Wind-in-the-Willows. Willow Ridge Civic Association. A Message From the President Dear Friends and Neighbors

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1 Wind-in-the-Willows Willow Ridge Civic Association President Rick VonLangen Vice President Jim Cwierley Secretary Connie Holovics Treasurer Tom Amodeo Board of Directors Mark Hammer Marijean Nichols Derrick Ong Bill VanSplunder Carol Zaffram Wind-In-the-Willows Editor Debby VonLangen Advertising WITW/Directory Debbie & Julie Goetz Membership/Circulation Lynn Getzin Directory Jim Cwierley Rick VonLangen Area Head Reporters Lee Baker Patti Burns Debbie Feger Evelyn Gagnon Laura Hammer Connie Holovics Jeanne Humbert Karen Kazial Marj LaHood Doreen Notaro Jane Sieman Kathy Smead Jackie Sommer Charlene Vitale WRCA MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, December 9, :30.m. Ellicott Creek Fire Hall All Members Welcome DEADLINE for the January WITW is Dec12 WRCA Minutes: Pg. 2 Cubs, Cans, & Cards : Pg.3 Membership Drive Info: Pg. 4 Classified, Neighborhood News, Santa Run & Food Drive, Breakfast With Santa: Pg. 5 Lighting Contest: Pg. 6 WR Membership Invoice: Pg. 7 Block Rep Information Meeting: Pg. 8 Willow Ridge Civic Association A Message From the President Dear Friends and Neighbors As we all take a good look outside, we realize that for the most part, Willow Ridge was spared much of the difficult weather conditions in the surrounding areas. I hope that you and our friends and families have been able to weather the storm and are well on the road to recovery. On behalf of the board, let me wish you a safe and happy holiday season. Two years ago, on the second Tuesday of December, many of our fellow Willow Ridge residents gathered in the fire hall to elect the current board. At that time I was elected president and have served since that day. I need to reflect a moment and thank all who came that night and voted (for either candidate). In the past two years there were many whose involvement were appreciated and I also need to thank them, not necessarily by name but by their actions. There were those who selflessly organized and ran the Easter and Halloween events, WRCA 50th Anniversary, Snowflake dances, National Night Out, Movie Night, Wine Tasting, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Speaker events, Scholarships, Electronic recycling, just to name a few. And of course there were those who supported these efforts from behind the scenes. And now for the fun events. It is time to decorate your homes again. The holiday lighting committee will be out looking for that special home decoration. Make sure you are ready to turn your lights on by December 13 th. At the December meeting, all residents present will be able to cast their votes for the election the Civic Association Board. At this time, the date for the Snowflake Dinner Dance will be finalized. Remember, WRCA info can be found on Facebook, E-Wind, Wind-in-the Willows or by simply calling a board member. VOLUNTEERS: There are many areas for you to help. Consider if you can offer some of your time. Contact WRCA.PRESIDENT@GMAIL.COM Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 9th at 7:30pm at the Ellicott Creek Fire Hall. Hope to see you there! Sincerely, Rick VonLangen Drop off holiday cards for delivery up until 5 pm Thursday, December 11th. See page 3 for details.

