Breaking the Silence

Hello! It's been a while since you've received an e-newsletter from the NIA. Although we've been silent, we've had a lot going on. We're diligently working on the magazine and planning the NIA 30th Anniversary Event.

On the home front, we have some sad news. Jody's dad, Duey, has an inoperable brain tumor and this news has been difficult for our family. Jody wrote a letter in December explaining the situation to you, our friends.

Thank you for your support and prayers, and we look forward to spending time with you in Spearfish!

Celebrating 30 Years of the NIA!

Mark your calendars - the NIA 30th Anniversary Event will be held in Spearfish, SD, on August 24-29, 2010. 

Join us in beautiful South Dakota to celebrate 30 years of NIA fun, friendship, and great cars!  Highlights of our week together will include:

• Picnic in the Park
• Cruising Spearfish Canyon
• Main Street Car Show
• Sights of the Black Hills
• PLPs (Parking Lot Parties)
• Kool Deadwood Nights

Call Now to book your stay at the Spearfish Holiday Inn and be sure to request the $99.50 "National Impala Association" rate. If the Spearfish Holiday Inn is full, we have blocked an additional 30 rooms at the Fairfield Inn in Spearfish, which is close by and owned by the same owners as the Holiday Inn.

For a registration form and more information, go to our National Impala website.

National Convention

We hope that everyone can make it to the Anniversary event in Spearfish, since it will be our only national event scheduled for this year. Our International convention for 2010, originally planned for Kansas City, will NOT take place. There is simply no way we could pull it off with all that is going on in our family, and that just wouldn't be fair to our members.

However, the Spearfish event will be the perfect gathering for members to bring their cars to show off at the Show-n-Shine, with no points judging this year. Although with all the experts attending this event, it'll be a great place for you to get feedback on your vehicle so you're ready for the 2011 International NIA convention -- in conjunction with celebrating 100 years of Chevrolet!

NIA Magazine Subscriptions

Some of you have contacted us about the next issue of Impala News and some have questioned your membership because it’s been quite awhile. We know that past magazines have been late based on their issue dates. We have a plan, but first, please allow me to describe how we arrived at this point.

When we first took ownership of the NIA, we had no experience whatsoever at publishing, yet that was one of the major responsibilities to the membership. We knew this going in, but learned later that the graphics designer and printing company had to be changed, and it has since changed again – not our first choice because each change has caused delays, but it was necessary. And, yes, in the meantime we’ve had our own uphill learning curve to climb along with other challenges as we’ve worked to hit our stride. In all fairness to our members, and knowing we’re so far behind and with little way of catching up with magazine issue dates, we have finalized the layouts of what would have been the Sept/Oct 2009 issue (which includes the Charlotte convention coverage). That issue date will now be the Jan/Feb 2010 issue, and you should all see it arrive within the next three weeks.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: The change in magazine issue dates comes with one more change – this is regarding your membership expiration date. We are extending every membership by 4 months to ensure that everyone will receive the full number of issues their dues entitle them to. We know this move will affect the Association’s bottom line financially, but it’s the “right” thing to do for our members. You will see your new membership expiration date on the label of the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Impala News.

We feel very positive about the future growth of the NIA, but we also realize that it must gain members (not lose them) in order to survive. We also know that communication with members is vital. We are trying to do the best thing and the right thing under these challenging circumstances. We hope that you all will be pleased with the outcome of this plan and decide to stick together with us for the long run. We want to be here serving the Full-Size Chevrolet community for many years and keep everyone as part of our NIA family.