2021 MOGSouth Spring Meet – Little Switzerland, NC, 7-9 May – Report from the Field

It was hard to tell what sort of meet we would have given the external influences of the moment.  Well, 50 people and 22 Morgans say a lot!  It was grand!   The weather was cool (in the 40s and 50s) and very much appreciated by those of us escaping the high 80s of Florida. 

The cars behaved . . . for the most part, with only a few Morgan gremlins lurking about.  An intermittent starter problem, a gas guage with a mind of its own, and a few unknown gremlins saving themselves for the trip home.  A lovely array of cars!!  We had three Aero 8s, an AeroMax, two Plus 4 Drop Head Coupes, three Plus 4, 4 Seaters, at least three 4/4s (I think another one might have been lost along the way?), a good number of Plus 8s (one turbo!) and both new (3.7L) and old Roadsters (3.0L).  Even a brand new Plus 4!   As someone said, ‘eye candy!’

Little Switzerland is situated right off the Blue Ridge Parkway and a few high-octane twisty mountain loops that will certainly elevate your blood pressure, in a lovely spot in the North Carolina mountains.   

The Meet was designed to be low key.  No activities were mandated but we did want to stay in compliance with the safety policies of the region and the hotel.   

Mostly, our plans seemed to have worked.  Folks had their choice of drives on Saturday and an afternoon to investigate the lovely mountain vistas, local shops and villages.  Our Hospitality Suite was a separate cabin and, as it the norm, it was full of folks reminiscing about past meets and planning future outings.   We haven’t been all that social of late, so everyone seemed to be in great spirits and happy to be out and about.   

We had a group photo with the cars in the lot and the North Carolina mountains in the background.  All were amazed we didn’t lose a car or two down the hill!  How about those handbrakes? 

The planned outside dinner was rewickered and held in the main hotel dining room.  It was just a tinge too cold for us to hold it outside; but the hotel was accommodating, and they quickly put us inside the main dining room.  That worked out well.   The dinner was exquisite, the views stunning, and banter, lively (and loud)!   There were a few unlucky souls (other hotel guests) in the dining room at the time that had to listen to our Club drivel, but they did not seem to mind too much (or at least they didn’t say). 

The key points communicated were the upcoming Club events!   The MOGSouth Noggin at Amelia Island starting at 5 PM (at the Surf Restaurant in Fernandina Beach, FL) on Friday, 21 May 2021, the Cars and Coffee at Amelia Island on the following Saturday, 22 May 2021 (Note: we have an extra acceptance ticket should you need one and want to attend. Contact Mark), the MOGSouth Fall Meet in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (Last minute change, bumped again due to Covid) , 5 – 7 November (We are part of the Car Club Showcase on Saturday), and the MOGSouth Holiday Party in Peachtree City, Georgia Saturday 4 December 2021.

Also, there is a Road Trip to Key West, planned for 3 – 10 October 2021, starting in Daytona Beach, Florida with the Morgan Dealer’s open house and finishing in Lake Mary, Florida at a party in Liam Fitzpatrick’s Irish Pub.  

This year’s calendar is on the MOGSouth Web Site, www.mogsouth.com.  The web site is not sending emails when new items are posted so you must go to the web site periodically to ensure you aren’t missing things.   Go to the Calendar page and look for events.  If they are underlined, there is more information. Click on the underlined event to go to the link with more details.  We will also try to send broadcast email messages when new things are added. 

Photos courtesy of Richard Ihns (the mountain drives) and Mark Braunstein (the dinner and group photo).

This past year’s events were challenging but we are now having fun.  If you weren’t in Little Switzerland, you missed a great MOGSouth meet, some wonderful scenery and roads, and most likely a lot of your Morgan friends!  I know things come up and sometimes these absences cannot be helped.  Luckily, there are more opportunities to play this year.  

See you there!!

Cheers,
Mark