Once every month, the carhops at Wilsonville’s Sonic Drive In restaurant might take note of something strange.

Some of the drive in’s diners – bellied up to their steering wheels while munching a burger – roll down their windows a crack and poke small antennas out.

It may be a cloak and dagger signals intercept trying to steal the secret of Sonic’s onion rings – but it’s not. It’s just the West County subunit of CARES holding their socially distanced, in person monthly meeting.

The meetup at Sonic is in it’s sixth month and is a hybrid of an on-air net and a traditional in-person ARES meeting.

Arnie Chase – W7CRI – the West Co AEC missed the monthly WestCo ARES meetings that were held at a local Wilsonville teriyaki restaurant, so he came up with a plan. The meetings would be held in-car and on the air.

The events begin on-air with Arnie taking check-ins and then progressing on to club business.

Arnie thinks that face time with the membership is important –
and it’s a great way to exercise those handi-talkies, mobiles and go-kits.

“I think we’re all suffering from COVID fatigue” says Arnie “ and coming together at these these meetings helps”.

WestCo meetings are held every second Wednesday at Sonic at noon. Here’s a Google Maps link – https://goo.gl/maps/X5AF9eo7ixxg4EuN6

And if you do intercept that onion ring recipe, let us know!