Kiwanis Club of Historic St. Augustine

Newsletter – 30 March 2006

President’s Message:

It’s Still Official!! Village Inn is the place to be on Thursday mornings at 0700 hours.

                The newsletter didn’t get out last week, so let me publicly say “Thanks!” once again to all of our members who attended the Geography Bee held on the 16th. There was an excellent turnout of members, and I do believe all had a great time. If you missed this year, you will want to make certain that you get there next year. Don’t forget that the winner will be given his plaque and the atlas for the library at the school board meeting in April. It will be a short meeting for us, so you may want to attend. I also want to give our appreciation to Privett - Niles & Associates for their donation which helped us to defray the cost of the Bee and helped in the purchasing of the awards.

                Another item of note is the Kiss the Pig Contest. This is a very unique way to raise money for Learn to Read of St. Johns County. The idea is to donate money ($1 per vote) to the person that you want to kiss the pig. The interesting thing is that the contestants go around and ask people to send in money and name them. I know if I were involved, I would want to come in second. That way I could raise a lot of money, but still wouldn’t have to kiss the pig. Our club has a dilemma. We have two participants, one being Gary Bernstein (I can’t fathom why a good Jewish boy would ever want to kiss a pig.) and the other being Skeeter Key. Regardless, this is great group to support, so vote early and often.

                Last week we acquired a new supply box to replace the banged-up green box we have carried around for years. My only request is that you do NOT use it as a waste basket. Let’s endeavor to keep our things neat so we can find them easily.

 

Coming Events: [Advise the editor of events of interest at 797-4332]

3 April 2006: Regular monthly board meeting to be held at The Allegro. The meeting will start at 1700 hours. There is much to discuss, so be prompt and be prepared to share some ideas.

 

Guests: Harry Matteson, our fellow Kiwanian from Malone, NY, is here for his annual vacation; on the 16th we had Gary & Austin Land, guests of Dave Thompson; last week Joe Lopinto was a guest of Skeeter’s; Mark Shelly, Phil Glass, and Jordan Thompson were all guests of Dave Thompson. (I do believe that Mark has given us his app to become a new member.) Also in attendance was Bob Cressy, who has been with us many times in the past, and he brought his lovely wife, Nancy to this meeting. (She is likewise a Kiwanian.) Bob is the Governor-elect (2006-2007) for the Capital District of Kiwanis which includes MD, VA, DE, & DC. (We know someone who has his work cut out for him. It’s all about the salary.)

 

Programs: (Check the website for your speaker assignment date.)

LAST WEEK: Art Liepold introduced a former member, Sam Dee Thomas, local artist of some repute. Sam gave us a quick overview of the art galleries in our fair city. He indicated that one of the reasons he and his wife moved here was because of the art colony that he could see growing here. Indeed, it has grown and is still doing so. Every first Friday of each month, the galleries sponsor an evening Art Walk and each stays open for people to come in and see what they have to offer. If you haven’t been out for one of these, then plan to do it next month, 7 April. And if you are going to go out make sure you stop at Butterfield Garage on King Street to see Sam’s exhibit, as he is their featured artist for the month of April. (They usually have wine, cheese, or some refreshments at each place, which is why you walk. Fricke has one of his men stationed near each gallery to watch and see if anyone drives away.)

THIS WEEK: Art May, one our new members is up this week. I know he sent me an e-mail telling me who was speaking, but I can’t find it now. He can surprise us all.

NEXT WEEK: Skeeter Key has the program as a civilian.

 

⅓-⅓-⅓ DRAWING WINNERS: Wayne Howell and Lance Conner were the winners. Congrats and mix those tickets up better next time. Buy your tickets early and often.

 

Late Breaking News:

Your Board has decided to investigate having a Peanut Day this year. For those who are new to Kiwanis, there are two projects that are very popular with Kiwanis clubs nationwide. One is a pancake breakfast, and the other is a peanut day. Our soon to be President, Richard Hedges who is familiar with both of these projects, is in charge of this project, so if he asks for help say, “Yes.” He is like me and does not like to stand in the way of automobiles, so I believe he is planning to stand in front of Wal-Mart or some other large store. We are anticipating his first report.

                Well, it’s that time of year when the azaleas bloom and the basketball tourney begins. I am not a basketball fan, but I do like to watch the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament, so I guess I can start watching. Florida is in the Final Four, so we have reason to watch. UCLA is also in the finals. I can remember when I first watched a basketball game in college. It was 1972, and FSU was in the Final Four. They were beaten by Wooten’s UCLA team. So, as I said, I like to watch the Final Four because the games are usually very close and very good.

Quote(s) of the Week:
 "Those who see their lives as spoiled and wasted crave equality and fraternity more than they do freedom. If they clamor for freedom, it is but freedom to establish equality and uniformity. The passion for equality is partly a passion for anonymity: to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority." —Eric Hoffer

"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing." —Thomas Jefferson

"My kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its officeholders." —Mark Twain

"Few men have the natural strength to honor a friend's success without envy." —Aeschylus