Our annual EIM entry in the Swamp Fox Festival Parade in Marion is just around the corner.

We are honored and delighted this year to have Sevyn C. (daughter of EIMers Brian and Cora C.) representing us in the parade as our 2010 Miss Eastern Iowa MINIs!

As a reminder to those who have signed up, our rendezvous time and location is at 8:30 am at the car wash located at the intersection of South 11th Street and Grand Avenue in Marion. We suggest you come a bit earlier to have adequate time to clean and decorate your MINI.

All of the detailed times for the day–and other important information–can be found in a planning post in our companion NAM Discussion Thread (<–link). You’ll want to make sure to check this out.

Our fearless leader for the day Larry H. might still have a free spot or two remaining in our entry, so if you’re interested please contact him at the email address provided at the link above. If you’re not entered in the parade, we’d still love to have you come out to cheer us on and join us for the Festival downtown after the parade!

Everyone in Holy Cross seems to love our MINIs! A smallish but enthusiastic group of EIM loyalists enjoyed a fabulous day participating in the Holy Cross Parade, Festival, and Street Dance held earlier today in Holy Cross, IA.

Many thanks to Linda and Tom R. for their kindness and generosity in opening up their home and hosting such a wonderful feast after the parade. The broasted chicken was to die for.

If you’d like to see pictures of our MINIs in the parade — not to mention photo documentation of our hosts’ one-of-a-kind Purple Haze MINI themed bathroom — check out the EIM Photo Gallery or go directly to the parade pics using the following link:

Photos from the Holy Cross Parade, Festival, and Street Dance, August 14 2010

We extend well deserved congratulations to Denny B. (1st Place) and Mike C. (2nd Place) for sweeping the Class L ["New" MINI] Group this past weekend at the 2010 Heartland British Autofest Days Car Show, sponsored by the Quad Cities British Auto Club and hosted in the quaint Village of East Davenport. Way to go guys!

It was a great weekend of motoring with the British classics, getting to know a new group of auto enthusiasts, and of course participating in the car show. You can see pictures documenting the entire event in our Photo Gallery or go directly to them using the following link:

Photos from the 2010 Heartland British Autofest Days, Village of East Davenport, 7-8 Aug

See you soon!

The article from the Aug/Sep issue of the magazine is included in this post below.
****(click on the image below for a larger view)****

Learn more about this very popular and fast growing periodical showcasing the incomparable State of Iowa at the Our Iowa Magazine website at http://www.ouriowamagazine.com
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Also, stay abreast of the Willis Auto Campus progress toward Iowa’s first ever MINI Cooper franchise at http://www.willisautocampus.com/mini-cooper.aspx

MotoringFile.com has assembled what is certainly one of the best resources available anywhere for learning about details of the new R60 MINI Countryman crossover vehicle that will be arriving on the U.S. side of “the pond” next year. The buzz being generated by the introduction of this radical new four-door AWD model has been considerable, exceeding that of the sporty R59 MINI Coupe and R58 MINI Roadster concepts that have a slightly longer time horizon for their introduction into worldwide production.

The following link will take you to the site’s dedicated R60 section with links to hundreds of photos, reviews, information on the really exciting news about the joint MINI-Prodrive commitment to the World Rally Championship (WRC) series using the R60 platform as a basis, early design drawings, access to the European online configurator (so you can practice “building” your very own Countryman), and much more. Enjoy!

MotoringFile.com R60 MINI Countryman Resource (<–link)

So what’s a MINI group to do when the ferry–and a handful of local roads–are closed due to the prior day’s flash flooding? Well, they pool their talents, use their ingenuity, and execute an equally fun and exciting motoring day for everyone!

From the trip up the Dubuque County back roads and the Great River Road, our non-ferry (i.e., bridge) crossing at Marquette, the awesome network of twisties in Grant County, Wisconsin, not to mention the superb lunch stop at the Potosi Brewing Company and the fun times at Dubuque’s Cable Car Square and at the Town Clock Inn, it was a great day all around.

Want evidence? Check out some photos from our motoring day — they’re posted in the Gallery or available directly via the following link:

Photos from our Cassville Ferry Drive in Dubuque, northeastern Iowa, and southwestern Wisconsin

We extend a warm EIM welcome to newcomers Pat and Al, and Angie and Jeff and their sweet MINIs. Thanks for coming out and joining us.

Also wonderful to see REDMINI back and looking exquisite again. Congrats Larry and Pam!

Next events: the QCBAC Car Show in Davenport on 7-8 August, and the Holy Cross Parade on 14 August … we’ll be looking for you!

For the third consecutive year, EIM plans to take over the town of Holy Cross, IA for the annual Holy Cross Parade, Festival, and Street Dance!

Our MINIs will be lined up at 10:30 am on Saturday, August 14th to prepare for the start of the parade at noon. We’ll have a car wash station set up for early arrivals who want to spruce up. The time line and locations may be found after the jump (more…) below.

Our local EIM hosts Linda and Tom R. have once again graciously invited all of us MINI folk and their families to come to their house after the parade for wonderful food, drink, and fellowship. Take a peek at their newly remodeled, MINI-themed bathroom — that’s worth the trip alone! There will also be a variety of outdoor and indoor games available, and we’ll be right across the street from the heart of the Festival for those who want to take in the charity auction, music, and other offerings.

Feel free to follow the preparatory discussion in our associated NAM Discussion Thread (<–link)

Finally, RSVPs — either using the link in the Event Calendar Entry (<–link) or by commenting on this post using the comments link above — are greatly appreciated so our hosts can plan for the number of guests.

The kids just love MINIs on parade!

