Kiwanis Buzz 1/31/11
Vol. 144
This Week: This week’s program was provided by Mike Maginn. The speaker was Deena Gooch, Social Security Tech Expert. Deena opened the Blue Ridge office in 1974, so she’s had plenty of experience dealing with all issues involved with SS. She spoke to the club about retirement, Social Security, and Medicare. This was very informative to those of us that have many, many, years left before we are able to retire! 
Next Week: Next week is a board meeting.
Bingo: Last week bingo made $626. This week is the McConnell team.
50/50: Bill Howard’s name was drawn but he didn’t win the $261 pot. Maybe next time…
Fair: We had a fair meeting this week and we are excited about the prospect of bringing back the old time county fair. More will be discussed at next week’s board meeting.
Birthdays: Eddie Ayers: 1/18; Gary Ginter: 1/22; Tom Patterson: 2/10; Mark Parris 2/14
Anniversaries: Kevin and Lorraine Panter: 1/24/99; Forrest and Debbie Hamm: 1/27; Pete and Kim Folger: 2/10/90
Kiwanis Anniversaries: Dale Dyer: 1/1/48; Sharon McFarland: 1/5/04; Steven Miracle: 1/5/04
Notes: Jill brought 2 Key Clubbers to the meeting. Thanks for continuing to do a great job with them Jill! The benefit bingo for tonight has been cancelled.
Quote: Enjoy life…think of all the women who passed up dessert on the Titanic – anonymous
Did you know?…
- Your ears and nose continue to grow throughout your life
- Snakes have been clocked at 12 mph
- The sting of the Australian box jellyfish can kill a person in 1-3 minutes
- Insects outnumber people a million to one
- Oak trees only produce acorns after they are 50 years old
Have a good week all-sm
Buzz 11/21/10
Div 11. Vol. 143
This Week: As you know, Kiwanis now recommends that all members have background checks. Janice Taylor from Background Screenings and Security Solutions LLC discussed the process. She explained that this will be done at a cost of $5/member and will be done every three years. She told the club that these checks are made with the GBI, GCIS, and NCIS. Sounds like it should all go pretty smoothly.
Next Week: Wilda has the program next week and she says it will be a surprise!
50/50: Mike Maginn’s name was drawn, but he didn’t win the $178 pot. Maybe next time…
Bingo: Last week’s bingo made $1087…even if it was the Vannoy team!! Next week is Thanksgiving, so no bingo.
Notes: Gayle dropped by and told the club how Clarke is doing. Apparently, he’s had a tough time of it and still has a long road ahead. He should be discharged soon (maybe today) and will be transferred to a longer term facility for rehab. He will either be near Emory or possibly at Heritage in Blue Ridge. Gayle did request that if he is sent to Blue Ridge for members to visit weekly. Although Clarke is having swallowing and speech difficulties as well as difficulties with movement, he is aware and appreciates everyone’s prayers, love, and concern. Please remember to add Gayle to your prayers as this is a very difficult time for her. Tony will continue to send updates to us…thanks Tony.
Remember Jere in your prayers. He has been through a painful ordeal and suffered some terrible injuries. I know that he appreciates how much we care about him. The club has responded very well towards helping to raise the reward. We continue to hope the attacker is captured before someone else is hurt. The McConnell brothers will continue to keep us informed.
On a lighter note, our annual Christmas party will be December 20th at the Blue Ridge Swim and Tennis Club. Social time begins at 6:30pm with the meeting and dinner to start at 7pm. We will once again have the Chinese gift exchange. The average cost for gifts are between $15-$20. The menu is not finalized as yet but the cost to bring guests will be around $15 or $20. This will be announced later.
Last week’s benefit bingo for the FCHS band made $1250. Great amount for the band!
Mike Maginn awarded Tom Patterson with the 2009-2010 Kiwanian of the year! Great job Tom! We are lucky to have you in the club!
