Home Club of the Van Rensselaer Division Lt. Governor Chester A. Melius, Jr.

Meets 6:30 PM Mondays at The Lakeview Inn Restaurant
President Alison M. Greene                                                                                                                      Secretary David E. Booker
President-Elect Robert R. Loveridge                                                                                                 Treasurer Robert S. Pasquarelli
Vice-President Joseph M. Behson                                                                                            Immediate Past Pres Kathy Evensen

Fill in Sandpiper  Editor David Booker

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Barbara K. Fioravanti, E. Kenneth James, William M. Whipple

 James M. Colabelli, Fred Jeschke, Kelly L. Stone

Christopher R. Blais, Ron Wagner, Eve Ward

MEETING OF August 14, 2006  

PRESIDING - PRESIDENT Alison M. Greene

GREETINGS AND INVOCATION by KVP

GUESTS: Jean Chenette of the Sand Lake Garden Club, speaker; Laurel Zimmer, APHS Key Club President and Amanda Miller guest of Pablo

WELCOME BACK: Doug Baldrey and John Glasser

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  

• As we all know dues are well past due, 2 more members paid their dues at the start of this meeting so 7 are left to be heard from.  The board will have to take action in 3 weeks.
• President Alison read an email about the Hospice of Rensselaer County sending Deb Reiter to South Africa to help with a developing HIV/AIDS hospice there.  Each year one person is sent from the hospices on the east coast. Many of the expenses are borne by those going.  The club took up a collection and gave Bob $129 to give to his wife to help out.
• Chris Blais was awarded his 2^nd Year of Perfect Attendance Pin – congratulations, Chris.

• After President Alison had given up finding him after having searched the faces of the crowd for DPLG John Brownrigg, VP Joe pointed out that, as he was the program chair tonight, he was sitting to her left .  John announced that there would be a work party at Butler Park Saturday (8/19) at 10 AM and passed around a sign up sheet.  If you did not sign up but would like to be involved with this hands on project be at the entrance of Butler Park at 10 Saturday morning and bring your rakes and shovels.
• VP Joe (soon to be known as Summerfest chairman Joe) announced that there will be a Summerfest meeting after next week’s meeting.  Committee chairs from this year and any other interested members are urged to attend.
• Social Chair Eve presented our normal waitress Shannon with a card, gift bag and the club’s best wishes as she leaves for FL and an internship at Disney University.  Shannon intends to return after the internship is up.
• Joe Cub reminded the membership about the Music in the Park program and as he would like to see more Kiwanis faces at the last two concerts urged members to attend the next concert Sunday evening from 6 to 8 at Butler Park.

PROGRAM: 

John Brownrigg introduced Jean Chenette of the Sand Lake Garden Club to speak to the club about the up coming project to beautify/ refurbish Butler Park and the Fitness Trail.

                Jean recounted as to how a former resident who had returned for a visit a few years ago had remarked to her that the public areas of the town had gotten very dirty.  She then started talking with other SL Garden Club members about this perception of the town, and at the same time a speaker from Delmar spoke to the Garden Club on beautifying towns and businesses.

                The club decided to “do something about it” and hired the professional to assess the state of the town and make suggestions.  The first project undertaken by the club was to work around the Town Hall.  Marigolds have been planted and bulbs have been ordered for planting.  Another area that the club would like to work on is the triangle at the junction of Old Route 66 and Route 43, but there are several obstacles to overcome, the 140 °F temperatures due to the reflection of the sun by the roads’ blacktop and the constant need for water (that same blacktop prevents the absorption of the rain water).

                The club realized that an undertaking such as the refurbishing of Butler Park would be too involved for just the Garden Club alone.  Therefore they are enlisting the aid of the Key Club (when school is again in session), the Environmental Instructor and her classes at the High School, the town government and of course the Kiwanis Club.  The Garden Club currently maintains the plantings in front of the stage at the park, but now wants to address the entrance to the park.  After soliciting the input from many, including Ray Loveridge, the ideas have been put on paper and now the work is beginning.  The stone memorial by the flag pole has been straightened and the flag pole has been painted by Ken and Darrel Noland.  Now is the time for grading, weeding and the spreading of landscaper’s cloth and mulch (remember the work party for Saturday?  Good timing – perhaps).  Then the planting can begin in earnest.

                KVP presented his long time neighbor with the club’s thanks and a certificate of appreciation, noting that Jean had converted the hill upon which he had taught the children to ski into a garden.

NEW MEMBER INDUCTION:

Membership Chair Bob called Ken Noland and his sponsor Jim Rogers forward.  Bob noted that the membership had made his job as Membership Chair very easy this year as Ken is the 6^th new member for the club all brought in by individual members! 

