CURRENT NEWSLETTER (scroll down to see earlier newsletters)
2010
August 22, 2010
Hello Circus City Sams Members!!
Well, we “survived” and enjoyed another warm and humid camping weekend that also had a “dash” of drizzle here and there to make it interesting. We were at Old Mill Run Campground near Thorntown, IN. Hosts for the weekend were Allen and Carolyn Crist with Ken and Sharon Dickman. They were “early birds” for the weekend along with Al and Addie Goletz, Dick and Marsha Helm as well as guests Beryl and Karen Geer (and their “canine camper” – Pebbles). Arriving Friday were Lee and Betty Wilkinson, George and Sherry Gehring, Gary and Carolyn Rexroad, Larry and Ruth Yoder, Guy and Jan Givens, and Bill and Nancy Plummer. After getting set up and spending some time visiting, we went to the Clarks Hill Steak and Fish Restaurant in Clarks Hill. All found something yummy with which to fill their tummy! After dinner, the Rexroads took the Wilkinsons on a “side trip” to Witham Hospital in Lebanon. Seems Lee had some lab work needing checked and it all worked out well. He is fine. The rest of the group couldn’t resist a stop at Dairy Queen for dessert on the way back. Some “attempted” to work off some calories by playing the washer game; the rest of us just visited. We were treated to a “tour” of Crists’ new Cedar Creek 5th Wheel. As expected, it is lovely. And we are all jealous that nightly they get to “sleep with Donald Trump”!! (Guess you just had to be there!) A shock to all of us – Marsha shared that “she was too WARM so was going in to the air conditioning”. Gee, thought it might snow after that comment!!! Eventually, it was time for all of us to head in for the night.
Saturday morning was a bit gloomy at first with some “drops” here and there but it did clear up. We were TREATED to the “never ending breakfast buffet” by our hosts. Wow! There were assorted casseroles, sausage gravy and biscuits, caramel rolls, strawberry coffee cake, oatmeal bars, juice, etc. They really worked hard on all this. Again we had game time and visit time. Yoders have changed rigs and we got to check out their Aerolite trailer; very nice home on wheels for them! Some enjoyed the challenge of the washer game some more, while others played Quinto and Euchre. Believe it or not, it was time to indulge again. Our hosts provided us with an ice cream social with several flavors from which to choose. Yum! After this, some of the men ran into town to run errands. We had alarming news from the Lewises. Their son Stephen has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; we remembered him and them in all our prayers this weekend. Please continue to do so. Hopefully we will hear some good news before too long from them.
Guess what??? Time to eat again!!! (seems that’s all we do on our weekends!). We had the usual pitch in with many wonderful assorted dishes – glad they are all “calorie free”!!! Right!!! This was followed by our meeting. In the absence of our President, Vice President Bill Plummer led the meeting starting with the Pledge of Allegiance and having Ken lead us in a prayer. Guests Beryl and Karen Geer were introduced and welcomed. The hosts were thanked for a wonderful weekend. In the absence of our Secretary/Treasurer, Carolyn Rexroad read the minutes and the treasurer’s report which were both approved. The balance in our account is $884.90. August birthdays and anniversaries were announced. Lee was the only “birthday attendee” so he got to wear the Circus City birthday hat while we sang to him. We received a thank you from the Domestic Violence Safe House for our donation. Carolyn R. passed around a sign up sheet for hosting the 2010-2011 dinners and campouts. Carolyn also stated that she would collect the donations for the August charity – Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue – and announced the September charity would be Meals on Wheels in Wabash (who provided over 17,000 meals last year). Monetary donations would be best for that cause. Under new business we were reminded of the upcoming Fall Samboree – Fall into Winter, Sept. 24-26 at Howard County Fair Grounds, Greentown, IN. Deadline for making reservations is September 6th. When sending in your reservations, be sure to indicate that you request block parking with Chapter 89. (Going so far are Dickmans, Crists, Geers, Gehrings, Wilkinsons and Rexroads.) Also, it is that time of year again to form a nominating committee to obtain candidates for office for the 2011 camping year. This committee is comprised of Betty Wilkinson, Carolyn Crist and Marsha Helm. They will be contacting you to see if you would be interested in running for an office or nominating someone. Under announcements, we welcome Beryl and Karen Geer (with Pebbles) as our newest members!!! Also, Carolyn R. shared that she has heard via phone and e-mail from our Australian friends – Marty and Karen Crouch. They have now moved to Ontario, Canada and had hoped to camp with us at Elkhart and the Samboree. Ontario has a rule for new residents that they must stay in
We actually gathered around the campfire tonight though not tooooo close! We always enjoy a campfire even when it is warm. And here comes Sharon with more food!!! She passed out a yummy Chex Mix to ”munch on”. Having been well fed again and relaxed, it was soon time to go in for the night.
