Chicago Prius Group Earth Day Meet-n-Greet

[orracle]

Originally Posted by TonyPSchaefer

On Sunday, April 27th, the Chicago Prius Group will hold an Earth Day meet-n-greet at Grossinger Toyota in Lincolnwood, IL. This event will run from 11:00am until 5:00.

Rough agenda:

• 11:00am - Noon
  Informal meet-n-greet and open discussions
  Rides with a Hypermiler potentially
• Noon - 12:30
  Welcomes and Introductions
• 1:00 - 2:00
  Preparing your Prius for Summer (Wayne Mitchell)
• 2:30 - 3:30
  Every Day is Earth Day (Tony Schaefer)
• 4:00
  Closing remarks
  Raffle potentially
  Rides with a Hypermiler potentially

If you happen to be in the Chicagoland Area, consider coming out. If you're not, feel free to come anyway.

I'm going to try and get SWANCC (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County) to come and hopefully bring a truck so we can all bring our recyclables.

If anyone has any ideas for other topics or would like to help organize the event or wants to help in any way, please let me know.

Will gloves and mittens be provided??? I understand that snow showers and possible.

I'm going to try and make it. I wish the weather would cooperate.

[Danny]

I wish I could make it up there, Nichole and I had a great time in Chicago and Grossinger is a great host.

But, I'm stuck in sunny South Carolina where the forecast is sunny and 78

Be sure to take some pictures! And if anyone can get audio from the tutorial sessions maybe we can turn them into a podcast.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Hey guys,
Yep we're still on. I just didn't want to keep bumping this thread every day. By the way, did anyone see the mention in the Chicago Trib on Sunday in the Transportation section. Check "Glovebox".

Of course, when you plan something you can only pray that Nature will cooperate. Luckily, Kevin (KFREN) has promised that we will be indoors rather than in the service bay like last year.

Danny has kicked it up a notch and offered to pitch in a couple things for the raffle. Wanna know what they are? Show up and find out.
Also, I have received work from Fox News Chicago that they will again be there to shoot some video and interview some people.

[Starfall]

Dan- so sorry you can't be there. That was the first PriusChat/Group meeting I attended. You had just purchased a gorgeous magnetic grey Prius & mine was still on order. Great opportunity for publicity. Any way you can "unstick" yourself? NC is nice & all but Chicago chilliness is, well, cooler.

Kevin - you sold me my Prius. So delighted you'll be there. Now I'm looking forward to the meeting even more!

[KFERN]

Dont worry about the weather this will be indoors.
I have food and drink provided. Looking forward
to seeing everybody!!

[Starfall]

Just a brief note to say this was a super meeting. So much information from Tony & Wayne, as usual. Lots of time to ask questions of them & share information with each other. More than a few problems solved, new ideas presented. As much as you think you know, there's always something else to learn! Nice to see so many new faces & meet other people who were, like us, in love with the Prius.

Thanks so much to Kevin & Grossinger's for providing us a warm welcome, food, & great accommodations.

Extra special thanks to Tony & Wayne who spent so much time & (their) money planning & executing this event as well as providing a wonderful array of raffle gifts. The people who won the PriusChat gifts have Danny to thank as well.

To those who couldn't make it, consider the next Chicago Prius Group meeting. You don't have to be a hypermiler (I'm not) or an engineer (I'm not, although I suspect more than a few of the men there were!) to feel warmly included.

Can't wait for the next meeting!

[nerfer]

Originally Posted by Starfall

Just a brief note to say this was a super meeting...

Yeah, I'm sorry to have missed it. But this is a really busy time of year for me. Among other things, I coordinate the wildlife monitoring programs for a local conservation group, so at the time of the meeting I had my Prius loaded up with a hybrid bike (they call it something else now, but it's the type with a mountain bike frame & handle bars, road bike tire size (700x35, bit wider than a real road bike), and it just barely fits in the Prius with the wheels on). I also had some tools and a 25-pound (at least) fence-post pounder. Drove out to the local forest preserve and re-established some bluebird houses that apparently some pranksters pulled out over the winter and carried off to the nearest trail. (Carrying the post pounder on the back rack of the bike was almost enough to give me a wheelie on the bumps). As I was setting up the houses, there were numerous tree swallows circling around eyeing the birdhouses (they also use that type of house), just waiting for me to leave. I walked off 40 feet from one and just watched for a bit and within a minute one had already landed on it. Plenty of deer bones, maybe the population was thinned a bit with the harsh winter. Also saw a big 2' garter snake, I thought it'd be too cool for it on Sunday.

Then coming back besides the bicycle and post pounder, I had a 6.5' metal pole and a birdhouse that I need to fix at home. So the Prius was getting a good workout anyway. I'll have to wait for the next CPG meeting.

And for the engineers that were there - what, no podcast posted yet?

[exbauer]

I wish I could have been there. How many people where there? Pictures anybody?