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This is a beautiful run that starts off at the Serramonte Shopping Center in Daly City, takes us to Duarte’s in Pescadero for a bite (mmmmm! Artichoke Soup); then down Highway 85 to Skyline Boulevard and on to Highway 92 all the way to the aviation museum in San Carlos. Don’t miss it! Make sure to bring your school supplies for the big NorCal MINIs’ School Supply Collection. Sign up by responding to your email invitation or, if you don’t get one, by emailing us at info@norcalminis.com.

The Open One Challenge uses the new MINI Convertible’s Openometer technology to determine once and for all which motorer is the most open. We’ll award prizes for the top three, top-down open motorers each month, and a special once-in-a-lifetime prize awaits the most Open One of all at the end of the challenge: a trip for two to the birthplace of MINI— Oxford, England. And don’t worry, if
you don’t have a new MINI Convertible with an Openometer, you can still get in on some action. Learn more and register at THEOPENONE.COM.

BMW’s MINI Cooper is just one of the real products being marketed in a faux campaign for vampires, coinciding with the second-season premiere of HBO’s vampire drama — “True Blood.”

The MINI ads feature blood-red versions of the MINI Cooper and the MINI Clubman with headlines like “Feel the Wind in Your Fangs” and “Type GO.”

Last year, HBO launched a similar type of viral marketing, using YouTube. In a viral marketing effort by Campfire (the same marketers who convinced us that the Blair Witch was real), vampires worldwide appeared to demand suffrage by creating their own amateur YouTube videos promoting a blood substitute.

The aim of blurring the lines between reality and fiction through these ads and the show’s microsites – bloodcopy.com, fellowshipofthesun.org and americanvampireleague.com – is to fully immerse consumers in the experience and premise of the show.

According to an article published in MediaPost, MINI and several other popular consumer products featured in the campaign – Harley-Davidson, Gillette, Monster.com, and Geico – can sit back and enjoy the ride, as HBO is taking on all the creative and media costs for the campaign.

This year’s ads can be seen in national print publications (like US Weekly, AM New York, and the New York Observer), online, and outdoor advertisements. All of the ads include URLs that lead consumers to HBO’s “True Blood” website at HBO.com.

We would like to invite you to participate in the 1st annual “National MINIs For Kids Weekend” on October 3-4, 2009. Each year, the 1st weekend of October will be the “National MINIs For Kids Weekend”. This event is designed to raise funds for the support of critically ill children and their families. This year’s charity is the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House (LLRMH). The LLRMH provides a place for families to go for lodging, meals, comfort and support while their child is going through medical treatment at local hospitals.!These services are provided for a nominal fee or free of charge. LLRMH offers these services so each family can focus all of their attention on the needs of and care for their child.

Unfortunately for a critically ill child, LLRMH may be the last place the child calls home. However, this home can also be the very home a child and their family remembers as a contributing factor to saving their life. Since 1996, LLRMH has housed 10,000 families from all over the world.

Many of the children at LLRMH use the world renown Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital for treatment.

Who is behind “MINIs For Kids”? Our group is comprised of members from various MINI clubs with a heart for children and a cause greater than ourselves. These little cars, as many call them, are a perfect fit with kids. By combining our passion for MiINIs and children, we enjoy and love at the same time. After all, our kids are our future.

We understand many of you may not be able to attend the actual event in Redlands, we would like to invite your Club and/or friends to have a MINI run of your own on the weekend of Oct 3-4, 2009 and raise money for the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House. At the end of the event weekend, please submit your club’s contribution via paypal or mail a check to LLRMH. 100% of all the proceeds go directly to LLRMH.

With your help, the National MINI Community Commitee can chose a children’s charity to support annually. We will ask you to submit charities of you choice that fit the criteria of “MINIs For Kids”. From this list we will choose one charity to support on the “National MINIs For Kids” weekend . Imagine what we can do for childrens charities one dollar at a time, through the love of a MINI. Make a difference in a child’s life and at the same time do it through our National connection with MINIs and Twisties.

Go to minisforkids.org to see what is going on at this year’s event. Choose MINIs For Kids as your charity of choice for October 2009. We thank you in advance for all your contributions and hope you too will enjoy the weekend as much as those who attend the event.

Always be safe, stay in the lines, and have lots of fun.

Mail your Checks to: LLRMH, PO Box 422 , Yucaipa Ca. 92399. Forms for paypal and checks are on the website.

If you would like event T-Shirts please email Ed at minisforkids@me.com with the number of t-shirts and sizes. Price per T-Shirt $10.00 each.

MINIsForKids.org

I thought you might be interested to learn that a MINI dealership is coming to Reno next year. Bill Pearce Motors has received approval to open Mini of Reno.

Thanks to those of you who participated in the video shoot earlier this year. I’m sure our presence helped. Check out the story here:

Also, stay tuned to our website for news about our Burney Falls run, which is scheduled for the weekend of August 22. Details are being worked on and will be posted in the next couple of weeks. We are contemplating a three-day run that may include a cave tour, spirited driving through the hills of northern California as well as a visit to beautiful Burney Falls. We have not decided yet whether to start on Friday and end on Sunday or to start on Saturday and end on Monday. If you have a preference, please let me know by Friday, July 31. Thanks.

Vance Hughey

See our latest show here: Miniology TV

See the Miniology video here!