Our February Meet-n-Eat will be back in the Quad Cities area on Saturday, February 18th. EIM enthusiasts extraordinaire Denny and Sandy B. have graciously offered to host us in their home in Davenport. Plan on arriving at their residence sometime between 10:30 am – 11:00 am. The neighbor’s driveway immediately to the east is open and available for MINI parking. You may also part on the street. We’ll be ordering out for pizza for lunch. There will be plenty of other yummy things to eat and an intriguing selection of libations. Games will be in order, and I understand one involves operation of some sort of “virtual” MINI. That should get your curiosity percolating…

Please let our hosts know you’re coming by clicking on the **Read More** button below and following the sign-up instructions. You’ll also find the address and a link to an online map to the location.

See you on the 18th!

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Please let us know you’ll be joining us on the 18th by doing one or more of the following:

(1) click on the attendance link in the NAM Event Calendar Entry;
(2) leave a post in the associated NAM Discussion Thread; or
(3) leave a comment on this website posting using the form below.

Thanks!

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2710 West 46th St
Davenport, IA 41806

Map: http://g.co/maps/knydj

It was fantastic seeing the blue skies and the amazing turnout at the Eastern Iowa MINIs January Meet-n-Eat on Saturday at The Wig and Pen Pub in Iowa City. Congratulations to all of the winners of the MINI Cooper Color Bingo Game (especially to Rebecca D. for the blackout grand prize, and to Gary S. for earning his “mini” Cabrio!).

Sincere EIM gratitude to Bill and Alyce S. for hosting us at their house afterward for a great spread of treats and for organizing the alternative lodging plans for the May HPMS event near Branson. Thanks to their generosity with their timeshare points, we’ll have our own special fun location at a fraction of the cost.

It was also a special pleasure to welcome new EIM enthusiasts Jay T., Ryo, Alex and Gen, and Craig and Rose. Glad you were able to join us!

Pictures from this event are in our Photo Gallery, and are directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Wig and Pen Pub, Iowa City, 1-28-12

Hope to see many of you in Davenport next month!

Facebook fans, make sure you head on over to the Eastern Iowa MINIs page and click to indicate that you “Like” the page. It’ll make it super easy to stay apprised of all of our latest updates in your News Feed!

Eastern Iowa MINIs on Facebook

Following lunch, Bill and Alyce S. have invited everyone over to their place for cookies and to discuss alternative lodging plans for the HPMS “MINIs Occupy Branson” event in May. Directions to be provided at the meet.

All interested MINI enthusiasts are welcome to join us! In order to give the restaurant a proper count, we’d appreciate your RSVP. Instructions are available by clicking on the **Read More** button below.

Think you’re familiar with the variety of paint colors marketed by MINI since 2002? That knowledge could prove fruitful on the 28th.

Hope to see you there!

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Please let us know you’ll be joining us on the 28th by doing one or more of the following:

(1) click on the attendance link in the NAM Event Calendar Entry;
(2) leave a post in the associated NAM Discussion Thread; or
(3) leave a comment on this website posting using the form below.

We’ll likely be splitting a single check among the group so plan on bringing cash to help facilitate that process. Thanks!

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Wig and Pen Pub
1220 Hwy 6 West
Iowa City, IA 52246
319-354-2767

(Note: This is the Wig and Pen located next to the Vine on the Coralville Strip, NOT the one across from Regina HS)

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Your MINI neighbors in Eastern Iowa MINIs send along our sincere wishes to everyone for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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See more Ryan Connors Cat Folk Art at KilkennycatArt

Eastern Iowa MINIs gathered this past Saturday at The Country Junction in Dyersville for a rousing round of food, fun, and MINI fellowship. Thanks to all who came out and joined us.  As we do every November, we presented our annual EIM Recognition Awards as a great way to reflect back on all of the fun times together over the past year and to appropriately recognize the folks who facilitate that fun. We enjoyed a lot of “LOL” moments!

We also enjoyed meeting Ron and Loretta S. from Iowa City, the newest members of our EIM family!

