New and old SNR members mingle and enjoy breakfast at the Gold n' Silver Inn - Photo by J. RiandaIt was a clear, cool Sunday morning as several marauding Porsches began to enter the parking lot of the old Gold N’ Silver Inn in Reno. A shiny, silver 996 was the first to arrive followed by Cayennes, Boxsters and 911s. Drivers and their passengers entered the building and turned left past the video poker machines, drawn to our meeting room by the alluring aroma of fresh brewed coffee (the signs helped as well). The newest members of the Sierra Nevada Region began to assemble for a free breakfast and introduction to the club. Cash or check please was the greeting given to the existing members who came out to meet the new folks. As the group began to mingle and talk turned to the cars we all love, the bond between new and old members became immediately evident.

When the attendees were seated, a warm welcome was extended for what all hoped to be the first of many SNR events for our new members. Appropriate pitches (begging and pleading on my part) were made for the upcoming Cioppino Feed and fresh recruits were solicited by Buzz and Julia Lynn for the club’s premier event, the Silver State Concours. Concours, as you may know, is a French word for a car that is never driven in snow or rain and is cleaned with a Q-tip by its owner or surrogate. It does strike me as odd though that most of our members remember not pronounce the silent “s” on Concours, but some members do forget the not so silent “e” on the end of Porsche; hmmm.

Conversation between members continued as they enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, fruit, pancakes, potatoes and waffles (better known as the Gold N’ Silver vegetarian platter). After most of the members had finished eating, the crowd was entertained by the comic stylings of Wyett and Watts, a comic duo known to most of the SNR faithful by their trademark banter. We concluded the formal breakfast meeting with each member introducing himself or herself and a telling a brief story about the car that ultimately brought him or her to join the club. The event ended successfully with most people lingering to tell Porsche war stories or talk about their car. Some even adjourned to the parking lot to gaze at the little German engineering wonders. All in all, it was a good morning meeting new friends.

In addition to a cadre of long time members, board members on-hand to meet the new members included Tammy Rianda (Treasurer), Karen O’Lary (Membership Chair), Pat Costin (Driving Chair), Rich Wyett (Past President) and me, Justin Rianda (Vice-President).