2 WRCA Board & Members Meeting November 11, 2014 Vice President Jim Cwierley called the meeting to order at 7:35. Also present were Secretary Connie Holovics & Treasurer Tom Amodeo. Board Members present were Mark Hammer, Marijean Nichols and Derrick Ong. Community attendees included Erich Krueger & John Ball. Secretary Minutes: A motion was made by Mark Hammer to approve the minutes from the October meeting. Connie Holovics 2 nd and board approval followed. Neil Cuomo will be contacted to see if he will supervise the judging of the holiday lighting. Jim Prentice will be contacted to see if there will be a wine tasting party next year. Derrick Ong gave an update on the Willow Ridge phone app that is being developed for Willow Ridge. He is excited about the features and the progress thus far. Connie Holovics has planned a block rep open house in January to give welcome folders to each rep and discuss the block rep program moving forward. Mark Hammer moved to give Connie $50.00 for refreshments and supplies. Marijean Nichols 2 nd and board approval followed. Treasurer s Report: Tom Amodeo reported the income for the month was $3489. Expenses were $3585. Ending balance $3809. Marijean Nichols made a motion to approve, Mark Hammer 2 nd and board approval followed. Membership Report: Memberships paid to date is 298, a little ahead of the number of members this time last year. Old Business: There was a discussion on the need to replace the evergreen tree by the Willow Ridge neighborhood sign. It was determined there wasn t extra funds for a replacement tree and the tree was fine for now. The transition is going smoothly for the new web master, Tom Amodeo. Open positions on the board were discussed for The board was asked to consider possible nominees for the office of vice president and two other board positions. Two neighbors, who attended the meeting expressed interest in being on the board. Connie Holovics reported the attendance at the Halloween party was a little lower than previous years, but great fun was had by all. Special thanks to all who volunteered their time and talents to make the event a success. Thanks also to Marijean Nichols for donating the candy treats for those who attended. Mark Hammer reported the Oktoberfest was a fun night, but there was a misunderstanding about the cost The Grapevine quoted and charged. We are hoping to have a better venue next year to make it more financially feasible to have the event. Adjournment: With no further items on the agenda, a motion was made by Jim Cwierley to adjourn the meeting and Tom Amodeo 2 nd. Board approval followed. Next Meeting is Tuesday, December 9th at the Ellicott Creek Fire Hall at 7:30pm. All Willow Ridge residents welcome. Respectfully submitted by Connie Holovics, secretary. New Business: There was a discussion of possible speakers for next year s meetings. Page 2 Wind-in-the-Willows

3 CUB SCOUT PACK 173 Cub Scout Pack 173 will be holding our annual pop can/bottle collection drive on Saturday, January 3, 2015 from 10am 1pm. Money earned from the returns will be donated to a charitable organization to be determined at a later date. On Saturday, January 3, please leave your NY stamped returnable cans & bottles in a plastic bag on your front porch or driveway. Our scouts and their parents will be coming around to pick them up between the hours of 10am and 1pm. You can also call to arrange a pickup (leave message, be sure to include your address). Only NY stamped returnable pop/ beer cans & bottles will be accepted (no recyclables or wine/ liquor bottles). Thank you once again for your continued support. CUB SCOUT PACK 173 As a community service for Willow Ridge, Cub Scout Pack 173 will be delivering holiday cards throughout the community. Drop off your cards into the collection bin that will be located at 330 Willow Green Drive. The bin will be available up until 5 pm Thursday, December 11th. Weather permitting, all cards will be delivered Saturday, December 13th. Please make sure your cards are clearly labeled with the recipients name and street address. For the safety of our scouts, we will only deliver to residential homes within Willow Ridge. We regret that we cannot deliver to apartments, condos, the elder care facility or Ellicott Creek Drive North. Page 3

4 REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER Please remember to renew/join WRCA by December 31, 2014 Annual dues are $ Payment methods Invoice a copy is in this issue of Wind-in-the-Willows Payment via check to WRCA, PO Box 86, Amherst, NY PayPal payment You can access PayPal, a secure on-line payment method, via the WRCA website Important note - The directory is only as good as the information you provide. To that end, we have included a check box for those who have no change in 2014 information (just need to write names and address). With over 1300 homes in Willow Ridge, we rely on each WRCA member to provide us with current information each year. It only takes a minute or two to make the directory a valuable resource for everyone. Joining or renewing provides Wind-in-the-Willows Our newsletter provides information about happenings in Willow Ridge for adults and children as well as neighborhood news, and a free classified section and more. It is delivered to your home via mail and or only if you check Going Green on the membership form WRCA Directory will be delivered to your door in March. Our community directory includes a neighborhood listing, coupons, listing of services and businesses, a listing of important phone numbers, a Babysitter Directory, and a detailed map of Willow Ridge. E-Wind All members who provide addresses receive notification of events happening in our community as well as the Wind-in-the-Willows via . WRCA app - is now under construction watch for more information. Your privacy is always important to us. We will not publish addresses, and continue our policy of not sharing our membership information with anyone. Renew / Join NOW Before you say Oh! I forgot Help us complete the membership drive by December 31. Page 4

