“Commentary”

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We all want to say a big thank you to Crystal Mack for organizing a great Christmas / Holiday / New Years dinner on January 10 in Rapid City. The “Sear” restaurant provided the food, but Crystal did everything else. Great people, great conversation, great food, and great location. And finished off with a night-cap at St. Pierre’s. It couldn’t have been a better night.

Celebrate with us for the 20th anniversary of the RV-BOWWOW drive to the Driftless Region of Wisconsin and Minnesota.  The first run in 2006 has continued in its tradition, and this will be a special anniversary year.  In honor of this unique occasion, we are changing up the dates and activities just a tad. The actual, official drive dates will be 16 and 17 September 2026, with the arrival date of 15 September.  However, we are adding an optional day of the 15th of September, with cars to arrive on the 14th of September.  No formal, guided tours will take place on these two days, so you are encouraged to explore the area or take one of the planned tours as a solo drive or with other participants. We will continue on the 16th and 17th of September with the Treffen-style format, with focused small group drives and interesting destinations.  No meals are arranged, so participants are encouraged to check out the foodie scene in area.  There will be a concours on the first day of the drives, so remember to bring your Ceramic liquid of choice, a veritable cornucopia of microfiber towels, and some elbow grease. 20 cars will still be the limit.  The Hampton Inn and Suites will continue to serve as the host hotel in La Crosse, WI.  For more information on registration and reserving hotel rooms, please contact John at dakpor18@gmail.com. 

Run For The Hills registration will be opening soon.

Keep an eye on this website!

2026 - We just started a brand-new year! Let’s all try not to goof it up.

One of the best Christmas parties you will ever find is coming up soon. The annual Hoffman Christmas Open House is on December 20. The location is unreal, the decor is next-level, and the guest list is top-tier! The Hoffman Bunkhouse is where you want to be. Email DakotaRegionPCA@gmail.com to RSVP and get directions!

The Dakota Region was able to make a $7,500.00 donation to the Sgt Colton Derr Foundation with the money raised during Run For The Hills. The Colton Derr Foundation is based in Rapid City and works to address the emotional challenges facing our veterans following their deployments and service to our country. The donation presentation was made on December 9 at the VFW, downtown Rapid City. We are proud to support the work the Derr Foundation does for our veterans.

Does anyone have an interest in attending Run For the Hills next August? We hope so! The dates are August 27, 28, and 29, 2026. Save the dates! And keep an eye on this website - registration will open sometime in mid-January. Once again, we will limit the event to 40 cars, so be prepared to jump when registration starts.

It’s party time! Christmas party that is. The DRPCA has two Holiday parties planned so far. More can be added in other parts of the Dakotas if an interest is there. Meet up at the Country Club of Sioux Falls, 3400 W 22nd St, at 6:00 on December 19th for a special get together. There will be a gift exchange (spending limit about $25). RSVP to dakotaregionpca@gmail.com. The West River South Dakota area also has a New Year’s Dinner in the works set for Saturday, January 10, 2026. The details will depend on the head count, so get your RSVP in early! Again, email dakotaregionpca@gmail.com.

The SoDak Autohaus open house was a huge success. The parking lot was overflowing with P-Cars and an assortment of European classics. The open house gave us a chance to introduce the PCA to a whole group of potential members. And it gave us a chance to check out the new shop - impressive!

Saturday, October 11 will bring an open house of the new SoDak Autohaus in Rapid City. This shop is the new European Car Specialist in the Black Hills. Not only do the owners and managers have a thorough background in working with our cars, but they also brought Nate from Advanced Auto over to take care of us. Stop by their shop for the open house / cars and coffee scheduled for 9-11 am on Saturday, 1330 Deadwood Ave. And bring any prospective members that you know, the Dakota Region PCA will be set up to answer any questions and sign them up!

The Canyon to Canyon tour 2025 brought us up and down the canyons, just like advertised. Not only did it provide for some great roads lined with fall colors, but it also highlighted classic, air-cooled Porsches. It was great to see these great old cars out stretching their legs. Let’s do it again! Oh, and there were some water-cooled cars there just to fill out the field.

The Car Control 101 session on Sept. 28 was a big hit for those who attended. This event gave our people a chance to recycle some tire rubber in a safe, controlled environment. Anyone in the Dakota Region has had experience driving on snow and ice covered roads. In this session we put those skills to use on dry pavement. Keep your eyes open for future sessions - you will find them to educational as well as fun! Thanks to Reed for organizing it.

You will want to be in the Black Hills on the weekend of September 27 and 28! The weekend starts with the 5th Annual Canyon to Canyon Tour. This one-day drive will take you through some of the great Black Hills roads that keep people coming back over and over. The day starts at Koyote Koffee, 3464 Sturgis Rd, Rapid City, at 8:30 with an 8:50 driver's meeting. After a great day on the road, we will end with a group dinner to share stories. There is no registration fee, and we will all be responsible for our own lunch and dinner. RSVP by September 20 to: DakotaRegionPCA@gmail.com AND, as if the Canyon to Canyon Tour isn't enough...

Sunday, the 28th, the Dakota Region is having its first-ever Car Control 101 training. Have you ever really been trained on braking and turning your P-Car at the limit? Have you practiced finding the right line through a corner, giving you the smoothest, safest path? This is your chance to learn from a PCA Driving Instructor, all in a controlled environment. Be at the Central States Fairgrounds, 800 San Francisco St, Rapid City, from 9am to 1pm on September 28 if you would like to test and improve your skills. But, first, you have to sign up by contacting DakotaRegionPCA@gmail.com We all think we are excellent drivers, but for the $50 entry fee, you can see if you really are!

