Coming soon to a Jeep near you…
Our February meeting is a “normal” one, on Saturday, February 2nd at Avanti’s in Pekin at noon. Come have some lunch, approve the Club Schedule, and discuss upcoming events. At this point, nothing else is scheduled in February.
Our March meeting is combined with our annual Inspections event, which will (probably) be held at Uftring Jeep in Pekin, (probably) at around 12:30 on Saturday, March 2nd. Correction: Inspections will be held at Sam Leman Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Morton at 12:30 on Saturday, March 2nd. The club will (probably) provide lunch. There’s a bunch of probably’s because none of it has been approved yet, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. If you’re new to the club and have never experienced Inspections, take a look at the form we use. Some of it is safety-related and on-road functions, some is mechanical. Even if you don’t regularly wheel your Jeep, oversized tires and a lift can be hard on drivetrain and suspension components. Even stock Jeeps wear parts out eventually. We hope to try to catch problems on your rig before they become bigger. Also, the Uftring sales guys like to come out of the showroom and gawk at our rides.
Wheeling-wise, later in March we’ve got a day trip to The Badlands for March 16th, and a trip to Colchester Quarry at the end of the month. The former rock quarry near Macomb, Illinois is privately owned, but former MIJC member John Gage has invited us back to wheel. The last time we were there was March of 2010, when it poured rain and everything was slicker than snot! Wow, and that was back when we used to take photos at events too! But it was still a good time. Since this event is on private land we will not post the location publicly, but watch the forum and we’ll send directions to participants via email or meet up somewhere and caravan there.
Lastly, a business item… if you haven’t already, please renew your club membership by the end of January! The cost for a full year is $30 per family. As per our bylaws, there is an extra $10 fee if you renew after January 31st. We have had to enforce this before, and it has caused some sour grapes in the past. Please just renew now while you’re thinking of it. You can download the form, print it, fill it out, and mail it to Fraser Yarker, our current Treasurer. His mailing address is at the bottom of the form. New members, on the other hand, can join anytime, and your dues will be pro-rated depending on when you join.