The first-ever Wachovia-Masonic Village Charity Mini Grand Prix, held on September 11, 2004 in conjunction with Autumn Day, was an event to remember! It had all the excitement of NASCAR, and drama of the Olympics. Fifteen teams came up with the $1000 entry fee, as well as the support and talent to enter their vehicles in the race, and many of them purchased new cars to participate for the first time in a mini Grand Prix event.
Participating in the event this year were:

Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682
Beck and Associates, Inc.
K. L. Harring Transportation
Grand Lodge Floor Officers
Masonic District D
Masonic District 10
Masonic District 30
Masonic District 36
Masonic District 45
Masonic District 55
M & T Investment Group
Moscow Lodge No. 504
Pennsylvania DeMolay
Scottish Rite Valley of Pittsburgh
Warfel Construction Company.
Thanks to members of Elizabethtown Chapter and Pilgrim Chapter, Order of DeMolay, and Abraham C. Treichler Lodge, the Masonic Villages staff was able to set up the race-track on Thursday evening. Nobody counted the tires used but the length of the course dictated the need for several extra truckloads. The tires were all wire-tied together to keep them in place.
The program began early in the day for the racing teams, who had to arrive and set up their display and work areas in the "paddock" prior to 8:00 AM, in order to be ready for their 8:30 AM technical inspection of each car. At 9:00 AM the race officials from the Cumberland Valley Corvette Club met to go over the specific rules relating to the race and the course, and then they met with the Drivers in the pit area at 9:30 AM. By 9:45 AM, the drivers were running practice laps to get a feeling for the course, which was purposely given a lot of twists and turns to keep the speeds down, and to test the driver's navigation skills.
The morning's events included a Pit-Stop competition at 10:15 AM, during which the pit crews raced to see which team could change the front right tire in the fastest time. A 12-second stop took first place! Additionally, each car was judged for its authenticity or creative design, and each team was judged on its uniforms.
Grand Master William Slater II opened the day's festivities at 11:15 AM by commending the participants on their efforts: "Before and since that dreadful day, (9-11) Americans have come together to help others, contribute to relief efforts and volunteer their time to aid those in need. This spirit of service is exemplified in today's mini grand prix race, which we are proud to host here at the Masonic Village to benefit both this caring community and the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation."
Miss Natalie Prazenica, Past Miss Job's Daughter of Pennsylvania, 2003-2004, sang the National Anthem, after which the Grand Master honored veterans and families with loved ones in the military, by asking the large crowd to observe a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The Rev. and Bro. A. Preston Van Deursen led attendees in prayer.

At the conclusion of the opening ceremony, Grand Master Slater led all the cars in a parade lap by driving a custom-designed kart depicting the golden jewel of the R. W. Grand Master on a purple background. Following closely behind the Grand Master was Past Grand Master Samuel C. Williamson, (1982-1983) driving the Pennsylvania DeMolay car, which was decorated to emulate the Blue Angels precision Naval Flight team.
The cars were evenly divided into two classes for the races, based on the type of engine they had. The starting position in the Championship Races was determined by each team's position in two qualifying heats and the Pit Stop competition. In the heats, the teams had to include 2 pit stops along with 2 driver-changes in a 20-lap race. Even though the heats looked just like practice runs, they were important to the racing teams.
A special race called the DASH FOR KIDS, began at 12:45 PM, to benefit the Masonic Children's Home. This was a 10-lap race with no pit stops, and was held for all 15 of the cars. This event proved to be exciting, but the speed and the congested track was a bit more than some of the participants planned for, as one car went airborne, and another flipped over, (without serious injuries, thankfully!) A quick decision to run two Dashes for the two classes of engine bumped the racing schedule a bit, but gave the crowd of several thousand supporters something extra to cheer about.
The Championship Races were the most difficult test of the day, consisting of 35 laps and at least 3 required pit stops and driver changes. These races were exciting, fun, fast and loud!
When all laps were done, the winners were declared in a closing ceremony led by the Grand Master and Bro. Joseph E. Murphy, Executive Director and CEO of the Masonic Villages.
The winners were as follows:

Grand Prix Championship Race Winners:
  • 1st Place - Raptor Class - M&T Investment Group
  • 1st Place - OHV Class - District 45
  • 2nd Place - Raptor Class - Beck & Associates
  • 2nd Place - OHV Class Moscow Lodge No. 504
  • 3rd Place - Raptor Class District 10
  • 3rd Place - OHV Class - Scottish Rite Valley of Pittsburgh
Pit Stop Competition:
  • 1st Place - Moscow Lodge No. 504
  • 2nd Place - Beck & Associates
  • 3rd Place - K. L. Harring
DASH for KIDS:
  • 1st Place - Raptor Class - K. L. Harring
  • 1st Place - OHV Class - Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682
Hard Charger Award
  • District 45
Most Authentic Paint Job:
  • 1st Place - District 55
  • 2nd Place - Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682
Most Creative Paint Job:
  • 1st Place - Beck & Associates
  • 2nd Place - Warfel Construction Co.
Most Authentic Uniform:
  • 1st Place - District 45
  • 2nd Place - Pennsylvania DeMolay
Most Creative Uniform:
  • 1st Place - District 36
  • 2nd Place - District 10
Many staff members at the Masonic Villages worked tirelessly on this event, but special credit must be given the Director of Administration Beverly Sweigart, and to Director of Maintenance, Jeff Gromis, for their efforts. Jeff and Beth Mohn, of Oval Track Concepts provided technical services and assisted race teams when repairs were needed (like the clutch on the DeMolay car that burned up before they had even entered a heat!) Bro. Jeff Lankes was the technical advisor for the mini grand prix and helped to coordinate all the pre-race details. The Grand Master's pace kart was painted by Bro. Lankes, Scott Gunn at West Mifflin Collision, and Bro. Doug Heinz.

Through sponsorships for the event, more than $50,000 was raised to benefit the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown and the Arthritis Foundation, Central Pennsylvania Chapter. Sponsors included:

Wachovia - Presenting Sponsor
Phoenix Investment Counsel, Inc; - Dash For Kids Sponsor
Brandywine Asset Management; Causeway Capital Management; Beard Miller Company, LLP; Eagle Asset Management; Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads; Warfel Construction Co.; Yanni Partners; Commonwealth Caterers; Highmark Blue Shield; John Gross & Co., Inc.; Kennedy Capital Management; KPMG LLP; Murray Insurance Associates, Inc.; Greg and Terri Scott; Caskey Printing, Inc.; Elizabethtown Sporting Goods; The Phillips Group; Ettline Foods Corporation; J. Kenneth and Pamela K. Brubaker; Morgan Lewis & Bokius LLP; Sollenberger Painting; and Hillyard Firestone.

For additional coverage and photographs, check out the story in the Fall issue of the Pennsylvania Freemason.
 


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