Sunday morning some attended church services at either the campgrounds or in town then met at Flapjack’s in Lebanon for breakfast. Back at the campsites we got in a bit more visiting then little by little we realized it was time for another wonderful camping weekend to come to an end. We had 22 humans, 7 canines and 1 feline camping with us. Thanks again, hosts, for a great time!
September campout information:
When: September 17, 18. 19
Where: Elkhart Campground, Elkhart,
Hosts: Ron and Carol Koenes krocal2330@yahoo.com 765-472-7743
Tim and Terry Finster (personal information removed)
Dick and Marsha Helm (personal information removed)
Plans: ASAP contact your hosts to let them know you are coming! They
intend to take some tours in the local area. Please remember your donations to Meals on Wheels!
CONTINUING THE CAMPOUT-------immediately following the campout several are going to caravan to Shipshewana that Sunday and camp until Wednesday or Thursday; then they will head to the Samboree. Please keep this in mind and join them.
September Birthdays September Anniversaries
5 Ron Thompson none
6 Sherry Gehring
7 Guy Givens
15 Dick Helm
19 Carol Koenes
22 Beryl Geer
26 Ginny Haggerty
27 Nancy Plummer
28 Terry Wilson
Sincerely,
Carolyn Rexroad
Corresponding Secretary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 18, 2010
Hello all my HOT camping buddies!!
Sure was a HOT humid weekend but that will never stop us from gathering and having a good
time. We enjoyed ourselves at our favorite campground – Camp Givens near Wabash. Hosts for the weekend were Gary and Carolyn Rexroad with Paul and Tonya Berg and their children Samantha and Nick. Ken and Sharon Dickman were the “Thursday Early Birds”; arriving Friday were Ron and Carol Koenes, Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty, Dick and Marsha Helm, Eric and Teresa Cohee, District #3 Directors Tom and Ladonna Nicklaus from the Sycamore Sams and, of course, the residents and owners Guy and Jan Givens. (Good thing the campout was at the Givens’ residence as they were having RV problems and had to “rough it” actually staying in their home! All solved by Saturday morning, however.) Some “canine news” to report: our hearts go out to Al and Addie Goletz with the loss of their puppy Chance. We all can relate. Brighter news is we have another new “canine” member – Catalina Chewbacca Berg (now Maria Chewbacca has a little sister and a cutie!). Nicki Nicklaus (a Yorkie) was a new “canine camper” for the weekend and Eric and Teresa brought 2 of their Bishons to visit – Skeeter and Buddy. Also visiting were Jerry and Connie Holmes with their BIG and “little” dogs – Mac (Mastiff-Rottweiler mix weighing in at 157 lbs.) and Zeke (Mastiff-Great Dane mix weighing in at 185 lbs.) and Teddy (Yorkie weighing in at 5 lbs.)!! Picture this – they arrived in a HHR!!! GORGEUS dogs and so glad they brought them to visit. Enough about dogs - on to the weekend: Bill and Nancy Plummer popped in and out over the weekend. Dinner time arrived and we had hot dogs with all the fixins’ including coney sauce, coleslaw, a couple varieties of baked beans, chips and assorted brownies. Later that evening Lance Agness, Gwen and Ethan paid us a visit. Soon it came to that favorite time – gathering around the campfire (yes, we have them even when it is too hot to have them; love the atmosphere). Marsha made us feel like it had cooled off some as she soon donned a jacket and snuggled near the campfire. Must have dropped a degree or two as Ginny showed up with her jacket and long pants! Guess we are getting too accustomed to HOT temps and anything below 90 is cool!! Got me convinced!
