in a rural area so we'll
have only the woods and two port-a-potties to choose from!

- Second Section (11:30pm to 12:30pm)

The second half of the route will be a little quicker and consist of mainly
secondary roads with some rural roads mixed in.

- End (arrive between 12:30pm and 1:00pm)

Black Hill Regional Park, Shelter "C".

Directions:

MINI Run Starting Point - Maryland Soccer Complex at South Germantown Recreational Park:

Maryland Soccer Complex @ South Germantown Park
18031 Central Park Circle
Boyds, MD 20841

- Take 270 to 118 South in Germantown.
- Stay on 118 South for about 3 miles. Stay in the center lane since the other lanes turn off. Once 118 becomes a single lane, you're close.
- Go straight at the light for Richter Farm Road (don't follow soccerplex signs!).
- Turn RIGHT onto Germantown Park Drive soon after the light. There will be a sign for the MD Soccer Complex.
- Go STRAIGHT around circle (2nd exit) and look for the large building on the right called the Discovery Sport Complex. We'll be in the parking lot to the front left of the building nearest the road. (turn on your radios if the lot is full and you can't find us)




To Picnic Location - Black Hill Regional Park:

Black Hill Regional Park
20030 Lake Ridge Drive
Boyds, MD 20841

- Take 270 to the Ridge Road exit in Germantown, Exit 16.
- LEFT at light onto North 355.
- LEFT onto Old West Baltimore Road
- LEFT into the park on Lake Ridge Drive
- Our shelter is Shelter "C"...it's on the left off the main road.






Our Goal: We've had lots of great smaller events this year but it's time to have that ONE BIG event that all DCMMers should try to attend. Let's start the tradition of a summer kickoff picnic with this event. With a good turnout, we can continue this picnic and expand it in the future to other locations. Next year it's Virginia's turn to host. Any VA members wishing to take the torch and lead next year's picnic should contact a DCMM event coordinator.

Stay tuned for updates. We're still working hard on putting this together but we wanted to let everyone know about this event so that you all could put it on your calendar.

Hope to see everyone there!

RSVP

DCMM Summer Picnic Organizers
(Maxicooper, ccc777, GreenCactus & MrMellowYellow)

 

This sounds great!
Are there contingency plans for rainy weather?

 

This looks great. We will be there.

I know the organizers are the judges, but if you are taking nominations from the floor, I'd like to nominate Jeff for Best Run.

 

I nearly cried laughing when I read this! Jeff, of course, should win hands down.

Glenn

 

I know we have a rain date of June 8th, the following Sunday. Whether we stick with it is another question since that "could" be the date of the World Record attempt down in Virginia Beach. I don't think we'd want to interfere with that.

So we have a few things to clear up still but we'll definitely keep everyone apprised.

Can I ask what you would suggest, Katie? Should we continue with the event no matter if it's rain or shine? We do have a covered shelter but I know it'll be a downer of a day if it does rain.

g.

 

Looks like fun. Are you going to have games, etc..? It will be like a family reunion!

 

I'm in!

 

That's an EXCELLENT way of putting what we're shooting for, Stacey! I was struggling with what to say in our "Goal" section but you summed up exactly what I've been trying to convey. A family reunion. Thanks!

I have to admit...the games idea totally slipped by us! Thanks for bringing that up and we're open to suggestions. What would everyone like to see?

I'm pretty sure there's a horseshoe pit and a volleyball court there. But they're communal with all the other pavillions and so there's a chance others will be using them.

For those not familiar with Black Hill Park, it's a 2,000 acre park with 505 acres taken up by a lake. Kayak, canoe and rowboat rentals are a stones throw away. We can also rent a pontoon boat to take a tour of the lake for $5 per person if there's interest.

There are 13 miles of hiking trails. There are two playgrounds for the kiddies right by our pavilion. There's even a dog park! Lot's to do!

I'll post more about the park when I get more time later.

Keep the ideas coming! This is great!

g.

 

*UPDATE: This will be a Rain or Shine event due to the costs associated with having a rain date.

Glenn

 

Speaking of games, I wonder if there are any DCMMers with RC MINIs who might like to have a race somewhere at the picnic. I don't have an RC car, but would LOVE to watch somebody else do it

 

Awesome idea, Ed!

We can organize a tournament if we get enough participants.

g.

 

Cool.

1:16 class, 1:24 class, etc.

And I think the parking lot is big enough to accommodate that.

 

Actually, we have a HUGE dedicated lot with 84 parking spaces! We'll have room left over for the races.



Our motto is Fill The Lot!!!

g.

 

Only 84 parking space,

How could we accommodate 400+ paid members?

 

Oh, there's a lot across the street that'll hold hundreds and hundreds more.

g.

 

Look at how big those spaces are! We could easily get two MINIs per space!!

I just got a custom made RC MINI - I'm exited to try it out. Right now it's main purpose is running down the cats.

 

Cool Cats make GREAT moving targets

BTW, what are the specs on your new toy? Make, source, etc. Pictures?

 

YAY FOR JEFF !!! With Chris a close second !

 

Have someone broke my last year record of: 19 MINIs were missing during the cherry pickin' run, from the total of 29 MINIs (65% were missing ).

 

Hope I'm in town ! I've signed up !

 

Glenn,
Given the payment for the pavilion and caterers, I completely understand the no-rain-date. Rain, hail, sleet or snow, I plan on being there. If my husband isn't racing that day, he'll be there too. If the weather's fine, Winston the Wonder Dog will be there too!

I think RC races will be a great idea. I'm a great spectator...

 

We got a couple of RCs for Xmas. They unfortunately are on the same wavelength...so I can run them both with one controller! Does that mean I can enter 2 cars?

 

Not sure if Olga can make it, but I'm in!

 

We're in. I also have a 1/10 scale rc car i can bring.

 

Look forward to hanging out with all of you! Maybe I should find a Mini body for my HPI car and play in the parking look.

See ya on some of the runs, Brian