NEXT TUESDAY - August 31 - We say farewell to the summer that never was with a Picnic On The Pier. The Edgewater pier, of course, and our fall Sports Raffle will be launched (a tribute to JABO - otherwise we'd probably kick it off or tip it off). Anyway, come and enjoy sunshine and lake breezes. Hopefully. GEORGE ALBRIGHT is the Raffle Chairman, and also the August TailTwister. Interesting combination.

At our last meeting, President LINDA BERGREN presided, and also led the song with pitch assistance from CRAIG BUTLER. TOM STEVENS gave the invocation. CHUCK BASFORD brought Bill Swanson back as a guest, and we hope he's going to join us. MICHELLE VETTERKIND brought daughter Nicole, and recalled that Nicole was a guest for the first time when she was 3 weeks old. There was another visit, too - Nicole led the Pledge of Allegiance for us at MICHELLE's first meeting as President.

Our sympathy goes out to MARK FEMAL, whose father passed away recently.

As noted above, GEORGE ALBRIGHT is once again our Raffle Chairman, and he gave us a preview. Once again, thanks to the generosity of JIM SCHUTZ, we will have a pair of Packer tickets, and there will be Badger Football and Basketball, plus other exciting prizes. More this week.

President LINDA noted that the budget the Board is adopting is indicating a deficit on the Service Funds side, meaning that we are planning to use up more than we take in at this point. This calls for some extra effort on our part to try to do better with all of our fund raisers to make up the difference. Your editor is not going to make any snide comparisons about government here, because we are doing good things.

More Committee Chairmen: DALE MUELLER will head up Welcoming, and ED NEESE the Sunshine/Telephone Committee. DALE would like some help, so that he can schedule at least one Greeter for each meeting. Nice to have your badge located, and it's a great way to get to know everyone.

MELISSA NOVINSKI's place of business has had a name change. It is now Target Commercial Interiors. Same job, same place, but MELISSA needs a new badge.

Our first meeting in September will be the 14th, and the speaker from Booked For Murder is the program for that date. MARK LARSON is Program Host for Sept. 21, and DALE MUELLER for Sept. 28. The presentation of our donation to the UW Hospitals Burn Center is to be that day, which probably means the program will be about the Center.

We took two shots at announcing the program for the last meeting, and barely got close with the second one. The speaker turned out to be Pete Gunderson, funeral director for Gunderson Funeral Homes. MARK LARSON introduced him, and he gave us interesting information on his profession. Among other things, funeral directors work with medical professionals to do restoration after organ donation, including eyes, so that everything appears proper afterwards. He noted that new waves of immigrants bring new customs and rituals to our country, so that funeral observances change over time, sometimes being a traditional funeral, or memorial service, to a celebration of the life of the deceased. Part of the funeral director's job is to assist families after loss, finding and doing things that are especially meaningful to the survivors. People have different life experiences that are remembered in different ways. Gunderson said "grief is a process, not an event" which is an obvious truth often overlooked. Prearrangement of funeral services is becoming more common, with about one third of them with at least some prearranged portions. Prearrangement is different from, and does not necessarily include, prepayment, which is the financial part of the process. It too can be done in advance, but is a detailed financial plan usually backed by contract and sometimes by insurance.

From the Bulletin of Jan 5, 1993: "Tail Twister GEORGE ALBRIGHT gave us another brain teaser. You have to have a strange twist to your brain to come up with answers. Name pro football teams from the clues given: (these are just a few of the 28) 1. Army Insects; 3. What Streakers Are; 5. Hostile Attackers; 9. Good at Relocations; 10. Toy Baby with Fish Arms, 11. Trained to Kill; 13. Six Rulers; 17. Basic Fundamental Rule; 18. Credit Card Users; 21. Women Who Used to be Girls; 22. A Dollar For An Ear of Corn. " Wonder if GEORGE still has the answers.