Chapter U Christmas Party Montana Mike's December 8, 2018 New Braunfels, Texas FUN U U

Transcription

1 Chapter U Christmas Party Montana Mike's December 8, 2018 New Braunfels, Texas FUN U U Tux wishes a Merry Christmas to all the Riders and Co-Riders of Chapter U, their families, and our friends throughout the motorcycling community. The best months of any year have to be the ones including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Chapter U has had its share of bad news, such as motorcycle accidents in Thankfully those personnel involved have recuperated or are well on their way to recovery; this alone gives us much to be thankful for. As each of us takes a moment to remember The Reason for the Season, Tux ask that you take time for a prayer for our servicemen and women, First Responders, and those needing a little boost from above to make their season just that much better. For those of you travelling during the holidays, be safe and careful. We want you back home safely to experience another great year of riding with Chapter U.

2 The Riders and Co-Riders of Chapter U topped off 2018 with their annual Christmas Party at Montana Mike's in New Braunfels, Texas. Forty-nine GWRRA Riders, Co-Riders, guests, assorted spouses, and significant others welcomed the Christmas season with their motorcycling GWRRA family. A special thanks to Montana Mike's for their hospitality, superb service, and allowing Chapter U to partake of another well-prepared meal in their establishment. Setting the stage for our Christmas party activities, Dinah Ryson encouraged us to Thank the Lord for good fellowship, good food, and gave thanks for all the members and friends (new and old) who were in attendance. Chapter Director s, Ed and Helen Smith led the Chapter in the Pledge of Allegiance, made administrative remarks, and recognized the following outgoing members of the Chapter U staff for their work in 2018: Tom Hendricks 2017/2018 Chapter U Individual of the Year and Membership Enhancement Coordinator Pat Wall 2018 Ride Coordinator In addition to Certificates of Appreciation given to Tom and Pat, the Chapter is appreciative of their past guidance and leadership, and looks forward to their wisdom and sage advice regarding chapter activities in the future. The 2019 Chapter U staff The new staff positions in Chapter U were also announced. These folks will be the Chapter Directors and supporting staff for Tux says please give them your support in the upcoming year as we ride, meet, greet, and have another year of unmitigated FUN. Ed and Helen Smith - Chapter Director s Sal and Phylis Pesta Assistant Chapter Director s Phylis Pesta - Chapter Historian Debbie Hay Treasurer/Facebook Coordinator Ed Smith - Webmaster Pat and Rick Kendrick - Hospitality Ambassador s Scott Hay - Newsletter Editor/Chapter Photographer Phillip and Sandy Aguirre - Membership Enhancement Coordinator s

3 Your 2019 Chapter Director s, Ed and Helen Smith Tux was glad to see so many special guests at this event. Ed introduced old friends and Riders Diana and Earl Bartolomeo to the celebratory crowd. A special guest of our Chapter Director s was Lois Swanson, Ed s mother. Joining our merry bunch as guests of Tim Gressler and Tim Gressler, Sr., were Matthew and Kimberly Gressler, and Kimberly s fiancé, Calvin Crowdis. It was also good to see Clint and Michelle Carlton back to the Chapter U vicinity from their journeys throughout the United States.

4 Danny and Barbara receiving their Level 1 patches Receiving their Level 1 patches from Ed were Danny and Barbara Trammell. Congratulations to the Trammell s on making this first move to becoming safer and more responsible riders. Tux also wanted to thank the Trammell s for bringing a special guest, Rosie Penguin, to be his date for the evening. One of the novelties of our Christmas party program was honoring the 2018 Chapter "U" Couple of the Year (COY), and presenting the 2019 COY and 2019 Individual of the Year (IOY). The COY and IOY programs began as a way to honor couples and individuals at the local level, and to select enthusiastic individuals and duos to serve as ambassadors and spokespersons for GWRRA. It has evolved into a useful tool for identifying and helping prepare personnel for leadership positions within the GWRRA organization. Chapter U was well represented in 2018 by Scott and Debbie Hay, who received a certificate of appreciation, a poinsettia, and recognition for their tenure as the 2018 COY. The Hay s are two of the stalwarts of the Chapter U team, and were seen throughout the year at most of the Chapter activities. Great job Scott and Debbie!

