By Corky Guenther
Our Only meeting since March.
CVBMC like almost every organization in the country – maybe the planet - has not had a formal meeting since late winter. What a waste. I am not complaining about the necessity, that part is obvious. In our case, the normal meeting place is a restaurant meeting room which is long and narrow with crowded seating. The restaurant has been/is closed in any case thus making our decision for us. We have had a couple of Cars and Coffees but no actual meetings.
Our webmaster, Kathy Ahrendt, had an idea for a Halloween activity: Reserve the pavilion at Henry Fork Regional Park, order BBQ from JD’s in Connelly Springs, potluck for the balance and have a picnic. The pavilion is a large space, so social distancing was not a problem and it is a shelter and therefore protected from inclement weather. Well, sort of. The temperatures during the previous several days were pleasantly and unseasonably warm. Great! Then came Saturday, Oct 31, Halloween. Not so. Cool and Breezy. However, we are a hardy group not discouraged by a bit of cool, - OK really chilly weather. Besides, there was JD’s BBQ, a well-known favorite. All told, there were about 30 members present so a brief ad-hoc meeting was convened. Dean explained that he will not be able to continue as club president as he and his son have purchased a “Camp” in Maine adjacent to family property which will require a great deal of his time during the Spring and Summer months meaning that he will not be able to attend meetings never mind devote the time required, albeit not a considerable amount.
We also were reminded that we will not be able to have our traditional Christmas party as the Crowne Plaza has told us that they will be closed until January first. This brought up another subject, our support of Safe Harbor. We have supported this organization for several years and expect to do so this year. Since we will not have our traditional silent auction, we are asking the membership to contribute directly by sending cash donations to our treasurer, David Diener. Safe Harbor also has a “Wish List” which can be found on their website at https://safeharbornc.org/ways-to-give/wish-lists-and-item-of-the-month/. Kathy has also posted the list on the CVBMC website under Events/ Christmas party.
After the brief meeting, it was BBQ time. Everyone had brought potluck items so there was plenty of food as usual. Because of the cool weather, most people kind of ate and ran but as the clean-up wound down the temperature improved markedly. Just wish it had been a little sooner. Our thanks to Kathy Ahrendt for the idea and all the time she put in to organize the event.