Pictures from this event are in our Photo Gallery, and are directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Country Junction, Dyersville, 11-19-11

A complete list of the 2011 EIM Recognition Awards and their recipients may be viewed by clicking on the Read More button below.

See you at Wig and Pen in January!

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2011 EIM Annual Recognition Award Winners

First EIM Event Participation Award — Ron and Loretta S.
Biggest Chili Red MINI Fan Award — Larry H.
Least Intimidated by the Weather Award — Paul and Nora J.
Best MINI Artistic Talent Award — Gary S.***
Most Dedicated MINI Motorist Award — Tom and Linda R.

Most Passionate MINI Motorist Award — Denny and Sandy B. // Bill and Alyce S.
Best MINI Videographer Award — Steve B.
Best Jury-Rigging of the MINI Award — Daryl H.
Greatest Loyalty to a MINI Color Award — Linda R.
Best Common Sense in the Club Award — Cindy and Larry D.

Best MINI Parade Support Award — Steve and Bobbi M.
Proud to be Afflicted with OCMD Award – Runner Up — Gary S.
Proud to be Afflicted with OCMD Award — Paul J.
The Girl Scout “Always Prepared” Award — Sandy B.
The Inaugural “Who Needs Gas?” Award — Bill and Alyce S.

The “Best in Show” Award — Steve and Juliann B.
Best Event Host/Hostess Award — Tom and Linda R. // Larry and Pam H.
The 2011 EIM Volunteer Spirit Award — Daryl H.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone!

***serendipitously confirmed by the fantastic artwork presented as a surprise to Gary M. during the awards!

This will be a great opportunity to reminisce about the fun times we’ve had together over the past year. We’ll present the now-traditional 2011 EIM Recognition Awards, a chance to recognize folks who deserve our sincere thanks (or a bit of friendly jesting).

After lunch, we’ve scheduled a visit to the National Farm Toy Museum for those interested in checking out some “mini” farm implements and the like. Admission for adults is $5.

We’re collecting an advance headcount for the restaurant, so please RSVP. Instructions for doing so are available by clicking on the Read More button below. There are also links to the restaurant and the museum after the jump.

Hope you can join us.

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To RSVP, let us know you plan on coming (and how many) by completing any one of the following steps using the links provided:

(1) Clicking on the RSVP link in our NAM Event Calendar Entry; and/or
(2) leave us a reply in our associated NAM Discussion Thread; or
(3) contact us using the “Leave a Reply” form below.

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Ad hoc departure rendezvous with other MINIs near your home for companion motoring to Dyersville is encouraged. There are lots of good roads in the area!

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Country Junction Restaurant
913 15th Avenue SE
Dyersville, IA 52040
(563) 875-7055
http://www.countryjunctionrestaurant.com/index.php

National Farm Toy Museum
1110 16th Ave Ct SE
Dyersville, Iowa 52040
(563) 875-2727
http://www.nationalfarmtoymuseum.com/

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A record number of Iowa MINIs — 26 in all — enjoyed a great day of motoring together at the 9th Annual MINICooperIowa Fall Tour held on October 29th. The various caravans converged in Pella for lunch followed by country roads, covered bridges, and photo opportunities and culminating in food, refreshment, and fun at the Willis Auto Campus MINI of Des Moines facility. A special treat was the two brand new MINI Coupes that came along for the ride! It was nice to have the opportunity to see and greet our fellow central Iowa MINI brethren.

Pictures from this event can be located in our Photo Gallery, directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the 9th Annual MINICooperIowa Fall Tour, 10-29-11

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A contingent from EIM recently returned from Eureka Springs, Arkansas where they represented our group at MINIs in the Ozarks 2011. A total of 131 MINIs and 228 people from all over the U.S. participated in this event. The rugged Ozark mountains with their twisty, steep, and well-maintained roads, the cooperative weather, the palette of Autumn colors, the smorgasbord of MINIs in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and the memorable experiences with good friends were all fantastic!

A full album of pictures from this amazing event can be found in the EIM Photo Gallery and can be accessed directly using the following link:

Photos from MINIs in the Ozarks 2011, 20-23 October 2011

Edit: The group photo is now in the Gallery. See if you can find us!