Next Time - Tuesday, March 17 (same as last month, again). Pres. JODI BURMESTER will convene one of our regular business meetings. The Flower Sale will be high on the agenda, and there are sure to be other areas of our service reported on and discussed. Be there, aloha! (An editorial digression - the preceding phrase was popularized by actor Jack Lord, a principal in the TV show Hawaii Five-O. Your editor just returned from Colonial Williamsburg, where the longest-running movie, "The Story of a Patriot" is still going after about 35 years. Jack Lord plays the lead part in that movie, his first big role.) RICH MATZELLE take note.

Sales orders and money have begun to come in for our Flower Sale (formerly Rose Day.) It has been our biggest fund-raiser for years - offer everyone you know the chance to brighten someone's day with flowers and support the service of Madison Central Lions at the same time. Every year we make the same requests - give good, complete delivery instructions on each order form, and get them in as soon as possible. Those things still need to be done.

At our last meeting, Pres. JODI opened the meeting, STEVE BRIGGS sort of led the song, assisted by the program speaker, and MICHELLE VETTERKIND offered the invocation. ROSS ROYSTER filled in again as TailTwister, proposing that those present make hats out of newsprint like the bishop's miter or colonial soldier one that he had crafted. But the paper he gave others was too flimsy, an oversight, no doubt, and your editor couldn't make a cone to fit his head anyway, so we mostly paid. SCOTT GROVER did contrive something that got him off, and maybe JERRY MILLER too, we think.

CRAIG BUTLER introduced guest John Heim, UW Math Dept. Computer specialist, who had found us on the internet and came with his guide dog. We hope to see them again.

Only other guest was Mary Schar, introduced by husband TERRY, who noted that they'd just celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. She's put up with him longer than MCLC has, but not by much.

March is our Club's month to serve as eye tissue transporters. If you'd like to get on that team, contact JIM KEMMETER, SCOTT GROVER or Pres. JODI.

Our Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament came off on schedule, with a small but competitive crowd. Lions DON NEVIASER, JERRY MILLER, MELISSA ABBOTT, ROSS ROYSTER, JOHN JENSON, JAN CICHOCKI, and WARREN RANDY and his wife Gerry participated. We understand that Pres. JODI was there, not wearing a Lion vest, but properly attired nonetheless in a Lion-logo shirt. No guts, no glory. We did OK for a first-try event, got some participation, and made about $500. Rumor has it that JERRY MILLER won the top prize.

LINDA BERGREN still is, er, has, nuts. And maybe a couple fruit cakes. Take them off her hands!

This weekend, Friday/Saturday, is the District Convention at the Sheraton. If you can go, but aren't signed up, call JODI. She'll get you in. Or just show up, and find her or DG JOHN JENSON.

DON NEVIASER has tickets for a Gilda's Club raffle. A worthy service, if you have an urge to gamble and want to support it.

Our speaker was Nancy Mistele, candidate for County Executive, introduced by STEVE BRIGGS. She's had 35 years of private sector experience in construction, medical technology and computer soft-ware, and was elected and re-elected to the Madison Board of Education. (If she could stand that, she can stand anything -Ed.). She told us about her position on a number of issues - improving the 911 Call Center, reducing the purchase of undevelopable land, reducing the number of early-release prisoners from jail. She noted that she wanted the job, while the incumbent has run for two other offices while holding this one. She is opposed to commuter/light rail in the county, pointing out that federal guidelines for it call for twice our population, and that there will be large numbers of traffic backups from rail lines intersecting downtown streets. She's a good speaker, and seems to have a grasp and a position on issues that are, or should be, important to Dane County residents, both rural and urban.