Hampton Roads Club Mini

I also need to meet up with the person I loaned my magnetic festival parade graphics to and get them back.  Please contact me at larrylane01@cox.net

We had 17 MINIs today which was almost a record.  We had 18 one year.  We were way up front this year and didn't have as near as many problems getting to the staging area,  Plenty of room and a fairly short wait.  No rain during the parade, but a couple of down pours afterward at the festival.  After the parade was complete and we made the turn on Muddy Creek road it seems there was some confusion on who to follow.  We had some people who stayed at the festival and pulled into the parking area.  Meanwhile I was just down the road waiting for those who wanted an escort out of the festival and back to the Sonic, but Everyone turned into the parking area and then a good number of them did a u turn and left via the detour route.  Hope everyone found their way out of the back roads of Pungo to where ever they were going.  Hope y'all had a good time.

Pics from the parade:

We asked to do that one year and the parade organizers don't want two lines of cars.  Single file.  The crowd is always right on the street very close to the units and there are a lot of kids.  They dont want a kid to get smooshed.  So single line it will be and we will need to double up to stay as close to 15 MINIs as possible.

too late to update my graphic below. disregard date on that.  :-) 

No problem Trish.  My pleasure to help you out.  I will see everyone at the Sonic Saturday morning.  Hopefully the weather will be as nice as years past.  I plan to form up at 8:15 and leave Sonic at 8:30.  We are unit 13 in the parade so we should be done fairly quick.  As I recall there are no dogs allowed at the Pungo Strawberry Festival.  So if you are bringing one don't let it out of the car and don't plan to attend the festival after the parade.  - larry

where are all the pics???

hey, i should have an extra set of magnets for someone.  i can't remember if anyone asked for them before or not.  we will be there at Sonic Saturday morning.

hey, its been a long time since I have been on this site.  We will be in the parade as well.  Hope all here are doing ok.

Yes, thanks to everyone who came out.  4 years running HRMINI has been a highlight of the parade.  I will never forget the Line Dancing Red Hatters though.  Looking forward to next year.  - larry

ok steve, if you want to participate just reply here to confirm yourself for the parade.  thanks - larry

We now have an open spot in the parade.  Could the person who PM'd me about coming to hang out for Sonic, parade, then lunch please contact me if they would like to  actually be in the parade.  I deleted all my messages and can't recall your name.  - larry

Ok HRMINI is unit # 45 in the 25th Pungo Strawberry Festival Parade.  There are 70 or so units in the parade so that puts us roughly 3/4 of the way back in the line up.  Since this is a Strawberry Festival and it is memorial day weekend anything with strawberries and patriotic are the uniform of the day.  Shine those MINIs and do what you want to stay with the theme.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful!  Sunny and 71 degrees.

Recap

Pre parade meet up at Sonic Drive In at Redmill Commons 1137 Nimmo Parkway in Virginia Beach. Time: Dawn till 8:45 AM.  Save room for lunch at Malibu Macs.

Line up MINIs in parade formation in Walmart Parking Lot:  Time:  8:45 AM

Depart Walmart parking lot for parade staging grounds:  Time:  9 AM sharp

Arrive Parade Staging area:  Time 9:10 AM

Find our staging area:  Time 9:15 AM

Try to get to our staging area and stay in parade formation:  Time 9:15 to 9:30 AM

Hurry up and wait:  Time 9:30 AM to ............parade starts at 10:00 AM to................... approximately 10:30 AM when our unit will actually start moving down the parade route.  Bring water, hats, sunscreen, and folding chairs.

Progress through parade route:  Approx 10:30 - 11:00 AM

Transit out of festival area and back to Malibu Macs in Redmill Commons:  Approx 11:00 to 11:30 depending on traffic on the exit route. 

Malibu Macs for lunch:  11:30 till .............................................


Once we leave the parade route and festival there is a predefined exit route that will take back of Pungo into the Redmill Commons area.  Because there are stops signs and traffic along that route we all may not stay in together in parade formation back to Malibu Macs.  I will be handing out some maps to help anyone not familiar with the area.  I recommend everyone bring FRS radios to stay in touch en route from the parade.  7/21 is our standard MINI channel if I remember correctly.


later  - larry

Sorry, it looks like we and the kids had too much fun doing this in past parades.  Actually the VB Police were the ones were who told the parade organizers not to allow the tossing of candy.  I have been going to the parade years before HRMINI starting participating and there were several units that tossed candy and other things before.  SO we cannot throw candy or beads or anything.   

Yes, that is the one.  There is also a map of Red Mill Commons at www.redmillcommons.net.  On that map you can see the layout of the shopping center where the Sonic is located as well as the post parade lunch at Malibu Macs.