Kiwanis Club of Sand Lake, NY

President Gerald Tysiak                                                                                                       Secretary Peg Weiss

Vice President Gary Meislin                                                                                   Treasurer Robert S. Pasquarelli

Sandpiper Editor Jo Moccia                                                                                  Immediate Past Pres Joe Behson

Webmaster David E. Booker                                                                                              Photographer Jim Rogers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scott Paul, Ray Turner, William Whipple

Bryce E. Cutler, Skip Patton, James E. Rogers

John C. Brownrigg, James M. Colabelli, Eve M. Ward

Club Bulletin Committee

Jo Moccia, Chair

Jim Colabelli            Pat Lane

MEETING OF FEBRURARY 16, 2009

PRESIDENT Gerald Tysiak presiding

GREETINGS & INVOCATION by Joe Grillo

GUEST: Of Bill Whipple, Betty Jean Whipple   shown between Dale Hall and husband Bill.

WELCOME BACK: Joe Grillo (seated at top).

PROGRAM CHAIR: Skip Patton

              Topic: Alaska Glacier Flight

ANNOUNCEMENTS:   

1)       Thanks again to Fred whose constant urging resulted in our having not only soup but also salad  tonight!

2)      Thanks to new member John Mulligan for taking charge of the sign in table and reviving an old tradition

3)      The Board of Directors has nominated members to 3 open offices. Nominations were closed, voted on and are now officially filled. They are as follows: Pres. Elect Gary Meislin, V.P. Skip Patton, Board of Dir. Barbara Fioravanti. Nancy Davis has graciously come forward to fill the vacated spot of Community Services Chairperson .Thank You to all who have come forward to fill these important positions so that the business of the club can continue to function.

4)      Dave Booker:  The Castleton Kiwanis Club has received a prestigious award; The Academy for Character Education at The Sage Colleges, on the recommendation of the Leadership Board and Community Advisory Board, has selected the Castleton Kiwanis Club to receive the 2009 Community /Civic Organization Award. The Club’s leadership and positive actions have set a good role model by nurturing civility in our schools and character development in the community. Castleton Kiwanis Club will be honored at the 6^th annual Character Award Banquet on Wed. March 18^th at the Franklin Plaza in Troy.

5)      Ken James (photo to right): Ken’s daughter Melanie teaches at the Hoosick Falls Central Schools. To help save the Blue Whale and bring attention to the plight of the largest mammal on the planet she and her students have constructed a representation of the giant 100 foot long Blue Whale and have begun to fill it with garbage bags to show what this whale has to put up with in the ocean when it is feeding on krill. Apparently the Great Blue does not have the ability to differentiate between the krill and the pollution of plastic bags in the ocean. Unfortunately the bags are ingested with the krill and cause a great deal of harm to the whale.

6)      Nancy Davis (shown right): Volunteers to unload food at the Doors of Hope on Tues. Feb. 17^th; Dave B. Bob P., Jerry T and Nancy D.

7)      Miki McSherry has joined the Cohoes Kiwanis Club.

8)      Trash Busters to be scheduled – stay tuned!

9)      Bill W. The Senior Luncheon is scheduled for Mar. 12^th. The AMBA Blood Screening Clinic is scheduled on Sat. May 16^th at APHS. Signs advertising the Blood Screening Clinic were handed out and will be posted in the community

10)   Inactive members are to be contacted by their respective committee chairpersons.

11)    Dick Johnsen (right) on Spiritual Aims: Soon the period of Lent will begin. This is the period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday until Easter which is observed by Christians as a period of fasting and penitence. “Lent” is derived from an old English word for “Lengthen.” Easter is the 1^st Sunday following the full moon on or next after Mar 21^st. This year it is on April 12^th. During Lent Church of the Covenant has a luncheon each Friday. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter commemorating the day when Jesus washed the Disciples feet.

12)   John Brownrigg:  Conducted straw poll on most favorite location for the SLK’s 60^th  Anniversary.  Out of the choices of  Birch Wood, Casey’s, The Lakeview, Franklin Terr.,  Moscatello’s, and Crooked Lake.   Crooked Lake was the most favorite for the location of the festivities.  The celebration will take place on the 2^nd or 3^rd week-end of January 2010.

13)   President Jerry presented Jim Colabelli with the tab representing his 15 years of perfect attendance and Jim reciprocated by giving Jerry the tab for his 14 years.