Saturday morning we all enjoyed the Breakfast in a Bag meal along with a big fruit salad, juice and coffee. It was another hot and humid day so most of us enjoyed just sitting and visiting by the pond getting to know Tom and Ladonna better. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and so glad they could make it. A “situation” did occur with “someone” who “needed their knob fixed”!!! And he used a big tool to fix it! :o) Hmm?? Some enjoyed using the paddle boat on the pond, fishing, swimming, going to a “man” sale, exploring the sales at Big R and checking out the Wabash Library. Sherry Gehring paid us a visit, too. Givens’ grandchildren Graydon and Hannah came and spent the rest of the weekend with us; Larry and Ruth Yoder were also able to join us later Saturday. Also, joining us was an approaching storm! So----Plan B: take down the Easy Ups; secure the chairs and all else and head to the “Givens’ Rec Hall” for the pitch in. Ron and Melody Thompson were able to be there, too. Our group is nicely growing! Of course, lots of people means lots of yummy dishes brought to dinner (all calorie-free and sugar-free!! Ha! Ha!).
The meeting immediately followed dinner. Ron led us in a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Our special guests – Tom and Ladonna Nicklaus – were formally introduced. Minutes and the treasurer’s report were read and approved. Account balance is $701.32. July birthdays and anniversaries were announced. Jan was the “lucky” birthday attendee and got to wear the Circus City Sams Birthday Hat; all birthday attendees posed for a picture. We had the following correspondence: Thank you from Helping Hands for the donations collected last month; thank you from Bill and Nancy Plummer for the donation made to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue benefit in May; information re a gathering of districts for a campout from Ladonna Nicklaus (info to follow); Sharon had an e-mail from our Australian friends – Marty and Karen Crouch; and Melodie shared a letter from Dogs for the Deaf enclosing our patches for our members for having sent a donation to them (if you weren’t at the July dinner/meeting please see Melodie to get your patch!). Ron suggested you start thinking about which month you would like to sign up to host for 2011 and which winter dinner you’d like to arrange. Please let him know your choices soon. Carolyn R. announced that she would be taking any donations for this month’s charity – Domestic Violence Safe House – and would get them delivered. Charity for the August campout is Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (“wish list” is attached; $$ always works). Carol Koenes was the lucky winner of the 50/50 drawing - $21.
Well, the “approaching storm” was a false alarm so we cleaned up the “hall” and headed back to the pond and a campfire. Joining us for a little while were Givens’ daughter-in-law Paula and her new baby Cody (what a cutie!). Well, most of us relaxed around the campfire but Paul and Tonya got a work out making popcorn, kettle corn and caramel corn. Nick and Sam helped, too. WOW!! Good stuff! We got more visitors before the evening was over – Erin Cohee and “significant other” Jacob. Gee, I think we had visiting or camping 36 humans and 15 dogs!! Good turnout!
Sunday morning gave us a little more time to visit before packing up. Marsha sported her adorable “Go to Hell” hat!! :o) Sharon is realizing she has become a “pee attraction”! Poor, Sharon! And Tom Nicklaus really enjoyed the “belly scratch” from Carolyn R. (You have to check the website and photos when available!!). It was a wonderful weekend and sadly had to come to an end. We were thrilled to have Tom and Ladonna as part of our group and hope they will join us again sometime. Thank you, Berg Family, for being great co-hosts. Again, thanks to Guy and Jan for sharing their wonderful “resort” with us. Wrapping up I will say the fundraiser we had “donating” in lieu of paying to camp raised $180!! That’s super!
Upcoming information to note:
August campout information
When: August 20, 21, 22
Where: Old Mill Run, Thorntown
Hosts: Ken and Sharon Dickman
Allen and Carolyn Crist
Plans: ASAP contact Sharon or Carolyn to let them know you are coming!!