5 2019 Chapter U COY Phillip and Sandy Aguirre Congratulations to the 2019 Chapter U COY Phillip and Sandy Aguirre. Also, congratulations to the 2019 Individual of the Year (IOY), Pete Ryson. Chapter U is looking forward to the representation you bring to the Chapter. Tux wants to be the first to congratulate the Aguirre s and Pete on being honored by our chapter for their efforts, support, and representation in 2019 while focusing on Fun, Safety and Knowledge. A wreath was also given to the Aguirre s in honor of their becoming Chapter U s 2019 COY. Your Individual of the Year, Pete Ryson

6 The following activities were discussed, and some highlight the start of the 2019 Chapter U riding year (updates and additional information can be found on the Chapter U website): Tuesday, 1 January Blessing of the Bikes" will be at Javelina Harley- Davidison, IH 10 West, Boerne, TX. This is the 20th Annual Blessing of the Bikes by the Alamo Apostles, San Antonio chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Departure will be from Kent Powersports at 9:00 a.m. Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. Following the Blessing of the Bikes, Rider s will have lunch in the area. Saturday, 12 January, Lunch ride to Diane's Diner, 1603 N Texana St., Hallettsville, TX. Depart from Kent Powersports at 8:00 a.m. This will be a 200+ mile ride. Wednesday, January 16, Chapter Meeting/Gathering will be at Chuy's at I-35 North, San Antonio, TX, Meet to eat at 6:00 p.m., with information sharing beginning at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, January 26, Mid-Winter Round-Up, Paris TX. Details to follow. Friday and Saturday, February 1 and 2, First Aid/CPR course will be held at Kent Powersports, Selma, TX. More details will follow. Wednesday, 20 February, Chapter Meeting/Gathering will be at Chuy's at I-35 North, San Antonio, TX, Meet to eat at 6:00 p.m., with information sharing beginning at 7:00 p.m. This year the Chapter supported the Randolph Area Christian Assistance Program (RACAP) by contributing to their holiday food drive to help feed people in their local program. Chapter U Riders also donated unwrapped new toys through one of our sponsors, Kent Powersports, Selma, Texas. Each member choosing to participate helped make a child s Christmas more enjoyable.

7 Toy donation to Kent Powersports Tux said, It was a great feeling to see the outpouring of food and toys contributed by this Chapter. Spreading happiness and good cheer is a major part of what puts the FUN in "Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge" at this time of year. Besides the food, one of the highlights of the afternoon was the Holiday gift exchange, where each participant put a gift under the Christmas tree. Each present was given a number, and the when the Master of Ceremonies called that number the person had the option to either take the present or exchange/ take/steal another person's gift. A gift could only be stolen two times, and it then belonged permanently to the third taker/stealer. Some gifts were more popular than others, and the person who lost their original gift, in some cases, was able to open or steal a multitude of gifts, - - right Shonale Burke?

8 Helen and her elves. The winner of the Person with the most Christmas Spirit was Helen Priester. Congratulations to Helen and the other Person s with the most Christmas Spirit participants. Kudos to Ed Smith, who did an excellent job conducting the raffles and leading the activities for the day! The Chapter presented numerous door prizes to the attendees. The winner of the $75.00 Kent Power Sports gift certificate was Shonale Burke. Kent Powersports, New Braunfels, also provided a $25 gift certificate won by Gary Ellis. Thanks to our sponsors who provided prizes for the raffle. Winner of $ in the Christmas raffle was Gary Ellis. (Gary had a great Chapter U Christmas Party winning day!) Thanks to Pat Kendrick and her elves for selling tickets all year long so we could have this great payout as part of our festivities. A special thanks goes out to the Chapter personnel who made this Christmas Party so festive and memorable. You are commended for doing so much, with so little, to please such a large number of people. Thanks to Scott and Debbie Hay, who contributed the beautiful table decorations for each of the tables, which were raffled off to lucky winners. Thanks to Diane and Court van Sickler who brought a Christmas cake to ensure we had our just desserts at the conclusion of the dinner, and Tux gave a special thanks to Helen Smith for taking the time to shop for many of our giveaway prizes. Thanks also go to to Phylis Pesta, Sandy Aguirre, and Lois Swanson for assisting Helen in the wrapping of the giveaways. Thanks also to Janine Hendricks for putting together a basket of goodies as one of our door prizes. Good job one and all!

9 One of these is a Christmas party animal! Again, Tux and I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and happy, bountiful holidays. May the spirit of the season extend into your 2019 New Year. Merry Christmas to all and.....to all a good night Write up provided by Tom Hendricks and photos provided by Scott Hay.