PCS Northland Chapter

Dear PCS Northland Chapter members and friends,

As many of you know, the Northland Chapter is special to me. Along with four other PCS members, I organized the chapter in 1989 while I was a senior in high school. Over the years, the chapter has seen periods of activity and inactivity, an excellent website, and a nice, but sporadic newsletter. Through thick and thin, our chapter has stayed together as a harmonious and dedicated group. I am very honored to be currently serving as the President of The Professional Car Society, an election that necessitated new leadership for the Northland Chapter.

It is good to have a change of leadership so new ideas can be enthusiastically be put forth. One of my missions as PCS President is to assist dormant chapters in building that enthusiasm around a constructive structure that will allow them to operate in a progressive and enjoyable manner. Northland is no exception. While I've never considered the chapter dormant, there is room for improvement and this email is the first step in letting you know about the bright future that is being planned.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the new President of the PCS Northland Chapter, Mr. Kurt Halverson! Kurt is an enthusiastic member who lives in Owatonna, MN. He and his wife, Kristen, are proud parents of a baby girl, Harper, and proud owners of a 1977 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Lifeliner ambulance that has special historical significance to Kurt. I will let Kurt tell you more about himself and his interest in this hobby as he follows up with a response to this post.

To start us off, I'll give you an overview of what to expect next:

We are basically starting the membership roster clean as of this moment. The new schedule of dues is very simple: $5 per year. That's right...five bucks...less than a fast food lunch. What you get in return for this is 6 issues of The Northland Crown Journal newsletter emailed to you, along with an annual membership roster, also emailed to you. Hard copies of the newsletter and roster are available, but the dues will be $35.00 to support the printing and postage costs. From the collected dues money, we will pay for such things like website expenses (a new website that can easily and routinely be updated is in the works), miscellaneous chapter business expenses, the creation of a new chapter symbol (in the works), and when the treasury grows to the point where we can start giving back to the membership, events with food and beverage courtesy of the chapter can be held. For example, each fall we could hold a steak fry with the steaks provided courtesy of the chapter, etc.

We'd like to get the current roster built so it is ready to share with the membership at the first of the year. If you need a membership application, please email me at the address listed below. Additionally, if you are interested in membership of a different PCS chapter, or if you're not yet a PCS member, please email me and I'll be happy to help you get the information you need. In the meantime, the first "new" issue of The Northland Crown Journal is underway and the first event of 2015 is being planned. Kurt will give you more details about that.

Are you on Facebook? Check out the Northland Chapter page!

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and enthusiasm!

Best regards,

Tony Karsnia
President - The Professional Car Society
kars971@aol.com

Hello fellow PCS members:

My name is Kurt Halverson, and I have been appointed the role of President for the Northland Chapter by outgoing chapter President Tony Karsnia. Tony has done a wonderful job creating and leading our chapter for the last 25 years! We are grateful to Tony for his hard work and dedication, and we wish him the best in his role as President of the PCS.

I wanted to take a moment to tell you all about myself and my family, as well as what you can expect in the upcoming year from our chapter. I grew up in Waseca, MN, but I have live in Owatonna for 8 years now. My wife Kristen and I are about to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. 10 months ago we welcomed our first child into our family, and her name is Harper. I am sure she will be a pro-car fan: one of her favorite toys is a squishy foam hearse!

While I am not currently in the funeral or EMS profession, I did work as a casual EMT with Gold Cross Ambulance in Owatonna for 5 years. I have been in love with hearses and ambulances since I was a child, up until a few years ago my collecting was limited to toys and models. I had always wanted to own a car-based ambulance. About 2 and a half years ago, with the support of my wife and help from Tony, I was able to buy an ambulance that has a very special history to me. It is a 1977 Miller Meteor Cadillac Lifeliner that served the town of Tracy, Minnesota. I was very excited to be able to show the car at the recent PCS International Meet in Rochester this August.

I certainly have some large shoes to fill, as it is hard to find someone as hard working with such enthusiasm as Tony. But I will try my best. At the end of the day, this is your club and your chapter and I want to make sure we are doing our best to meet your expectations. In the upcoming months, I hope to plan a few get togethers for 2015, address our website, and think of more ways we can have fun with our cars!

If you are a current Northland member, thank you! If you are not, please consider joining.

Watch for future communications from myself and the chapter officers. Please let me know if you have thoughts or suggestions on what you might like to see going forward.

Thank you,


Kurt Halverson

my money went out in the post today.