Bob stressed to Ken the importance of new members to the club as it is they who bring in new ideas for projects, provide the club with new enthusiasm and best of all (for some of us “older” members) new backs to do the club’s work. (It should be noted that Ken and his family have been working vary hard to include long days at Summerfest even before he was officially inducted into the club!)   Bob pointed out that new members joining our club are joining one of the more active clubs around and there is plenty of work for all.  Ken, his wife Nadine and 4 of the 5 children (3 girls and 2 boys) live at 241 Bauer Road, Averill Park – the oldest daughter lives in Indiana.  Ken is the owner of Noland’s Painting.  Bob asked Jim to pin our new member and presented him with the traditional new member folder which included a club roster with Ken’s information added, and of course, the infamous Kiwanis Do Hickey.  Ken expressed the great pride he has in joining our club and his desire to work with us caring about the children of the area.

HAPPY DOLARS:

$        Kevin Sarsfield had 2 Happy Dollars – 1 for the fact that when one member learned that Kevin had left some articles behind in a hotel in Binghamton he took the time to go to Binghamton that weekend, retrieve the clothing and return it to Kevin. The second for the great time at the Annual Delmar Kiwanis Golf Tournament.  Kevin noted that for the 5^th year in a row his foursome came in 2^nd.  This year in the putting contest one of his team mates made all 5 puts (the last 2 from 45 and 50 feet out) to win $50,000.

$        Pablo’s happy dollars included one (somewhat more a jealous dollar perhaps) for the fact that his neighbor had won $1,000,000 off a scratch ticket – but truly happy that they are now offering a full breakfast menu at the JavaNet Beanery.

$        Chris is indeed happy when ever one of more of the Key Club come to one of our meetings and for the great service that Botsy provided when he took the time to visit Chris’s some what homebound father and gave him a haircut at home.

$        Jim Rogers had a Happy Dollar for Ken Noland having joined the club and another for having seen his friend of 51 years playing the key board at the last Music in the Park (President Alison was surprised to learn that his wife was an advisor to Alison in college.)

$        Joe Cub also had two, one for the fact that he was glad to be back at the meetings (but sadly without recognition – welcome back Joe) the second for the great job that Bob Loveridge did running around at Summerfest in a seemingly chaotic manner but always managing to pull the chaos that was Summerfest that wet Saturday together.

$        Fred Wurtemberger thanked those members that made the interclubs this year completing 2 round robins. 

$        Key Club President Laurel (“with 4 quarters – the bills are needed for gas”) wanted to thank the club for the fact that every time she attends one of our meetings she always has a good time with a great many laughs!

$        President-designate Bob wanted to welcome Ken into the club and to thank all the members who came together and pulled out a very successful Summerfest from the pond known as Butler Park.

$        Bill Whipple is glad to be back after a long but fast road trip to Phoenix, AR and a safe flight back.

$        Treasure Bob wanted to apologize to Garry for the curt treatment Garry received when he attempted to help at the front door (“but you don’t ever touch the cash drawer of a bank teller”).  Garry quickly remarked that it would take more than a dollar and that he would match anything more that Bob put up.  Bob paid a second dollar, Garry had only a five and asked for change – that change included Laurel’s 4 quarters (much to the amusement of the members).  Garry almost made it back to his seat before he turned around and gave the quarters back.

$        President Alison informed the club that she does have another life – that with the Girl Scouts and in that life she has just been made individual administratively responsible for the girl scouts in the Wynantskill Neighborhood.

DRAWINGS:  Door Prize: provided by John Brownrigg and won by Jim Colabelli.

                 50/50 worth $22 was won by President Alison!
                 Progressive 50/50 now worth $572.50 and with only 18 cards left was WON by Bob Pasquarelli.

                                                                                   Now we start again!

SCHEDULE:  Next week: Program Chair Fred Jeschke will present Jim Rogers and a DVD picture tour of the Civil War.

                        August 21 Invocator/Greeter/Certificate: Ron Wagner

                        August 28: Program Chair Angelo Patti

                                                Invocation/Greeter/Certificate: Eve Ward

                        September 4: No meeting – Labor Day

                        September 11:  Program Chair: Joe Behson – The Program Committee and a Board of Directors’ meeting

                                            Invocation/Greeter/Certificate: Fred Wurtemberger

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.  Anonymous

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING:  The Board was called together to discuss the club being the recipient of a donation of the proceeds from a Texas Hold’em tournament which is being purposed by the JavaNet Beanery.  A recent memo to the clubs of the NY District advised clubs that it was illegal for the “house” to take any cut from the proceeds of any such tournament.  In this case the club would not be the “house” nor would it be involved in any way with the running of such a tournament.  Therefore the Board voted to accept any such donation.