Friday dinner – Clarks Hill Fish & Steak
Saturday – hosts will provide breakfast; evening the pitch in. Please remember your donations for Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue
(wish list attached) NOTE: Rt. 18 between 31 and 29 is under construction – keep that in mind when making travel plans)
From Ladonna: Campout Districts #1, #2, #3 and #4
When: June 24, 25 & 26, 2011 (early birds June 23)
Where: Elkhart County Campground (where Chapter #89 is going this September)
Plans: Nightly entertainment, church, & request: please pitch in 3 dozen cookies
Please let your District Director know before first week of June if you are coming so they can put all Chapters attending together.
NOTE: This is OUR regular campout weekend. Ron and Carol Koenes will be hosting this weekend and plan on our camping there. So keep this in mind.
August Birthdays August Anniversaries
14 Tim Finster 3 Tim and Terry Finster
28 Paul Berg 8 Ken and Sharon Dickman
30 Lee Wilkinson 11 Ron and Carol Koenes
19 Steve and Iris Lewis
Sincerely,
Carolyn Rexroad Corresponding Secretary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 27, 2010
Well, we had “the good, the bad and the ugly” of weather this weekend. Good - it was sunny most of the weekend and we were with many of our camping buddies; the “Bad” – it was HOT and HUMID!!!; the “Ugly” – it was stormy with downpours and lightning. But, as true diehard campers, we “weathered” (pun intended) it all. We had gathered at Tall Sycamores Campground near Logansport. Our hosts for the weekend were George and Sherry Gehring, Al and Addie Goletz, and Larry and Ruth Yoder with assistance from Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty. They all did a great job. Early birds were Gehrings, Ron and Carol Koenes and Lee and Betty Wilkinson; showing up Friday were Gary and Carolyn Rexroad, Guy and Jan Givens, Allen and Carolyn Crist, Al and Addie Goletz, and Ron and Melodie Thompson. We also had a couple guests camping with us: Jill Montgomery (Wilkinsons’ great granddaughter) and Tori Craig (Givens’ granddaughter). It was great having them join us. Others got to meet our newest “canine member” – Chance Goletz. He left an “indelible” mark on many! Ha! Ha! :o) Welcome to the club!
Friday afternoon was spent playing games and relaxing in the pool. Arriving to join us for dinner were Larry and Ruth Yoder as well as Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty. Speaking of dinner, we enjoyed wonderful food at the West End Diner. After dinner, we enjoyed “unusual” entertainment. Much to Ron and Carol’s dismay, they were completely locked out of their rig!! (Maybe Ron needs the “long red ribbon” too??) :o) Jill to the rescue!! They did have some unlocked windows so via a ladder, Jill was able to climb in, unlock their RV and let them in. Thanks for the chuckle of the evening! With full tummies, several played games while others visited. Eventually we had a little campfire and the girls toasted marshmallows.
Saturday morning Carolyn R and Allen decided to be ambitious and take an early morning walk intending to cover about 2 miles. Mother Nature had other ideas. On the “backtrack” back to the campgrounds (but still a little way from it) the “heavens” opened and Carolyn and Allen got drenched!!! (Let’s talk Wet T-Shirt Contest – wonder who won???) And you know Allen was fretting all the way because his “hairdo” was ruined!! :o) Once lightning struck, Gary thought it might be a good idea to rescue them; found them and gave them a lift back to the campgrounds. Recovered and dry again, it was now time for breakfast. Larry and Ruth were able to be there, too. The meal was awesome having sausage gravy and biscuits, breakfast casseroles, fruit, juice, pecan bars and cupcakes! Wow! Haggertys contributed to this awesome menu, too. The weather cleared up and we had a nice sunny, hot day! Some refreshed by heading to the pool; some ran errands; and some had 3rd time bad luck!! This would be Ron and Melodie. If you recall, at the April campout they had their pop up and struggled on the cold nights without heat and limited “potty access”; then lost their crank for the pop up. May campout they solved the “crank, heat and potty” problems by arriving in a wonderful new motor home. Only this month the truck got a flat tire. Well, 3rd time’s a charm! On this really hot and humid weekend both of their air conditioners quit on them. Several tried to help them out but no one could solve the problem. They are real troopers! Since things normally happen in three’s let’s hope their string of bad camping luck is over!!! Jan led our auction this weekend and it went well (even George bought something!). :o) A few more guests joined us for a little while – Charlie Hays and his little dogs Lady and Corky! Glad to have them. Guess what?? It is meal time again!! We had our pitch in with the usual – lots and lots of wonderful food!! As if that wasn’t bad enough, the campground also had an ice cream social. Where do we put it all???
