TMC-SE: NATCHEZ TRACE RUN
Michael A. Demyanovich
The Southeast Chapter (TMC-SE) held its 2023 Spring Event on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Trace, as it is more commonly known as on the East Coast, is a beautiful and scenic roadway that starts just south of Nashville, TN and goes all the way to Natchez, MS. 13 Club member and spouses/significant others from FL, GA, AL, and TN gathered in Franklin, TN for a kick-off evening on Thursday, May 4th at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Franklin, TN. Since most attendees drove quite a distance, it was quite a pleasure to just walk across the street to enjoy our dinner at Miller’s Ale House!
On Friday May 5th we visited the lovely town of Leipers Fork, TN, where we spent some time having coffee and/or enjoyed visiting the various shops. After a very short drive we arrived at Leipers Fork Distillery for a tour and tasting! Based on the laughter and feedback from the group, the tour was extremely well received! The tour guide was excellent! From the distillery we jumped on the Trace and worked our way to Jackson Falls, a stop on the Trace, to visit the water falls! From there it was on to Hohenwald, TN for lunch at Lewis and Clark Restaurant. After lunch, we stopped at the Meriwether Lewis Monument to ensure we at least performed on socially redeeming act, and then back on the Trace. The evening found us at the beautiful Marriott Shoals hotel where we enjoyed a cocktail hour followed by a wonderful meal at the 360 Grille!
Saturday, May 6th found us back on the Trace for the entire day. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Witch Dance historic site with boxed lunches from Yummies Bakery and Deli located in Florence, AL. In the afternoon we continued South on the Trace making it to our final destination, the Home2Suites by Hilton in Jackson/Ridgeland, MS. Once there, we rested for a bit, although some of us gathered in the lobby for beverages and lively conversation! That evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Enzo Osteria, a local Italian restaurant! Once again, the service and food were excellent, and as usual, our group was the last to leave! As is traditional for our chapter, after dinner, we gathered once again in the lobby of the hotel to consume a few more beverages and enjoy each others company!
Over the entire weekend, Cathy Lawshe and I had the attendees participate in a contest where points were awarded based on level of participation. Points were awarded by having your spouse/significant other drive your car, having someone other than your spouse/significant other drive your car, performing tasks at Leipers Fork Distillery and Jackson Falls, and finally answering questions on the TMC-SE quiz. Points on the quiz were awarded for the correct answer as well as originality. The quiz has to be one of my favorite things to have participants engage in! Some of the answers were very well thought out and had us laughing when the quiz was reviewed! For the record, MC (as in MC12 and MC20) stands for Maserati Corsa, NOT Massive Cash!!
The Grand Prize winner was Michele Burda from Boca Raton, FL! Michele figured out early how to amass the most points by alternating early and often with her co-driver, and allowing both Donna, my spouse, and myself to drive her QP! CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHELE, very very well done!
Over the whole weekend we completed over 300 miles of the Trace enjoying the sights and the wonderful road. Fortunately for us, there was virtually no traffic on the Trace, and aside from a very light sprinkle on Friday we avoided any other inclement weather. Temperatures were perfect as well! All cars completed the event without any issues! My sincerest thanks to Doran Edwards and Jackie Hardy! They planned the Thursday night in Franklin, created the route to Leipers Fork, and reviewed all the routes, restaurant and hotel venues I discovered! Their outstanding assistance is extremely appreciated!.
It would be very hard to find a better group of Maserati owners/enthusiasts than those of TMC-SE!
My sincerest thanks to all the participants, you all were GREAT!
AND WE ABSOLUTELY HAD A GREAT TIME!