Kiwanis Club of Historic St. Augustine

Newsletter – 15 March 2007

President’s Message:

We are looking for an Interclub group, see below. This will be our first in some time, so let us know if you are going to attend. I can’t stress enough our support of the Geography Bee coming up next week. We usually have a good turn-out and as most of you know it is a fun event as well as a good learning experience for the kids who are involved. I guarantee you will learn something too, unless you are like Monk and never forget anything you see and hear.

Our sponsoring club is holding their annual golf tournament. Some details are in the Coming Events section, but if you need more info contact one of the members of the noon club, and I am sure they will have all the details.

Don’t forget the Mid-Year Conference in Lake City at the end of March. Please note in the masthead, that we are into March as you read this. The club will pay the registration fee for those members that wish to attend. I believe we have some going to that event as well.

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

19 March 2007: We plan to Interclub with the Downtown Club who has a luncheon meeting at 12:30. They meet at the Crown Plaza Hotel, the former Hilton. This will be a baseball fan Interclub, as they will be having as a speaker, Dusty Rhodes, the UNF baseball coach. Let me know if you wish to go, as I need to let their club know we are coming.

22 March 2007: Our annual Geography Bee. Again this year it will be held at Sebastian Middle School. Always a great time had by all. Plan to spend the early evening with your fellow members, and Bob will be getting us to fill jobs too.

March 30 - April 1, 2007: The North Midyear Conference for divisions 1-15 to be held in Lake City in conjunction with the Hog Wild Pig Crazy Barbeque festival. See our website for details.

6 April 2007: First Friday Art Walk, check out the local galleries downtown and taste their food and wine.

7 April 2007: Uptown Saturday Night, check out the local galleries uptown on the first Saturday of each month, and taste their food and wine.

30 April 2007: The Noon Club is sponsoring their annual golf tournament at Marsh Creek. Shotgun Start is at noon. The price is $100 per person or $375 per foursome. I’m not a golfer, but many in our club are, so go and support another Kiwanis project. You’ll know most of the folks there. Prizes and lunch are included.

Guests: Back for another visit with our club and our fair city is Harry Matteson, from Malone, New York. Nick had as his guest for a second time, Dave Hanvey, who is a member of the Palm Coast club, but now works up here, as I understand it. Welcome to one and all.

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

LAST WEEK: Our student of the month was from St. Girard House, Tracy Russell, who is a very active student working, going to school, and aspiring to go on to med school. We wish her the best. Mrs. Wolfe introduced her and it is for sure that she does a great job there at the school. Our speaker was introduced by Skeeter and he was someone that many members knew outside the club. Bobby Crum, is one of the associate pastors at Anastasia Baptist, and he delivered a good message that raised several questions from the assembled group.

THIS WEEK: This week you are instructed to make certain that you leave all of your cats, rabbits, and other small critters at home as our speaker will have some of her own friends that do not play well with the small critters. Intrigued? Good, then show up and see what happens.

NEXT WEEK: Otis Mason has the detail. Perhaps he can get Greg Moore to return a phone call.

⅓-⅓-⅓ DRAWING WINNERS: The winning tickets were drawn and the winners were Otis Mason and Bob Braden. Congrats to both. Remember to mix those tickets well (put mine on top), and to buy your tickets early and often.

Late Breaking News:

March Madness is upon us; the best time of year to watch basketball, in my opinion. Florida succeeded with their Three-peat in the SEC championship. What can I say, these guys are good, and stand an excellent chance to repeat as national champs. Florida A & M lost in the first round of the tournament, but they still have the best band in the land. FSU is in the NIT and won their first game. So basketball is moving right along, and will be over before you can turn around.

The regular baseball season kicks off in a couple of weeks. Anyone want to make a trip as a group to see the Suns play? We did it a time or two in the past when Bart was active in the club. If you are interested I could check and see if there is a smoking area so we can puff cigars while watching. Some stadiums do have a designated smoking area now a days.

We need to look at the club by-laws, and instead of attempting to make ours fit the world, I think we should look at revamping ours and just using the ones that International has. They were handed out to us a month or six weeks ago. Bring your copy to the meeting on Thursday.

Don’t forget the Interclub next Monday, and then next Thursday evening is our Geography Bee.

Quote(s) of the Week:
“No election season nowadays seems complete until someone has played the race card and maliciously charged someone else with bigotry.” —Jeff Jacoby

Headlines you may have missed:

You Don’t Say: ”Voters Choose Who Will Control Congress“—Associated Press
This Just In: ”Kerry Is Not as Smart as He Thinks“—Daily Telegraph (London)
What Would We Do Without DAs?: ”DA: Samurai Sword Murder a Brutal Crime“—Newsday (Long Island, NY)
News You Can Use: ”Clubbing With Bat Causes Major Head Injuries“—San Diego Union Tribune

”Duct Tape No Substitute for a Babysitter, Police Say“—CNN.com
Bottom Story of the Day: ”NY Times Endorses No Republicans for U.S. Congress“—Reuters