Time for the meeting: Ron led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The minutes and treasurer’s report were read and approved – current balance is $560.12. June birthdays and anniversaries were announced-no June birthday members were present. (Since Al Goletz’ birthday is so early in July {the 2nd} and they can’t make the July campout {they are our long distance members living in eastern Ohio} we had him wear the “camping club birthday hat” and we sang to him!!) We had a thank you note from Birthright of Peru for last month’s donations. They really appreciated it. The auction yielded $143.75 – good job! We agreed to continue having our website via Godaddy.com which is now about $15 a year. We are realizing several now check our camping club out via the website; that is how our Australian friends connected with us and we have heard from Bob and Nancy Eoff that they keep up with us by checking it out. Samboree info - Carolyn R reported that we had submitted an entry for Chapter of the Year but we were not chosen. It seems that the clubs that get selected not only do a lot of volunteer work and/or donations in their community but they also, as a club, do a lot of work at the Samborees. We met our new director – Ladonna Nicklaus – and sent her our remaining camping schedule inviting them to join us if possible. Carolyn C attended the Presidents and Newcomers’ Meeting with Carolyn R who shared info about our club inviting any who were interested to join us. Gary and Carolyn R. presented our Chapter’s Flag at the Opening Ceremony. Carolyn C. reported that our corporate sign and luminaries were on display at the Relay for Life; thank you, again, for the support. Several items and cash were collected for Helping Hands Food Pantry. Thank you! Rexroads will deliver this. July’s agency will be Domestic Violence Safe House. Winner of the 50/50 was Carol Koenes - $12.
The rest of the evening was spent visiting around the campfire (but at a distance; using it only as “atmosphere”). Thompsons soon pulled out and headed for “cooler” living conditions. Good luck! Hope the solution is a simple, inexpensive one!
After a rainy night, we got up to a warm and humid Sunday. Some went to town to church while others went to the campground services. This was followed by coffee and donuts. We hung around for a while enjoying each other’s company but all good things must come to an end. Thanks for a wonderful weekend, hosts!! Little by little we packed up and left awaiting the next campout. Speaking of which:
July campout information:
When: July 16, 17, 18
Where: Camp Givens, Wabash
Hosts: Gary and Carolyn Rexroad
Paul and Tonya Berg
Plans: ASAP contact Carolyn to let her know you are coming! Hosts will provide dinner Friday evening and breakfast Saturday morning. Saturday evening will be the usual pitch in dinner. Please remember your donations to this month’s agency – Domestic Violence Safe House (wish list is attached or $$). Also, since our “campground owners” won’t let us pay for the weekend, it was suggested to make a donation instead to our camping club as a fundraiser. So please keep this in mind!
Changes for September campout!!
