Next Meeting - Tuesday, July 17, at noon. It seems likely that the Tale will be prefacing each coming meeting notice with the time of day, if the schedule the Board is working on comes to pass. This next one, for sure, will be at the traditional time and place. As this Tale is written, the Program Host for next Tuesday has just had his speaker cancel out on him, because he has to go plug a hole in a dam. Almost literally, because the speaker was to be the State Emergency Management chief, and he has, on short notice, to go to Superior to meet with the feds regarding the flooding rains which nearly washed the whole area into the lake. We sure could use some of that water! But not all at once, as happened there. There will be a program - we just don't know yet what it will be.

We do know one thing - there will be a Lion Birthday Party celebrating the service of those who joined in May, June and July. That would be GAIL STIRR, JACK HEIM, DR. TOM STEVENS, MICHELLE VETTERKIND, STEVE BRIGGS, GREG MILLER, JIM SCHUTZ, JIM KEMMETER, WARREN RANDY and DAN STOUDT. Their service ranges from 3 years to 50 years, an impressive gift to their community.

Last meeting we marked the ascension to power of Pres. LINDA BERGREN. The huge WHOOSH! you heard was JIM SCHUTZ's sigh of relief. JIM did a great job of keeping the ship afloat the past two years, for which we all give him a virtual standing O. He opened the meeting and led the song, and ROSS ROYSTER gave one of his pertinent invocations, including a plea for rain. STEVE BRIGGS was on hand, operating on one leg and one crutch, explaining that his joint prosthesis had been recalled. Don't think we had to vote on it, though, but he seems not to be hopping mad about it. It was reported that JIM KEMMETER was in the hospital, details not available, but we all hope whatever it was is better now.

We always knew that JOHN JENSON could multitask, but he demonstrated it by making it from serving line to table with lunch, salad, and beverage, all in one trip. Your editor has never mastered that one.

Pres. LINDA picked up the gavel, and noted that JIM SCHUTZ has not moved far, and will hold two titles this coming year, Past President and Vice President. JOHN JENSON and SCOTT GROVER will continue as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, so we have continuing administration. Sounds like a couple Board seats are still to be sorted out. Your Editor's spreader is somewhat depleted, but for the present, at least, you are stuck with him. Just remember, if you have something important for the Tale, give him a copy in writing if you want a decent chance of having it right, because the editorial electric ears don't work so good.

We need to get our eyeglass sorting project back up and running again. M&I/Harris/BMO has been generous with a room at the Bank on Verona Rd., but our use was limited to banking hours, and we need a new location that could be available in the evening or on weekends, so that people with jobs to do could work on glasses in their free time. If you have any suggestions, LINDA or SCOTT would like them.

We are obviously having difficulty recruiting new members, and apparently our meeting time is an obstacle to many. With that in mind, the Board is contemplating a change, starting in October, to a continental breakfast meeting at 7:00 AM on the first Tuesday and a noon meeting on the third Tuesday. Once per quarter, the third Thursday meeting would move to 5:30 PM and be a social gathering, at different locations. The noon meetings will feature programs like those in the past, and the dawn patrol meetings will be focused on projects. There are a lot of details to be worked out, including a dues structure to accommodate the differing costs, but it is hoped that some Lions will find the breakfast hour more workable, some will stick to noon, and hopefully many will attend both. Please give your thoughts and suggestions to the officers, as they plan and carry out this change. It appears that statewide, the Clubs that are growing are the ones with breakfast meetings. Clearly we need to do something, and this is worth a try, even if the Editor is normally still asleep at the 7:00 hour proposed for the breakfast meetings. Life is full of challenges.