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Itinerary:

8:00 – 10:00 am

- Arrive at your convenience at Linda and Tom’s house (956 Main Street) in Holy Cross. They will have a car wash station set up in the driveway just north of the house. Once washed, park our MINIs across the street along Thunder Road to finish drying and detailing

10:30 am

- Move out and line up for the parade along Thunder Road, northeast of town

12:00 pm

- Parade begins. Tossing candy for the kids along the route is encouraged.

1:00 pm (approximately)

- Parade finishes south of town. Once the route clears, move up and park near the Catholic Church. Walk over to the house for feasting, frivolity, and MINI fellowship. Check out the Festival activities downtown as desired (the auction should be going on right next door). Have a fun time.

TBD - Stay for the street dance or head for home

The Quad Cities British Auto Club (QCBAC) will be hosting their annual Heartland British Autofest Days on Saturday and Sunday, August 7th and 8th in Davenport.

Our good motoring buddy Mike C. won both the Best in Class and Best Overall Wheels awards with his awesome MINI at this event last year. We’d like to see even more of our MINIs participating this year!

This event includes a leisurely drive on Saturday starting at 3:00 pm, followed by a group dinner. Sunday is the car show, with car registration and clean up between 9:00 am and noon; voting between 1:00 and 2:00 pm; and the awards presentation at 3:00 pm. There is much more information about this event after the jump (more…) below and via the QCBAC Website (<–link).

Please note that advance registration by mail to QCBAC is required for this event. The registration form may be accessed using the following link: Heartland British Autofest Days Entry Form.

Also note that there is a modest registration fee ($15 if submitted prior to August 1st).

EIM discussion and plans can be tracked by monitoring the NAM Discussion Thread (<–link)

See you in Davenport!

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Here’s the agenda for the Heartland British Autofest Days 2010

**Please note the registration form and fee requirements below.

Saturday August 7 – The drive will begin at 3:00 pm. The cars will meet in the east end of Moline’s Farm & Fleet parking lot on John Deere road. The group will then drive to dinner and return as a group following a different route.

Sunday August 8 – The Auto show will again be at the Village of East Davenport (Mound Street to Jersey Ridge on East 11th street). Enter the show at Jersey Ridge Road at 11th street.

Show Registration and car clean up – 9:00 am to Noon
Voting by participants – 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Awards presentation – 3:00 pm (Must be present to win. If not present, the next highest receiver of votes will be awarded)

First and Second place trophies will be awarded. All entrants will receive a goody bag.

A DJ will be on sight providing 50′s, 60′s and 70′s Rock & Roll music and announcing door prizes.

Pre-registration by mail is required to help determine space requirements and assure your place in the proper class.

A – MG’s 1962 and older
B – MGB/C & GT Chrome Bumper
C – MGB Black Bumper
D – MG Midget/AH Sprite
E – Triumph TR2 & TR3
F – Triumph TR6 & TR4
G – Triumph Spitfire & GT6
H – Austin Healey – Big
I – Pre 1969 Saloons
J – 1969 – 2010 Sedans
K – Mini’s – Pre 2000
L – MINIs – New
M – Jaguar – Coupes
N – Jaguar – Roadster
O – Other Marques
P – Lotus
Q – Special Interest

For questions and/or motel information, visit the QCBAC Website (<–link) or call Larry Hipple at (309)755-2784 or Jerry Nesbitt at (309)788-3136.

Fill out the Entry Form (<–link) and mail it to Jerry Nesbitt, 2512 – 29th St, Rock Island IL 61201.

Registration fees: ($15 first entry, $5 for each additional entry before 1 Aug. (After 1 Aug, $20 first, $5 additional).

How many MINI Coopers can you fit on a ferry boat that usually holds 9 “regular” cars?

Come join us on Saturday, July 24th and find out!

The EIM Cassville Ferry Crossing and Drive starts and finishes in Dubuque, IA. Our rendezvous time is 9:15 am at the Port of Dubuque. Highlights include the following:

- Crossing the mighty Mississippi on the Cassville Ferry
- Lunch at the trendy Potosi Brewing Company in Potosi, WI
- Fun country twisties between Potosi and Beetown, WI
- Time permitting, explore Cable Car Square in Dubuque
- Dinner at the Town Clock Inn in Dubuque

There are more details after the jump (more…) below. Additionally, if you navigate to our corresponding NAM Discussion Thread (<–link) you’ll be able to download a PDF file with detailed times, route descriptions, and links to route maps and most of the establishments we plan to visit.

Those on NAM can help with our headcount by clicking on the RSVP link in our Event Calendar Entry (<–link)

Kudos to David V. for all of the hard work to plan this event.

We will be looking for you!

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9:15 am – Rendezvous at the Port of Dubuque Star Brewery, 600 Star Brewery Drive, Suite 200

Dubuque, Iowa 52001  http://dbqstar.com/dubuque-iowa-location.php

10:00 am – Depart the Port of Dubuque for the Cassville Ferry – Iowa Landing

11:00 am – Embark on the Cassville Ferry – cross the Mississippi River (fare = $13 per car)

11:30 am - Depart Cassville for Potosi

12:00 pm – Lunch at the Potosi Brewing Company; 209 South Main Street, Box 177, Potosi, WI 53820

1:30 pm – Depart Potosi for Beetown and back to Potosi

2:30 pm – Depart Potosi for Dubuque; visit Cable Car Square upon arrival

5:00 pm – Dinner at the Town Clock Inn; 799 Main Street, Dubuque, IA 52001

MINI of Madison opened their doors for business just yesterday. They are located at 310 West Beltline Highway, right off of US-12/US-18 at Exit 262 and essentially two miles straight south of the downtown capital square. You can contact them directly at http://www.miniofmadison.com/

Our very own Holly M. from Dubuque reports that she had the distinction and pleasure of being only their second service customer. She noted that the staff is still in the process of getting oriented but that “the people there are very nice and helpful.” That is certainly a good start!