Please make the following note in your handbook:
Hosts: Koeneses, Finsters, and Helms
Place: Elkhart Campground off 19 north of the turnpike on CR 4
Plans: Do some touring in the area
July Birthdays July Anniversaries
2 Al Goletz 7 Guy and Jan Givens
3 Carolyn Rexroad 8 Allen and Carolyn Crist
5 George Gehring 12 Daniel and Terry Wilson
9 Ron Koenes 21 George and Sherry Gehring
11 Sharon Dickman
13 Bobbie Cole
22 Jan Givens
27 Terry Finster
Data for the weekend: 23 human members or guests camping or visiting; 13 canines
Sincerely,
Carolyn Rexroad
Corresponding Secretary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 23, 2010
Greetings my camping buddies! Our second campout of the season has come and gone and was “a little wet around the edges”---and then some!!! A few of our camping couples arrived on Thursday with the rest of us coming in on Friday. We were at Lakeview Campgrounds near Rochester. Our hosts for the weekend were Ron and Melodie Thompson with Bill and Nancy Plummer (unfortunately the Plummers were unable to be there for the weekend as they were keeping vigil with Nancy’s mom at her assisted care facility; time was drawing nigh for her to be in a better place. Our hearts go out to Nancy and Bill keeping all of them in our prayers). In their stead, Eric and Teresa Cohee stepped up to the plate and helped out (as did everyone else, as needed). Along with the hosts (and “helpers”) also camping were Dick and Marsha Helm, Guy and Jan Givens, Gary and Carolyn Rexroad, Ken and Sharon Dickman and Allen and Carolyn Crist.. Exciting news!!! Ron and Melodie arrived in their new Class A motor home – a Windsport!! So this was their “maiden voyage” in their beautiful new rig. Keep in mind that now they no longer need to keep track of their crank for the pop up BUT they still need to keep track of the keys to the RV!!! As true to form, weather at the campground was “not perfect”!! Thursday was a drizzly, rainy day. Friday afternoon it poured!!! It did finally let up later Friday evening and we even got a campfire going as we “waddled around in the mud and muck” (oh, well…we are washable). Nicely timed, while it was pouring most of us were at the Elks for dinner. Able to join us there were Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty and George and Sherry Gehring. After dinner it was time to gather around the campfire; or shall I say “most” of us did-----there were a couple who “disappeared”?? Wonder who and what they were up to?? :o) As usual, stories and laughs abounded around the fire. Time to turn in and for Ron and Melodie to find out what it is like to actually have heat overnight and not need to worry if the bathhouse is locked
Saturday morning was a clearer day. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast prepared by the Thompsons and Cohees (with contributions from the Plummers). Available to us were Dutch oven casseroles – ham and/or sausage - fruit cups and assorted muffins. YUM!!! The sun tried often to peek through the clouds and as the day progressed it did warm up. After eating we enjoyed visiting; some walked (burn off all those delicious calories!!); some to town; some paid a visit to the cemetery; others off to a wedding and some helped Ron with his flat tire on the truck. Speaking of Ron, we do like to help him out. To lessen the possibilities of his losing his keys to the motor home, Gary made a presentation to him…..HIS keys attached to a LONGGGG red ribbon labeled “Remove Before Flight”. MAYBE with that on, he won’t lose his keys! Time for lunch which was hotdogs with coney sauce – yum! Some of us tried a new game provided by Jan – Dice Squence. It is a quicker version and great fun. Somewhere along the way Guy found out the muck and mud was a bit slippery; unfortunately the jeans he was wearing were the only ones he brought – fortunately, he didn’t have any injuries. Before long it was time to get our dishes ready for the pitch in. Carolyn R. actually initiated the stove, convection oven and microwave in their new RV!!! Worked fine! :o) George and Sherry were able to join us for dinner. As usual, there was a vast array of delicious items in which to indulge (shame they aren’t all calorie free!!). Oh, well.
We soon gathered for our meeting. In the absence of President Ron Koenes and Vice President Bill Plummer, Past President Carolyn Crist led the meeting. Dick Helms graciously led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The minutes and treasurer’s report were read and approved – current balance is $526.64. Birthdays and anniversaries for May were announced. Correspondence was passed around for all to check out. We thanked Sherry for the great job she does in sending out all the cards for birthdays, get well, etc. It was announced that the agency designated for donations for the June campout will be Helping Hands Food Pantry. Several items and cash were collected at this campout for Birthright of Peru. Thank you! Rexroads will deliver this. The auction fundraiser for our club has been postponed until the June campout; so bring your “treasures” then. Following up on a suggestion, we will be submitting our request to be considered for Chapter of the Year at the Spring Samboree. You don’t know if you don’t try!! It was announced that the Dutch Café on US 31 (across from the base) has a room that can be closed off for a dinner and will hold up to 35 people. They will even open for just us if that is necessary. Keep that in mind for our winter dinners. Sharon Dickman made a “tempting” fresh raspberry pie which was auctioned off. The lucky winner was Guy donating $23 for the pie….ENJOY!! Winner of the 50/50 was Eric - $13.50. Carolyn C. closed the meeting with a prayer remembering Nancy Plummer’s mother
Spring Samboree – May 28-31 at Lebanon at the Boone County Fairground
Attending will be Steve and Iris Lewis, Al and Addie Goletz, Allen and Carolyn Crist, Gary and Carolyn Rexroad (and Dickmans with Roving Sams).
