TaleTwister's Jackpot
$425

April 4, 2006, is our next meeting. Our speaker will be Carol Madrzak, and she will tell us about “Yoga For All Ages.” Maybe if the editor had learned how to bend like a pretzel, he wouldn’t have hurt his leg last Thursday, but those are the breaks. The rest of you will learn how to relax, if nothing else, and that’s good for everyone. LINDA BERGREN is the Program Host.

Pres. CHUCK opened the last meeting, OTTO FESTGE led the song and “Archbishop BOB” BOHN improvised an appropriate invocation. He can always come up with something. JOE FULLER was once again introduced as a guest, but for the last time because he’s joining our Club next Tuesday, and TOM STEVENS brought his wife Marian to hear the speaker. MICHELLE LONERGAN, who is also joining us shortly, was introduced by DON NEVIASER. Lions, here’s your first Heads Up! - we will soon have two MICHELLEs to go with our two MELISSAs. You learned how to handle two PHILs and two DALEs, so no excuses - get them straight the first time!

ROSE DAY, April 24. DON NEVIASER says hit the ground running with your sales, and get your order estimates back to him at the next meeting. He has to put the order in on April 7, and we need a good estimate by then. Obviously, we must not order too few or too many. It will help, too, if order blanks are turned in as soon as you write them up. Get them to Dan Stoudt, Melissa Novinski, or Chris Wilz.

HAL OTTERBACK is in Meriter Hospital with leg problems and shingles. No word yet on visitors, but we all hope he’ll get better quick!

Mt. Horeb Lion DALE BONESS, who is the Volunteer Coordinator for Madison School-Community Recreation, told us about their pontoon boat ride summer program. Volunteers run the boats, providing 3-hour tours of the Madison lakes for youth, seniors, handicapped and other groups. He’s looking for boat captains and crew, and it’s a chance to have a good time cruising the lakes and serve the community at the same time. Call MSCR or contact Lion DALE if you are interested in helping out.

Ballots for our Club officers and directors for the next Lion year have been mailed out. Mail them back, or give them to Lion JOHN JENSON before the next meeting. They will be counted, and the results announced, that day .Sec. JOHN JENSON says there is still time to sign up for the State Convention on May 19 and 20. It is at the Marriott West, just over the border in Middleton, right in our back yard so everyone can get there. It is a great chance to learn more about Lionism - see or call JOHN to sign up.

We got a “thank you” letter from Brooksie Bilkey, director of the East High School choir that sang for us last December. We found that we could, after all, give them a donation directly to their program, and they will use it for their “uniform fund.” Makes sure that all who participate can have the right clothes. There was a nice story in the paper about the choir and how much it does for the kids. The audiences enjoy it, too.

We finally got to hear Stefan Kohler, and it was worth the wait. This young man is making good use of his opportunities, and he told us a lot about life in Germany during the cold war and after, mixed in with some humorous comments about cultural differences between Deutschland and the US. For example, he had a problem telling his parents about the vehicle he just bought - there is no word for “pickup truck” in German, and he had never before heard of, or seen, a “demolition derby.” And they found the idea of ice fishing a little strange, plus the fact that he had to throw back a 37" fish (muskie, probably) because it was too small! He spoke firsthand about how the US is regarded as a land of freedom and opportunity, and the huge impact made by the speeches of two US Presidents. “Ich bin ein Berliner!” and “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” He noted that the US not only established its own free society, but has given freedom to other countries. His father escaped East Germany at age 24, leaving family behind, and when visits were finally allowed when he was in high school, he met his aunt and uncle whom the family had not seen for 30 years. There was a gray and oppressive feeling, and he felt relief when he returned to the West. Three years later, his uncle mailed him a chunk of concrete, which he had personally hammered from the Wall when it came down. He expressed the feeling of the Germans at that time - “Thank You, America!” He told us we are all blessed that our home is in the United States. Many East Germans still fear to speak in public after years of secret police oppression, and his parents are proud of his speech. You could have heard a pin drop while he was speaking, and there was a big burst of applause when he finished. This was a message we should always remember.