sent on behalf of the smart Michigan Users Group by smart center bloomfield. 

Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix – Labor Day Weekend - August 30th & 31st

All smart car owners worldwide are invited to the “smart car corral” at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

The smart Michigan Users Group (sMUG – The Home Team) with the support of smart Center Bloomfield, has made arrangements for a “smart car corral” at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

Tickets include:

• Priority on island parking
• Reserved Seats in Grandstand #3 (fantastic seats!)
• Access to the Firestone Paddock (where teams work on their cars)
• Parade Lap on the Track on Saturday at 7PM
• Drivers Autograph Session (in the paddock)
• smart Car Show Judging (categories TBD)
• Grand Prix Bucks (redeemable for food)
• Free Concert on Saturday at 6PM – Sugar Ray
• And much more…

sMUG – The Home Team, is excited to be able to host this event and encourages you to attend and help make this the largest smart gathering in the USA. With Canada right across the river we expect an international flavor with both 450’s and 451’s in attendance.

We will have a small Welcome Center/Hospitality tent in the “smart car corral” and smart center Bloomfield will be giving away promotional smart t-shirts to the first 100 owners that enter the “smart corral” on Saturday or Sunday.

The Detroit Grand Prix web site http://detroitgp.com has a link on their tickets page where you can purchase these “smart car corral” packages directly.

IMPORTANT! Please reply on this thread if you will be attending so we can estimate the number of smarties to plan for at the “smart car corral”. Stay tuned for additional information regarding this exciting sMUG – The Home Team sponsored event.

The following information describes the “smart car corral” packages available. Please note that you can select a package for 1–3 days. The packages are limited to two people per smart car.

The ticket packages are available to smart owners in association with a smart Corral at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.  This will enable the smart owners to park in a designated parking area near the entrance to our venue and have easy access to drive on and off the island throughout the day.  They will also have reserved grandstand seating and access to the Firestone Paddock where both the IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series teams work on their race cars throughout the day.  Additionally, the Grand Prix Bucks are redeemable for food and beverages from concession stands throughout the venue or can be used to purchase an Official Program from the Box Office.

Roger Stam & smart Center Bloomfield

sMUG Meet – Woodward Dream Cruise Saturday Aug. 16th

The smart Michigan Users Group invites all smart owners to meet in at Poppleton Park in Birmingham MI at 10:AM on August 16th. At 10:30 we will depart to drive together in the Woodward Dream Cruise. The drive will be followed by a picnic lunch at Poppleton Park.

What?
The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world's largest one-day celebration of classic car culture that attracts over 1 million visitors, and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles.

Where?
The Dream Cruise takes place along a 16-mile stretch of legendary Woodward Avenue.

Cost?
There are no fees to drive in the Woodward Dream Cruise. Anyone can participate.

Staging Area & Parking?
Enter onto Wimbledon Drive from Adams road heading West. We will stack vehicles North of the park and depart at 10:30AM. After driving in the Dream Cruise, return to the staging area to park and attend the picnic.

Things to Bring?
Your lunch with drinks, Chairs, Coolers, Blankets, Yard Games, Frisbee etc.

sMUG – The Home Team! is excited to be able to host this event and encourages all of you to attend!

Roger Stam & smart Center Bloomfield

Fellow smart enthusiasts,

Saturday, May 17, will be the next gathering of the smart Michigan Users Group. Please save the date as we believe you will enjoy this event.

The event this month will be a smart Tech Seminar presented by smart Center Bloomfield. Rick Cortright, Brand Manager and Mark Hovis, Service Manager have been working for several months to put together a comprehensive Tech Seminar and Question/Answer session for our May program. This will definitely be a "do not miss" event.

Map to smart Center Bloomfield

Agenda for Tech Seminar & Meeting

1:30 pm – 2:30pm - Tech Seminar

2:30 pm – 3:00pm - Technical Question and Answer Session

3:00 pm – 4:00pm - Meeting

** Plan and Schedule future events

** Select Club name

After the presentation and meeting, there will be smart driving tour to a local eatery for additional socializing and camaraderie.  Please e-mail Mark at mac14@chrysler.com if you intend to go the restaurant so he knows how many to reserve for.

Please be on time as we don’t want to get a late start on the seminar.  You may even want to arrive early as smart Center Bloomfield has been adding many new upgrades for your smart.  They have available and on display window tinting, stone guard film, color matched wheel powder coating, custom brake caliper paint, body colored lower panels, custom body wraps, GPS systems, cocoa floor mats, pin striping, as well as a great selection of smart factory accessories.

Each gathering, this will be the forth, has seen an increase in the number of people attending, the smarts present, and the enthusiasm generated by all.  We expect this to be the best event yet.  To keep the events going we need your ideas and help to organize them.  Please be thinking about what events you would be interested in and offer your assistance.

Additional questions can be addressed to me at mismart@comcast.net

Thanks for your interest and participation.  See you soon.

Best Regards,

*note: updated wednesday, 04-02-08, at 9:45pm, to indicate new meeting location.

Fellow smart enthusiasts,

The next gathering of (the still unnamed) Michigan smart Owners Group will be Saturday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m.  Please save the date, as we believe you will enjoy this event. 

Kasey Hopper, one of our local smart owners, is the proprietor of
Classic Appreciation, a world class auto detailing center located at www.classicappreciaton.com.  He has agreed to host a meeting at his Birmingham facility, and give us a seminar on how to professionally detail our smarts.  The address is 677 S. Eton St. Birmingham, MI 48009, and shares a building with Auto Europe.  Here's a map to the location.

After the meeting and presentation, there will again be a road tour to an eatery for lunch and camaraderie.  Like last months ride, it will be on two-lane roads ending at an area with easy access to find your way home.

We should be finished early afternoon, which will leave time for anyone wishing to visit smart center Bloomfield to check out new accessories, etc.  They just received a shipment of 1/18 scale smart fortwo models which have fantastic detail.  A blue Cabriolet called my name and followed me home J.  I will lead a group back to the dealership for anyone interested and doesn't know the route.

We were enthused by the great turnout of over 30 people and 10 to 12 new smart fortwo’s at last month’s meeting, but also somewhat surprised.  Please respond to me at mismart@comcast.net and let me know if you plan to attend the meeting and/or the lunch ride.  This will let Kasey know how many to expect at his seminar, and I can let the restaurant know how many people to expect.  A large turnout might even prompt a change to a back-up restaurant. 

Don’t forget to bring ideas for future events and activities.  This is especially true for those of you  who live too far from metro Detroit to participate regularly in events here.  If you come up with an idea in your area, organize it and add it to the calendar...we will come.  I’m going to Grand Rapids this weekend for Stuart Bermans’ event.  The more people that step up and volunteer, the stronger the group will become.

Don’t forget the "name the club" contest.  Entries will be accepted for one more month, as the May meeting will probably be back at smart center Bloomfield.  The name should contain the terms “smart” and “Michigan” or “Bloomfield” and form an interesting acronym, but all ideas will be considered.  Rick Cortright and smart center Bloomfield have offered to donate a beautiful (and unobtainable) official scB smart jacket to the person who submits the winning entry.  You can email your ideas to me at mismart@comcast.net.

Thanks for your interest and participation. See you soon.

Best Regards,