June campout information!!
When: June 25, 26, 27
Where: Tall Sycamores Campground near Logansport Hosts: George and Sherry Gehring sherry_geh@yahoo.com
Addie and Al Goletz
Larry and Ruth Yoder
Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty (assisting)
Plans: ASAP contact Sherry to let her know you are coming! Plans are dinner out
Friday evening at about 6PM. Hosts will provide breakfast Saturday morning;
Saturday evening will be the usual pitch in dinner. Please bring items to be
auctioned for fundraising for the club. Please also remember to bring
donations for Helping Hands Food Pantry (any shelf item, i.e. peanut
butter, canned meats, paper products, cleaning items, etc. or $$)
June Birthdays June Anniversaries
5 Wendy Langer
14 Andrea Langer * 9 Jeep and Wendy Langer
23 Larry Yoder 12 Larry and Ruth Yoder
27 Alicia “Gwen” Agness * 18 Bill and Nancy Plumme
* indicates child
After the meeting, it was campfire time again. With it cooling off, Marsha enjoyed her new down filled vest – kept her toasty warm. Melodie and Eric’s dad and mom (Phil and Melinda Cohee) and their little 4 legged friend (Peaches) joined us, too. Even more hilarious stories were told including several talking about going to “see Alice” (???) this weekend. :o) (Guess you just had to be there!!
Sunday blessed us with being warm and sunny. It was a morning of gathering for breakfast, going to church and unfortunately breaking down camp to eventually leave. We all stayed around to cheer on Ron with his first try of “getting out without getting stuck” and “dumping” (I’m sure we’ve all seen that segment in the movie “RV”!!). He did very well but did get the new nickname “Wrong Way Ron”!! Hmmm?? We sat around for a little while longer; a couple of the men thought it was time to torment Beaner – oh, well. Eventually we pulled out; some heading to Alejandro’s in Rochester to eat. Thanks again to the hosts and all that helped out for a wonderful weekend. We were a small group – 18 humans, 5 dogs and 1 cat – but a great group.
Sincerely
Carolyn Rexroad, Corresponding Secretary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 18, 2010,
Welcome to the 2010 Camping Season!!!
Hope everyone survived winter okay whether you were here in Indiana dealing with assorted weather or down south dealing with assorted weather!! And welcome back north to our “snowbirds”!! Sure was great seeing so many this weekend at Bozarth’s Recreational Resort near Lagro. Some were “early birds” arriving on Thursday: Wilbur and Ginny Haggerty (first there; can you believe it??), Guy and Jan Givens (hosts), Bill and Nancy Plummer, Gary and Carolyn Rexroad (in their new rig – 2010 Gulf Stream Independence), Lee and Betty Wilkinson (so great to have you both camping again – it’s been too long!), and Eric Cohee (host). Spent some time catching up then off to the snack bar to grab a bite to eat. Beautiful day and great visiting; also it was great fun checking out the “Givens’ Tag-a-Long” basement!!! It is really cool and carries “everything”!!! It is such fun to be back to camping again.
Friday officially started the camping season. Late morning found Ken and Sharon Dickman arriving, soon followed by Ron and Carol Koenes. On the rainy dreary afternoon George and Sherry Gehring arrived. They were followed by Allen and Carolyn Crist as well as Jeep and Wendy Langer with daughter Andrea. Before long Teresa Cohee (host) arrived along with Ron and Melodie Thompson. Even had some guests pay us a visit – Charlie Hays and his doggies Lady and Corkie. It cleared up and cooled down so a HUGE campfire was in the making. We were then treated to a wonderful dinner at the BRR Snack Bar – thank you so much. Then we enjoyed the infamous cast iron cooked desserts! Yum! It was cool and windy but we still enjoyed a BIG campfire – thanks, Allen! Gradually all turned in for the night.