PROGRAM: The Club was treated to a fantastic slide show by Skip Patton when he and his family were fortunate to take a flight in 1993 from Talkeetna, Alaska into the Ruth Glacier in a little Cessna. They flew for 2 hours in a six-seater 185 with skis on it that were lowered below the wheels with a hand operated hydraulic pump. The Patton family flew with Doug Geeting Avation (0ne of the three flight services at the airport) and had a two hour flight through the teeth of the Alaska Range with Mt. Mckinley towering over the whole scene. They flew in over and through the “foothills” to the southeast of Mt. McKinley, (themselves almost the size of the Rockies), twisted their way through mountain passes with rocks thirty feet off of the wingtips, and circled down and landed in the Ruth Glacial Amphitheater, which is a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon. This canyon is partially filled with about 3,000 feet of ice. They had a few minutes on the ice and his two boys and mother still remember the snow ball fight they had on the glacier on June 30^th! With the 20,000+ foot peak towering over the whole scene, it is a wilderness of knife edge peaks and gleaming glaciers that is surely straight from the ice age. Shortly thereafter, they had to take off as ground fog was creeping in. They lifted off the ice and climbed in a twisting circle to get out of the canyon as they couldn’t climb straight out. Their pilot, Kelly flew them straight at the Moose’s tooth a 10,000 ft. peak that has sheer rock walls of 5,000 ft. and at the last minute veered off and circled the peak with the rocks again thirty feet off the wingtips all the way. Finally they banked past Mt. McKinley and headed down the Ruth Glacier’s valley toward Talkeetna. They then crossed the lush green Susitna River wetlands (lots of moose) and landed back at the airfield. Their trip was truly high adventure the slides were jaw-droppers! The Patton family was very lucky to have had this adventure. (Editor’s note) Thanks to Skip for providing this verbal rendition since notes were not taken due to poor light during the slide show and the riveting subject matter of the program. It was enjoyed by all.   

HAPPY DOLLARS

$ Nancy Davis: Happy for her 1^st report as Committee Chairperson and also happy that her Valentine’s Day poem was posted in the Advertiser. 

$ John Mulligan: Happy that he was able to recover his K package with his doo-hickee in tack. With all the excitement of last week’s meeting he left it at the Lakeview.

$ Soup- advisor Fred: Happy for soup and happy for the memories Skip brought back to him regarding his trip and plane ride to Mt. McKinley.

$ Ken James: Also happy for his Alaskan trip and was to see Mt. McKinley for 3 days

$Gov. Elect Dave Booker: Happy that he was no longer stationed in the Aleutian Islands – it was nothing like Skip’s trip.  And another for the t-shirt he was given just before the meeting – he is sure that the logo on the shirt is that of the 2009 World Series Champions! 

$ Skip: Happy for the Valentine Party at Crooked Lake House.  Happy for the Oldie’s show he and Nancy were able to attend at Proctor’s and dinner later with good friends.

$ Peg Weiss:  Also, Happy for memories of her and Paul’s trip to Alaska.

$ Dick Johnsen:  Happy that his trip to Kiwanis tonight was not spoiled by his backing into a snow bank and not getting stuck in his driveway.

DOOR PRIZE by Skip Patton IOU won by:  Ron Wagner

50/50 for $15.50 won by Bill Whipple

MEGA 50/50 $130.57 with 45 cards. Card drawn, 9 of Hearts by:  Jim C. for the third week in a row, and for the third week in a row has made it possible for the Mega 50/50 to become fatter.

NEXT WEEK     PROGRAM CHAIR:   Angelo Patti

February 26      PROGRAM:  Greenbush Life Weekly Newspaper –Jennifer O’Brien

                         FILL-IN GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE: Dick Johnsen

March 2           PROGRAM CHAIR: Barb Fioravanti

                       PROGRAM: Sponsored Youth Committee Update (Board Meeting Night)

                       GREETER/INVOCATOR: Scott Paul

March 9          PROGRAM CHAIR: Nancy W. Davis

                      PROGRAM: Shelly Glock - Rensselaer County Medical Reserve Unit (INVITE A COMMUNITY GUEST NIGHT)

                      GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE: Doug Baldrey

March 16        PROGRAM CHAIR: Scott Paul

                      PROGRAM:

                      GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE: TBA

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too Late.             Ralph Waldo Emerson

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