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 21, 2006  

PRESIDING - PRESIDENT Alison M. Greene

GREETINGS AND INVOCATION by Ron Wagner

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  

• President Alison passed on word that the Summerfest meeting scheduled for tonight had been postponed due to the absence of VP Joe and rescheduled for next week.

• There are still four members who owe dues, now over 8 weeks past due! PLEASE, if you still owe either pay the dues or let the club know your intentions.

• Community Services Chair John reported that he, Jim Rogers and Joe Behson were joined by 1 Environmental Studies instructor, 6 SL Garden Club members and 2 APHS Key Club members Saturday as they started the “Beatification of Butler Park”.  Though they got a good start there is still much to do, therefore there is another session scheduled for this Saturday from 10 to Noon – all are invited to help.

• Community Services Co-Chair Kathy asked for volunteers to aid with the unloading and sorting of food delivered to the Doors of Hope Food Pantry.   

SIGN UP SHEETS: Eve passed around a sign up sheet for those willing and able to help prepare the meal for the annual steak/lobster outing to use to indicate how they would help.  John Brownrigg passed one around for the Saturday Beautification Program at Butler Park and another for the American Red Cross Blood Drive to be held at the Church of the Covenant August 31.  In order to eliminate phone calls to those who do not sing up, we were asked to indicate that we would not be able to attend or work on the projects if this were the case.

STEAK/LOBSTER OUTING: there was a general discussion on the history of the event and the current practice which provides each attending to have both a steak and a lobster.  It was the consensus of the club that one or the other would be fine and in the event that someone really had to have both they could order one of each.  Another decision made in an effort to keep the cost down was to do away with the “steamers”. 

PROGRAM:  In the absence of Fred Jeschke (camping in the Adirondacks), Jim Rogers introduced himself and described the process of making the program. First he searched the internet for Civil War photos.  Those that he wanted to use he downloaded when appropriate (over 200 in all). He then created the photo show arranging the photos in a logical order, giving each an appropriate caption and adding special effects if desired. Finally adding music from the period and burning the entire program onto a DVD.  The resulting program was then shown thanks to the able efforts of the club’s A/V Department (Lt. Gov. Chet), the 20 minute program was well received by all.

(Left to right)  Chet attending to his A/V duties, one of the slides, Jim (second from right) watching over his show.

                       During the Q&A period that follow the club learned that our President is a descendant of the Union Major General Daniel Sickles, who after the war, would make an annual visit to the leg he had lost in battle, which was on display at the Smithsonian.  (And who before the war was once acquitted of murdering his wife’s lover.)

HAPPY DOLLARS:

$        John Brownrigg was happy to pay a dollar to be able to call KVP up and present him with a baseball cap embroidered with a red New York Yankee’s logo.  Ken accepted the cap even after John pointed out that it was an official “Yankee Hater’s Cap.  Ken then provided 5 happy dollars to commemorate the fact that John was willing to brake up his collection (and something about 5 games that a few of us could not understand).

$        Joe Cub, in a very gaudy shirt full of graffiti (again with the NY logo) used his happy dollar to than those who had been attending the Music in the Park on Sundays and to remind all that the last in this years series will be held this Sunday.

$         Jim Colabelli – $1 for the great lunch he and Jan had at the JavaNet Beanery, a second for the enjoyable performance of Guys ‘n’ Dolls that he and Jan saw with Stan and Rosemary Supkis and a third one because San has completed his radiation treatments.

Joe Cub & KVP wearing the“rally hat”

$        Chris used his happy dollar to give Jim Rogers a gift appropriately from the Civil War period – an Antebellum Alarm Clock.

                             The device with instructions is shown above. The instructions which read: 

Lie on mattress face down. 

Insert clock in available orifice for desired duration of sleep. 

Light wick and  proceed to slumber.

Caution: Consumption of beans or carbonated beverages prior to use is ill-advised!

$        Jim Rogers was happy that daughter Lisa and son-in-law Fred were camping with their children in the Adirondacks.  

SIGN UP SHEET RETURN:  John Brownrigg thanked those who had singed up and reviewed a few of the reasons that were used for not working: “I maybe working or resting!” or “Only if Tina Rosenberger will be there also!”

DRAWINGS:  Door Prize: an IOU from Fred Jeschke was won by Dudley

                 50/50 worth $24.00 was won by Barb!

                 The new Progressive 50/50 worth only $14.50 but now with all 52 cards was attempted by Bob Pasquarelli, who unlike last week picked the Queen of Spades.

SCHEDULE:  Next week: Program Chair Angelo Patti with John Christenson speaking on the role of Sand Lake and Rensselaer County in the Underground Railroad.

                       August 28        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

                       September 18:  Program Chair Doug Baldrey

                                             Invocation/Greeter/Certificate: Kelly Stone

                       September 25:  Program Chair Kevin Smith

                                             Invocation/Greeter/Certificate: Jim Rogers

                        October 2:  Club Officer Installation

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Beware of those who stand aloof and greet each venture with reproof; the world would stop if things were run by men who say, "It can't be done."          Anonymous