Saturday started as a beautiful sunny morning and quite chilly (just ask Thompsons HOW chilly it was – especially without propane for the heater!!! Brrrr!!!) We enjoyed watching the hosts prepare breakfast and enjoyed even more eating it. It was an outstanding meal of peach French toast casserole Dutch Oven style (of, course) with pancakes, bacon and all the trimmings. Some tried to work a little of this off walking while others did some RV shopping. To try to provide us with some shelter out of the wind, they tried to erect another dining canopy with windbreak but the wind was just too much for it; we just toughed it out. In the midst of all of this Dick and Marsha Helm arrived for the day and later so did Larry and Ruth Yoder; great they could make it. Popping in to say HI was Jan’s friend Ann. Soon it became craft time so we went to the hall to make our own greeting cards. This was great fun; guidance and supplies were provided by Betty, Jan and Teresa. Thanks for teaching us something new. Also, during this time Bill did a slide show about Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue; very interesting. Ken checked out mushroom hunting and found a snake “checking HIM” out. We commented that Sharon’s Dutch Oven dish must be “Snake Pot Pie”!! Hurry up dinner as it is torture sitting around the campfire smelling all these cast iron cooked dishes. Had an interesting effect on one of us who felt the need go to their RV to visit the restroom only to realize “they hadn’t brought their RV”!!! (Gee, I wonder who that was??) It was finally time to take our masterpieces to the hall and have dinner. Friends of Givens’ arrived to join us – Jerry and Connie Holmes and puppy Teddy. Paul, Tonya and children Samantha and Nick Berg also made it. As always, there was a lot of delicious food (and all “calorie-free”!!! I wish!). Time for our meeting:
President Ron Koenes led the meeting and the prayer. Minutes and the treasurer’s report were read and approved. Between both accounts our balance is $795.17. Birthdays and anniversaries for April were announced. Wilbur was the only April birthday attendee so he got to wear the “birthday hat”. Literature from Dogs for the Deaf was received and shared among those present. A report on donations to Back Roads Dog Rescue was given. A big welcome back to the camping group was given to Lee and Betty; so glad to seen them healthy again and back with us. We agreed to donate $120 to Relay for Life – corporate sign and luminaries ‘in memory” or “in honor” of members taken by or surviving cancer. It was suggested that we need to do some fundraising so we have money on hand for donations. It was also suggested to do a fundraiser at the Samboree but not many seem to be going at this time. As always, the chapters are requested to donate 5 items for the Samboree. The Rexroads have taken care of this and are donating the items. We agreed to donate $50 to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue (Bill Plummer is on the board and several of us have gotten involved with this wonderful group). We received an anonymous donation of $100 earmarked to be used as a donation to Dogs for the Deaf. We also agreed to make a $50 donation to the Little Red Door. Over some time now, we have been gathering things for the Back Roads Dog Rescue. It was suggested that we choose different organizations monthly for which to collect and spread around our “philanthropic” gestures. Other organizations that were suggested, in addition to the dog rescue, were Birthright of Peru, Helping Hands, Domestic Violence Safe House and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue. Some changes in the campout information were made:
July campout will be at Camp Givens hosted by Rexroads and Bergs (NOTE-since Givens will not let us pay to camp there, it was agreed upon to make a donation to the club as a fundraiser for camping there); September campout is now hosted by Koeneses and Finsters. Please note the changes. The winner of the 50/50 drawing was Eric and he donated the $23 to Back Roads Dog Rescue. Thank you, Eric, and thank you hosts for an awesome camping weekend and a great start to the season!!
May campout plans!!!
When: May 21, 22, 23
Where: Lakeview Campground near Rochester
Hosts: Ron and Melodie Thompson melodiethompson@ymail.com
Hosts: Bill and Nancy Plummer bplummer@kconline.com
