Holiday Greetings!

Next Meeting, Tues. January 6, 2015. AT OUR NEW LOCATION!!!!!!!!

OUR MEETING PLACE HAS CHANGED! WE WILL BE AT:
The COLISEUM BAR - 232 S. OLIN AVENUE

Right down the street from our old home at the Hotel, on Olin Ave. just off John Nolen Drive. You should be able to get there via the same route(s) you've been using.

We will meet on the second floor in one of the meeting rooms, and there are both stairs and elevator to get up there. Time is noon, as usual. We understand that there will be a variety of food, with a menu of sorts, subject to availability. First come, first served, meaning that they will offer different things but the supply of some menu items may be limited. That alone should add some excitement and the element of chance to the proceedings.

This will be a business meeting, and with the New Year there surely will be business to discuss. In terms of our Lion Year, we are halfway through, so we might get a recap of goals reached and goals still out there. And, of course, always the possibility of new goals, projects and such.

District and State Conventions are on the horizon, and you should go if you can. It's a chance to get a wider view of Lionism, and often you hear about things that you are doing because you're a Lion, but they're a long way off, and sometimes we tend to forget what a long arm we really have to extend to those in need. It's called Lions International Foundation, and often the services are called for, managed, and delivered by, Lions Clubs in far-off places where people need help.

We suspect that PP LINDA BERGREN has a few treats still available from our Holiday Sale, and that they will be at the meeting for pickup (even if LINDA won't). Let's close this stuff out before the Rose Day effort begins.

Our last get-together was the Holiday Social at the Vintage Brewery. A raucous crowd of Lions and friends had a good party going, with snacks and beverages. Pres. JACK tried to get attention enough to say something, but couldn't quiet the mob until he started offering prizes to the answers to trivia questions, and then nobody could answer some of those. One "what is this?" question turned out to be a Braille eraser, which the editor didn't know existed. So, no prize for the newsman this time. We did note the presence of at least 20 Lions that the editor listed from memory (!), which means that there must have been 30-40 of us at the party.

The main entertainment was the Chorus from the local chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing In America, in which our own Doc TOM STEVENS participates. They valiantly and enthusiastically sang several numbers, overcoming the general clamor of the party, and it was an interesting mix of familiar holiday music and the special harmonies of barbershop quartet music. They actually used a pitch pipe, probably the first occasion at a Lion meeting since the days when PP BOB SMITH used to use one for the opening song at our meetings. Seems to us that it did more good this time. The final number, "Silent Night", familiar to all, was tuneful and melodic.

See you all next Tuesday, at the Coliseum Bar!

Holiday Greetings!