On January 11, 2020, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts (FTE) also known as Tesla Owners Florida, hosted a public Tesla meetup at the Whispering Oaks Winery in Oxford. Also attending were many members of the newly formed local club, The Villages Tesla Owners Group, as well as the public. We estimate that over 100 people attended and that there were more than 60 Teslas.
Angelia Link, the organizer of this very successful event, is a resident of The Villages and is one of three Event Coordinators for FTE in the club’s Central Region. The Central Region has over 150 active members. Throughout the state FTE has more than 750 members in five regions. It is the only statewide Tesla club officially recognized by Tesla.
Event Coordinator Angelia Link from The Villages on the right. Assisting with our events is our Event Consultant Rachelle Stone on the left.
Angelia, being a multi-tasker, also volunteered to organize a local group for Tesla owners living in The Villages. If you are an FTE member, living in The Villages, I encourage you to join the local group. Likewise, if you are a member of the local group, we encourage you to join our statewide club. Cross pollination is a good thing. (Refer to the links above.)
Angelia put together an ambitious but well-organized program.
It included:
- a Villages club meeting in which, in addition to club business, Angelia asked me to describe the Florida Tesla Enthusiasts club to the local group.
- a large display of Teslas of all types. We estimate that there were 60 or more Teslas, including a classic Roadster.
- a meet and greet with the public in which FTE members were available to display their Teslas and answer any questions the public might have.
- Official representatives from Tesla were available to provide test drives to the public.
- a tour of the winery.
- a complimentary glass of wine.
- a delicious luncheon at a private pavilion.
- a raffle for door prizes.
- a presentation by Tesla Energy Advisor, Chris Knowles, discussing Tesla’s Solar Program.
All-in-all it was a blast!
About Whispering Oaks Winery
Whispering Oaks Winery is located on a large farm in the rolling countryside less than 10 miles west of The Villages in Oxford. They have 40,000 blueberry bushes on the farm and naturally they specialize in producing blueberry wines.
I want to commend the winery for having installed eight Tesla Connectors as destination chargers. So, if you own a Tesla, the winery’s location is programmed into your navigation system.
They offer winery tours, wine tastings and have live entertainment every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, a steak dinner is served outdoors on their patio next to their open wood grill and Koi pond.
As in our case, they cater private parties at their separate pavilion and bar.
Here are some more photos:
(To view a full-size image of any photo in this article, right click on the image and open it in a new tab.)
Working the registration desk to keep things organized.
As an official sanctioned member of Tesla's Owners Club Program, our club has signed a licensing agreement with Tesla to legally use selected trademarked branding such as the top logo.
Teslas as far as the eye can see!
Here I am with my classic Roadster.
Just kidding, here is the Real owner, Thi.
Have you ever heard of a V8 EV? Well, here it is.
Whispering Oak Winery installed 8 Tesla Connectors for charging Tesla vehicles.
With so many Teslas converging on this location in the country, having multiple Tesla Connectors came in handy.
Winery tour by the owner Darryl Siemer.
Live entertainment.
Chris Knowles, Tesla Energy Advisor, providing a presentation regarding Tesla Solar.
The next series of photos of smiling faces were taken at our private lunch in the pavilion.
Event Coordinator Angelia Link addressing the group.
You gotta start them young. ;-)
The next series of photos are of the winners of the door prizes.
Okay, if you are not a member of our club and you had the patience to scroll all the way down this far past all those photos, I feel your pain. I know it must be like being forced to view your friends photos of their vacation. :-(
But, you have to admit that it sure looks like they all had a good time! So, if you've gotten this far, why not go one step further and go to the top of the page and click on the "Join Us" link so your smiling face can be included in the next article.
Regards,