Birthdays: Ted “Moose” McConnell 11/20/50
Kiwanis Anniversaries: Wilda Dickey 11/05/07
Did You Know?:
- Wind increases in speed the higher it is off the Earth’s surface
- The US averages about 708 tornadoes a year
- Oak trees only produce acorns when they are at least 50 years old
- Your ears and nose continue to grow throughout life
Have a great Thanksgiving all! -sm
BUZZ 9/27/10
Div. 11 Vol. 142
This Week: (as interpreted by Robert McFarland PhD) This week’s guest speaker was David Cambell from the Appalachian Fresh Market. This organization is an old-fashioned farmer’s cooperative, reminiscent of the attempts by the Farmer’s Alliance of the 1880s and the Populist Party of the 1890s to undermine the railroads, banks, and corporations (the parasites) that were keeping the farmers (the people) mired in poverty. The Populist platform also called for the direct election of US Senators, government ownership of railroads and utilities, more democracy at the state level (the recall and referendum), and a progressive federal income tax. In one form or another, all of this became reality a couple of decades after the Populists crashed and burned during the 1896 presidential election. One of their most interesting ideas was a way to solve the problem of thousands of individual farmers selling their crops at the same time to distributors who set the price. The Populists wanted the government to set up warehouses where the farmers could bring their crops, receive credits immediately so that they could pay their bills, and then federal managers would sell the warehoused crops at a higher price than individual farmers could. A version of this so-called subtreasury plan was actually enacted in the 1920s, but was replaced with the agricultural subsidies program during the Great Depression. David Campbell is bringing it back in an equally interesting way at our Farmer’s Market. Local farmers bring in their veggies, which are sold directly to consumers and are also sold in bulk to restaurants and grocery stores, thereby liberating local farmers from the tyranny of the middlemen, as the Populists longed for so long ago. (I hope you enjoyed this educational view!)
Bingo: Bingo made $1,342! Great job guys!! This week is the Hamm Team.
50/50: Walt Austin’s name was drawn, but he didn’t win the pot valued at $200+
Birthdays: Kevin Panter 9/29…and yes, the women serenaded him beautifully today!
Notes: Steven tells us the Community Service Conference is Oct. 6th. This year’s theme is Employment through Education and Entrepreneurship. Help will be needed setting up. Steven will send an email to let you know when this help will be needed. If several show up it won’t take long.
Saturday is the annual GA MTN Health flushot and lab day. Come by the Ellijay or Blue Ridge offices for your flu shot for $20 or a lab panel for $25, PSA $5 extra. What a deal!
Satuday is the 2k walk/run to benefit Julie Weeks. Please try to come out for a good cause.
Did you Know?
- The thickest skin is on the upper back; the thinnest is on the eyelids
- The swift, a bird, eats, drinks and mates in the air
- Thunder can be heard as far as 20 miles away
- Tongue prints, like finger prints, are unique to each person
- The fireworks you watch usually explode at 1,500 feet
Buzz 9/21/10
Div. 11 vol. 141
This week: Last night was our annual installation banquet. Ted and Mary Ellen really arranged a nice evening for the club. Tommy allowed us to hold the meeting at the Blue Ridge swim and Tennis Club and does it ever look nice! The Vannoys have made some nice improvements to the place! Taste of Joy fed us a wonderful dinner and Nancy Chancy provided the entertainment. 
Our new officers are: Ted McConnell-President; CJ Green-president elect; Ken Williams-treasurer; Tony McConnell-secretary and Mike Maginn-Immediate Past President. Kevin Panter was awarded a special recognition award for his hard work as rodeo chairman. Rookie of the year and Kiwanian of the year to be announced at Monday’s meeting.
50/50: Kevin Panter won the $17 pot.
Bingo: Bingo last week made $814. This week is the Vannoy Team.
Birthdays: Sharon McFarland – 9/14.
