12/22/2011
Dear Friends,
We’re only a few days from Christmas and many of us have yet to put our bikes away for the season. December has been surprisingly mild and we’ve gotten in a few “last” rides. And the weather forecast looks like we’ll have the opportunity for a Christmas Day ride. What a great season we’ve had! The traditional New Year’s Day ride may actually be a reality for many of us this year!
The Halloween Party was a hilarious success – lots of friends, lots and lots of food and lots of fun. Chapter H showed up and couldn’t believe their eyes! The Tooth Fairy and The Flasher greeted them at the door. If you were unable to attend, there are many pictures on our GWRRA Chapter A Facebook page. You can click the link on our website to take you there.
The weather cooperated for our Christmas Party this year and the house was full. At last count we had 37 and several Chapter H participants (they must not have heard about the Halloween Party, or maybe they did). Traveling to other chapter functions is a great way to meet other GWRRA members and make new friends. We celebrated with all our friends and will be losing Rus Eaton and Mary Hadd. Mary announced that they will be leaving Iowa for the big state of Texas. Mary’s family is there and she starts a new job right after the first. Rus is staying behind to sell the house before joining her. We wish them well and hope they buy a big house in Texas so we can all go visit.
We’ve sworn in our new Membership Enhancement Coordinators (MEC) – Dave and Diane Tingle. We believe membership enhancement is everyone’s job – you’ll get more out of the group if you participate, but Dave and Diane will be leading the way. They have lots of enthusiasm and ideas for the coming year. Our new treasurer’s, Mike and Carol Martin, will be sworn in at an upcoming gathering.
The officers/staff have met and put together a new events calendar for the upcoming year. It’s posted on the website, so check it out and plan to join the fun. Plan to attend our January gathering on January 7th at Ryan’s. Special guest attendees will be our new District Directors, Lonnie and Diane Borseth and the reigning District Couple of the Year, Dennis and Karen English. We will also be announcing our 2012 Chapter A Couple of the Year. You won’t want to miss this gathering.
Even though the riding season’s days are numbered, the Black Sheep Squadron will continue to promote friends for fun, safety and knowledge through the winter months.
With the holidays upon us, enjoy time with family and friends and be safe no matter what you do. Roberta and I want to wish everyone in our GWRRA family a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
Mark Tilton & Roberta McAfee, Chapter A Directors GWRRA -- Friends for fun, knowledge and safety.