Emergence and the Future

Details

Published: 04 June 2021

2021 Summer Events

As the country and state start to reopen to events and gatherings, Northern Ohio Chapter has scheduled some activities for members.

Please note that parameters under which events are conducted is evolving rapidly, so it is best to check the activity listing under the left-side calendar for updates close to the date.  At present, we have the following activities scheduled for members:

• Show N Shine Gathering -- Saturday, 19 June 2021 -- Reservations are required
• 30th Anniversary Social -- Sunday, 11 July 2021 -- Reservations are required
• Gervasi Cruise-In -- Northern Ohio Chapter BMWCCA is the featured marque
  Wednesday, 4 August 2021 -- Display Car Registration required

Additionally, there are two National Events this summer:  The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and Legends of the Autobahn West.

Future Save the Date Event -- Driving Nelson Ledges Road Course Track -- October 2-3

The Chapter is finalizing a driving experience (HPDE), Club Race School, and Taste of the Track event at Nelson Ledges Road Course for the weekend of October 2-3, 2021.  The Taste of the Track event is an opportunity for those who wonder what it's like to drive a race track to spend Sunday afternoon touring the surface at reduced speeds.  More information, including registration links, will be posted on our website soon.

Remember, you can view an extended list of Chapter events by clicking Chapter Info from the top navigation bar and then clicking the last option at the bottom of the expanded menu, List All Club Events.

Origins of Northern Ohio Chapter

Details

Published: 09 October 2016

When early BMW Car Club of America members joined the national organization in the mid-1970s, they became members of a local entity which was rather unique at the time. While most chapters were located around metropolitan areas, Ohio had one of the first—if not the first—statewide chapter, Buckeye.

After attending meetings and events in the Columbus area for a time, our lifetime member John Franklin contacted members in Cleveland, Akron, and other northeastern Ohio areas and created the Cleveland/Akron Area to have more localized events and management. At approximately the same time, members in the Cincinnati region also organized regionally as an Area within Buckeye.

Cleveland/Akron monthly meetings initially were held at the Franklin home and later in area restaurants. To pull members from Cleveland’s western suburbs, later meetings were held at the Elegant Hog—the current location of the Windham Hotel.

In the early 1980s, the Columbus Area turned over management of Buckeye Chapter to the Cleveland/Akron Area.  In the late 1980s-early 1990s, the Cincinnati Area became the managing force for Buckeye.

After Buckeye Chapter hosted their first BMWCCA OktoberFest, members of the Cleveland/Akron Area requested secession from Buckeye Chapter. The intention was to concentrate activities and governance in a more localized area, believing this would better serve local members. This request for secession was one of the first of its type for the national organization.

In late fall 1991 with agreement from the remaining Areas of Buckeye Chapter, Northern Ohio Chapter was formed, encompassing Ohio postal zip codes from 44000 to 44999, which corresponds to the northeastern quadrant of the state. The general territorial area covers from Castalia-Sandusky to Galion-Mansfield to Dover-New Philadelphia over to the Pennsylvania border and northward to the shores of Lake Erie.