So, we looked at the weather forecast this morning (80 degrees, no rain, no wind) and thought it might be a good day to go for a drive. Being that it's Labor Day weekend, we decided that there might be some traffic on the Black Hills roads, but we figured it wouldn't be really bad. Apparently, we were right; it was a good day for a drive. Along the way, we passed five other DRPCA members out for drives! The leaves will start to turn colors before we know it. Don't let these great, late summer days slip away. Enjoy your four-wheeled P-Toy, that's why you have it. Gas is cheap, go out and burn it!

Dakota Region's Run For the Hills XXIII is in the books. Other than a light sprinkle on Friday morning, the weather was perfect. The state of South Dakota was nice enough to pave a new road for us to use, and use it we did! Both Friday's and Saturday's drives were a hit, and Saturday's wrap-up couldn't have gone much smoother. Thanks to all who attended. We look forward to seeing you again next year. Mark your calendars for the weekend before Labor Day.

A good Husband. A good father. A good person. That is what John Pavone wanted to be remembered for. But we will be remembering him for all that and more. Unfortunately, cancer took John from us on August 20, 2025. He had been fighting it for over a year and appeared to be winning, but the knock-out punch came quickly and swiftly. John, you will be missed. And when we get to Heaven, we will look for the cleanest car and find you there.

One of the best parts of living in the Dakotas is the Badlands and Black Hills areas. Both the North Dakota and South Dakota Badlands. Nearly every car club holds an event in the "Hills" at some point. The Corvettes, Cameros, Mustangs, and even Teslas have come for the scenery and great roads. Right now, we are hearing the roar of Harleys on the streets and backroads. The sound of their V-Twin engines is unmistakable. But it still can't compare to an air-cooled flat six. We will be hearing that beautiful sound a lot in just a few weeks when Run For the Hills comes back for its 23rd year. We can't wait!

For those of you who didn’t participate in the Father’s Day drive, it was a great time. Spending time in Lead and Deadwood, SD, is always an adventure. But doing it with friends makes it even better. From lunch at the world-class 77 Steakhouse restaurant in Hulett, to Devil’s Tower, to the South Dakota grasslands, the weekend was one to remember. I’m sure Scott will have something great lined up for next year as well. Mark your calendar!

I had a nice conversation with a Custer County deputy the other day. He said that I should carry a current insurance card in the car. But he added “I know someone with a car like this has insurance”. Oh, and he also said that I should slow down.

The Dakota Region gathered at Rapid City’s Mr. Liquor 2 on May 3rd for a lively “Tacos & Tequila” event – and it did not disappoint! Over a dozen members attended, including a new couple recently welcomed into the region. Mercy’s Tacos were worth waiting in line for, but we don’t talk about the tequila! A big thank-you to Crystal for planning both the event and the great weather!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with family and friends. Remember, it isn’t all about bunnies and colored eggs.

The last few days have brought what should be the last of the questionable weather for most of the Dakota Region. Yes, we might have a hard freeze or two, but the snow shovels can likely be put away for a while. It is time to swap the shovel for the car wash bucket. I assume that I’m not alone in preferring to clean my P-toy’s wheels than to shovel the last snowdrift that came my way.

Spring is here in most of the Dakota Region. It is time to put some miles behind you and enjoy the windshield time. I hope everyone had time to finish those little P-Car projects that you planned for the Winter. Maybe an updated suspension or mechanical work, whatever your baby needed. As for me, I finished about half of my list. The wheels will wait until next year.

West River Dakota PCA had a great dinner gathering on February 22 at Ma Cualli, a new Mexican Restaurant in Rapid City. Sixteen members, including four newbies, enjoyed a great meal and friendship. You know the food is great when as you leave, you can count the people waiting to get in by the dozens.

If you ever think that new Porsches are a bit overpriced, maybe they aren’t. Last week Ferrari announced their company’s profit report. It turns out that they made over $110,000 profit per car! I think the fun of owning and driving a P-car, along with a few extra dollars in the bank, look pretty darn good compared to having a car you can’t afford to, or are afraid to drive.

Valentine's Day is around the corner. I was going to buy her flowers, but she already has ME! What more could she want? I think I’ll buy some car wax and vacuum the floorboard carpet again instead of the flowers.

Here I am thinking about snow shovels, heating bills, and tax time. When I would like to be thinking about that 2-3 shift coming out of a sharp left-hand turn.

Registration for Run For the Hills hit the magic 40 car mark in about 40 hours! But for those who didn’t sit by their keyboards waiting for the opening announcement, you can still be added to the wait list. Over the next 8 months, plans can and will change for some of the participants.

The extended Fall in the Black Hills ended along with the year 2024. The warm, dry weather that we experienced all the way through Christmas has gone on vacation and probably won’t be back for a few months. The last drive with the P-toy was on Christmas Eve. But rest assured that when the white stuff (I refuse to use the “s” word, it is just fuzzy rain) has melted and the roads dry out, she will be on the road again.

2025 is here! We hope all you PCAer’s had a chance to ring in the new year with a little bit of flair. Some of us are old enough that our “flair” could use more spark. We hope that 2024 treated you all well and that 2025 will be better. And as for those New Year’s resolutions, you aren’t supposed to break them until the last week of January, so hang on a little longer.