5 Classified Classified is a service provided for the use of Willow Ridge Civic Association members free of charge. Please print or type your ad on a full-sized sheet of paper. Sign your ad (not the envelope), include your address/ phone #. Classified is not to be used for business purposes. Deliver to 221 N. Brier and place in porch box, or to wiweditor@gmail.com. For Sale A pair of women s tan leather oxfords from SAS Shoes (handicrafted comfort Shoes), size 7W. Perfect condition, worn briefly, twice. Purchased fro $128. Asking $ Christmas Tree: six foot artificial Christmas tree with stand, $20.00, excellent condition, Neighborhood News In Sympathy Friends and neighbors on North Brier are saddened at the passing of Ron Sorgi of 189 North Brier. Ron, whose life was spent in guidance and education in the Starpoint and Sweet Home School Districts died on October 27, a day before his 72nd birthday. We would like to express our condolences to all who knew him, but especially to his wife, Karen, and his children, Mark and Kristin. Congratulations Rick and Debby VonLangen happily announce the birth of their seventh grandchild on November 11, Colton Richard Schiltz weighed in at 8lbs, 2oz and was 20.5 long. Colton is the second son of Rick and Debby s daughter, Kelly, and her husband Chad. Big brother Blake, having 21 months more experience than his new sibling, presented him with the absolute necessities of life, a blanket, a matchbox car and a can of Ginger ale. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA DECEMBER 7 8:30PM 12:30PM 530 ELLICOTT CREEK RD TONAWANDA, NEAR COLVIN Boy Scout Troop 58 is hosting a BREAKFAST with SANTA on December 7th from 8:30am to 12:30 pm at 530 Ellicott Creek Rd, Tonawanda (near Colvin). Kids can visit with Santa from Breakfast includes sausage, pancakes, juice and coffee for $6 donation. Children 5 and under $3. Any questions, contact Sue Collins at Santa Run and Food Drive Saturday, December 20, beginning at 4pm It is time once again for our annual Santa Run and Food Drive. Each year your kind and generous donations allow us to provide needed food supplies for our local food pantries. Last year you out did yourselves in giving over 2000 lbs. of food! Beginning at 4pm, firefighters, accompanied by Santa Claus will be coming around the community to greet the children and collect your donations. If you are not going to be home, please leave your donation in a well lighted location so firefighters can see it. As always, if you wish, you can drop off your donation at the fire station at 45 South Ellicott Creek Rd. beginning at 4:30pm. Thank you again for your support with this important project, and from all the members of the Ellicott Creek Volunteer Fire Company, we wish you a happy, safe and healthy holiday season! Page 5

6 Willow Ridge Christmas Lighting Contest It s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And a few of Santa s elves will be cruising through the neighborhood on Saturday, December 13 through Sunday, December 14 writing names down on his nice list, thereby choosing the winners of this year s lighting contest! Fifteen $10.00 gift cards remain up for grabs as we begin this year s challenge. Deck your house with holiday trimmings and dazzle the judges. Get creative in the holiday spirit with your neighbors and we will all watch as Willow Ridge becomes a fantasy land of lights and decoration. Who will win? Ho-ho-ho-who knows? Maybe it will be you! WILLOW RIDGE LANDSCAPING & SNOWPLOWING, INC. 20 MANOR OAK DRIVE AMHERST, NY Tony Cangialosi, Owner and Willow Ridge Resident Servicing Willow Ridge and surrounding areas Residential and Commercial Property Maintenance Landscaping Lawn Maintenance Cleanups Gutter Cleaning Snow Plowing Page 6

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8 Wind-in-the-Willows Willow Ridge Civic Association PRESORT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #862 BUFFALO NY December 2014