Anniversaries: Eddie and Penny Ayers – 9/13; Steven and Kit Miracle – 9/15.
Kiwanis Anniversaries: Milton Hunt – 9/16/96.
Did you know?:
- The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water
- A human eye can detect 10 billion colors
- The largest gallstone ever recorded was 13 pounds.
- Ticks can live for 25 years; YUCK!
- The rotation of the Earth is gradually slowing.
Have a great week all!-sm
Buzz 8/23/10
Div. 11 Vol. 140
This Week: This week’s speaker was Michael Barilla from the St Vincent de Paul Society. He described the mission of this society and how they give financial and spiritual help to the needy in our community. Even though they have only 8 active members, they helped 242 households in Fannin County last year! What a great thing they are doing!
Next Week: We are having our 5th Monday meeting next week at the fairgrounds. Wilda’s mom is cooking…YUMM! Come at 6:30 to socialize and the meal and meeting starts at 7pm. Please email me at rmcfarl@tds.net to RSVP. Let me know how many guests you will be bringing! See ya then!
Bingo: We made $1044 last week and this week is the Vannoy team. Let’s see if he can reach $1000!
50/50: Eddie’s name was drawn, but he didn’t win the $194 pot. Maybe next time…
Rodeo: Kevin gave us a rodeo report and first of all he wanted to thank everyone that helped bring this event to our community. While we had rain and a slow economy this year, we still made $$ to help Fannin families. We all feel that Kevin did a great job as usual, and hope he will continue to be our rodeo chair in the future. We should all give ourselves a pat on the back!
Notes: Remember that each member gets a meal at the Labor Day BBQ instead of a meeting.
Birthdays: Richard McClain 8/7; Mike Brennan 8/13
Kiwanis Anniversaries: No Kiwanis anniversaries in August…unless we sign Gary Keel up quickly!
Wedding Anniversaries: Wilda and Steve Dickey 8/7/81; Walt and Brenda Austin 8/19/84
Did you know?:
- Pope John I once wrote a fan letter to Pinocchio
- Only 5% of the stars in our galaxy are bigger than our sun
- Gold was once used to treat lung disease
- Pizza Hut uses 80 million pounds of tomatoes each year
- Thomas Edison had 5,000 pet birds
- It’s not so easy to get on a mechanical bull. See for yourselves…
"Let's see, how are we going to get up on this thing?"
"I'll help you Ted!"
Almost there...
Ride 'em Cowboys!
Have a great week all! -sm
Buzz 7/12/10
Div. 11 vol. 139
This Week: This week was a board meeting. There was no speaker.
50/50: Gary Ginter’s name was drawn but he didn’t win the $121 pot.
Bingo: Great bingo last week as $1,218 was made. This week is the McGinn team.
Rodeo: It’s almost time for the rodeo and there is lots of hard work to do! Kevin really needs help. Gary, Jere, and Tony have graciously agreed to handle the parking and transportation issues. Thanks guys. Kevin and the committee is going to need even more help. PLEASE call Kevin and volunteer to help.
Notes: The fair was a large discussion of the meeting today with suggestions and ideas for improvement. The fair committee will meet next week after the regular meeting.
Eddie says the County Extension office is offering pressure canner testing on Thursday the 15th from 3:30-5:30pm. It will be in their office in the EMS building on Church Steet in Blue Ridge.
Birthdays: NL Prather 7/9
Anniversaries: Ted and Mary Ellen McConnell 7/7/73
Kiwanis Anniversaries: Eddie Ayers 7/7/97; Tony McConnell; 7/14/97; Gary Ginter 7/15/00
Did you know?
- The biggest snowflake measured 15 inches across
- The brain uses 20% of the body’s total blood supply
- History’s deadliest cyclone was in 1970 in the Bay of Bengal and killed 30,000 people
- Earth’s tetonic plates move one inch a year
- The elephant is the only mammal with 4 knees
Have a good week all! -sm
BUZZ 7/5/10
Div. 11 vol 138
This Week: This week’s program was presented by Peggy Snyder and Clare Johnston from the GA Mtn Research and Education Center. They discussed the center’s purpose, adult outreach, preservation, education and the wonderful children’s programs that they offer to 5 counties. The center is open Mon-Fri from 8a-5p and everyone is welcome to take a look and maybe learn something about nature!
Next Week: is a board meeting. All board members please try to attend.
Bingo: Last week’s Super Bingo made the club $1,186. This week is the Hamm team.
50/50: Ted’s name was drawn but he didn’t win the $109 pot (Milt wiped the kitty out last week winning a whoppin’ $579!)
Birthdays: NL Prather 7/09
Anniversaries: Ted and Mary Ellen McConnell 7/7
Kiwanis Anniversaries: Forrest Hamm 7/1/02; Jere McConnell 7/5/91; Eddie Ayers 7/7/97; Tony McConnell 7/14/97; Gary Ginter 7/15/00.
Notes: The Girl Scouts Yardsale is Sat 7/17 from 9-3. If you have any items to donate, please let me know or contact Ken for a time to bring it to the fairgrounds.
Last Saturday was the Fourth of July Parade in Blue Ridge. The “Kiwanis Kruisers” showed up in full force! Thanks guys for representing our club in such a fun way! By the way…next year I may show up on my bicycle…I think I can keep up!
Alex was presented with his own badge for helping with the fair and because he wants to be a Kiwanis member “more than anything”. Thanks all for making his week!
Pictured is Tommy and Mike M. showing their empty pockets after coming home from Vegas! They participated in Kiwanis International Convention last month. They will be reporting in detail to the club at a later date.
Did You Know?:
- Citronella irritates a mosquito’s feet
- Scientists believe that a new star is born every 18 days
- Sea water is 3-4% salt; The Dead Sea has 25% salt
- The face and head have over 50 small muscles
- Skin cells live 19-34 days
- A fish’s age is determined by its scales, which have growth rings like trees
Have a great week all!! -sm
FAIR PHOTOS!
Come and join us!!
It’s finally here! The Kiwanis Club of Blue Ridge is proud to present the 5th Annual Kiwanis Fair of Blue Ridge!
Here are the highlights
- Tuesday, June 22nd – Saturday, June 26th
- Open 5pm to 11pm Daily
- Advanced Bracelet Ride Tickets are $12
- Gate Admission NOT included in the Advanced Bracelet Ride Tickets
- Available at United Community Bank, Community and Southern Bank, and Bank of Blue Ridge
- Good For Tuesday and Wednesday Only!
Buzz 4/29/10
Div. 11 Vol 137
This Week: This week’s speaker was Stan Hamm. He spoke to the club about the state of real estate in Fannin county. He also discussed his new “expert” title and how being a Certified distressed property expert can help some homeowners with foreclosure. Interesting information and good job Stan!
Next Week: Next week is a board meeting.
Bingo: Last week bingo brought in $1055 and tonight Ted’s Angels are working bingo. As you all now know, we lost Boots Holler and because he was instrumental in starting bingo the club is going to donate tonight’s profits to the Crisis Center in Boot’s name. Will report more next week.
50/50: The pot is up to $425 and there aren’t many cards left! Tommy Vannoy’s name was drawn but he didn’t win the money. Aww…maybe next time!
Notes: Jill brought the Key club secretary, Emily, with her. Great job with the teens, Jill!
The fair committee met after the meeting and plans are up and moving to have another great one! Remember to mark your calendars for June 22-26th!
Did you know?:
- Hawaiians once used coconut husks for toilet paper.
- Charles Dickens accurately described dyslexia 40 years before it was officially recognized.
- Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.
- The largest fruit crop on Earth is the grape.
- In six moon missions, American astronauts brought home 843 lbs of lunar rock and soil.
- Camels have 3 eyelids.
