Good Sam Club Chapter 142, Dogwood Good Sams, Chartered in 1990 Our Website: http://dogwoodsams142.org/ November 2013 The newsletter year is 11/1 to 10/31. This is issue 3 of 9 for 2013-2014. January 2014 Chapter Officers President Lawrence Merino 850 623-5428 Vice President Armando Lozano 850 438-2437 Hostess Information Lois Crutchfield (850 723-0119) February Campout Friday 5 PM Open fire Hot Dog roast pot luck (bring hot dogs to roast and something to share) Saturday AM No breakfast relax and sleep in 10 AM Chapter meeting 5 PM Soul Food pot luck bring something to share Wagon Master s Plan (Larry Blake 850 623-2668) Also found at http://dogwoodsams142.org/ CAMPING LOCATION SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME Secretary Connie Homan 850 621-7644 Treasurer Peggy Lee 850 476-4574 February 14 16 March 14 16 April 11-12 May?? Mystic Springs Airstream Park, McDavid, FL NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Pine Lake RV Park, Fountain, FL Reservations REQUIRED 850 722-1404 Johnny s Lakeside RV Resort, Foley, AL Reservations REQUIRED 888 878-5687 or 251 970-3773 Vote for date Note: Chapter camping is the 2 nd full weekend, except Dec & May the chapter votes for those dates. USO - Point of contact Larry & Jackie Blake. Wagon Master Larry Blake 850 623-2668 Ronald McDonald House Point of contact Tommy & Lois Crutchfield. Dogs for the DEAF, Camp Boggy Creek & Others are supported by our fundraisers throughout the year. Page 1 of 5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sunshine Lady Jackie Blake (850 206-8709) Carl Woodall 2/1 Get Well Wishes to: Ken Schlatter 2/14 Jackie Blake Connie Homan 2/28 Lonnie Myers JoAnn Woodall 3/1 Bob Rance Peggy Lee 3/6 (Please let Jackie know Sidney Lewis 3/6 if there are illnesses Irene Parker 3/12 within the Chapter.) Zerelda Hammer 3/14 Nell Lewis 3/31 CHAPLIN S CORNER Sidney Lewis (850 723-5073) LOOK BACK AND thank GOD. LOOK FOWARD AND trust GOD. LOOK AROUND AND serve GOD. LOOK WITHIN AND invite GOD. Chapter News January 10-12, 2014 Once again Mother Nature did not let the Dogwood Good Sams Chapter down. The January 10-12, 2014 weekend at Sunset King Lake Resort in DeFuniak Springs, FL started off with a light misty rain, then the rain ended and in came the sun and warmth. Ten rigs arrived despite the weather. Even though the official campout weekend starts on Friday, many members arrived Thursday to enjoy an additional day of fellowship and fun. Friday evening started with a couple Gene Parker Frenchie Merino, Gene Parker, Rex Hughes, Dennis Cooper, Bob Homan, Sidney Lewis, Randy Chestnut & Tommy Crutchfield announcements from President Merino. Roy Alsfeld Rex Hughes, Toni Merino, Gene & Irene Parker One was that the Saturday morning meal was cancelled and the other was that the meeting would start at 9:30AM. The misty rain did not stop Gene Parker from getting a fire started for the hot dog roast. After dinner some members enjoyed the campfire until the rain sent them inside and others enjoyed various card games. The chapter meeting was held Saturday morning with 10 rigs and 3 guest rigs (JoAnn & Carl Woodall, Betty & Dennis Cooper and Mary & David Denham) plus one additional member joined for the meeting. The chapter was thanked for their help in picking up the wreaths at Barrancas National Cemetery. A thank-you note was received from Ronald McDonald House. Sunshine Lady, Jackie Blake was not Page 2 of 5
present but it was noted that Jackie Blake, Lonnie Myers, and Bob Rance have been ill. The February camp out will be at Mystic Springs. It was announced that the food will be hot dogs Friday night and soul food pot luck Saturday night. Lois and Tommy Crutchfield volunteered to bring a ham. A letter was sent to Joe Weston, State Director stating that Dogwood Good Sams would operate under the state s Standard Operating Procedures, which was acceptable. Dogs for the Deaf will not issue their patch any more, just bone patches. The chapter has a few patches, see Lawrence Merino or Peggy Lee. Thank-you Bob & Connie Homan for taking the chapter donation to Eglin Pet Welfare. Saturday morning breakfasts were discussed and the group voted not to do the group breakfasts for a variety of reasons. At the February meeting the group will discuss moving chapter camping to the first weekend of the month. Chapter fellowship Bob with Sandy & Friz at Eglin Pet Welfare Lois Crutchfield announced she has applications for anyone wanting to attend the Samboree in Palatka in February. Lorra Robert announced that the group would be making candy canes for the USO in Mar or April. Welcome JoAnn and Carl Woodall as the newest members to the Dogwood Good Sams Chapter. Saturday events continued with chapter card games and the host campground entertainment included washer toss, music and bingo. The chapter meal of soup and salad pot luck was a BIG success, with 10 pots of various soups to choose from and many salads and desserts. Thank-you everyone for a GREAT weekend! 10 pots of GREAT soup!! Find details & other Samborees: www.goodsamclub.com/samborees Please support the Samborees by donating door prize items. Contact is Lois Crutchfield. Florida "Back to Mayberry RFD" Samboree Feb 26, 2014 - Mar 02, 2014 Palatka, FL Georgia "Samboree 500" Samboree Mar 27-30, 2014 Perry, GA Mississippi "Blue Suede Shoes" Samboree Mar 27-30, 2014 Tupelo, MS Louisiana "Aloha Ya'll" Samboree Apr 10-13, 2014 Shreveport, LA Alabama "Prom Night in Alabama" Samboree Apr 24 27, 2014 Lincoln, AL Florida "Madd Hatters" Samboree Apr 30, 2014 - May 04, 2014 Okeechobee, FL Tennessee "NASCAR" Days" Samboree May 14, 2014 - May 18, 2014 Lebanon, TN Alabama "Passport to Good Sam Fun" Samboree Jun 11, 2014 - Jun 14, 2014 Mountain Home, AL Georgia "Senior Prom" Samboree Sep 11, 2014 - Sep 14, 2014 Perry, GA South Carolina Samboree Oct 02, 2014 - Oct 05, 2014 Myrle Beach, SC Mississippi Fall Samboree Oct 16-19, 2014 Tylertown, MS Tennessee "Laid Back" Samboree Oct 30, 2014 - Nov 02, 2014 Sevierville, TN No Good Sam Rallies scheduled for 2014. http://therally.com/ Florida "A County Fair" Samboree Nov 19, 2014 - Nov 23, 2014 Eustis, FL Page 3 of 5
Tales From the Dogwood Trails (Submitted by Armando Lozano) Back in August (and many previous months), I had been traveling to Elberta, AL. to do some pressure washing jobs for the elderly. They have mobile homes and cannot do the work themselves. While I was pulling out of their mobile home park, I heard a big bang/clang and thought it was the utility trailer jerking on the hitch. No sweat, I was thinking that I am in forward motion and all looks/feels good. In September we went camping and October we went to two craft shows...pulling the fifth wheel, then November, onto Magnolia Farms campout. In December, as Karen and I were hitching up the fifth wheel, Karen said that the engine sounds weird. I too heard it, a loud and whining sound. So I checked under the hood and sure enough I Pulley Before Pulley After needed to replace the belt. I thought it would be OK, so we drove to Foley for the campout camper in tow. I thought it would be best if I stopped and bought the belt on our trip to the campsite. We no sooner arrived and parked and I said something about the belt problem. Bob Homan, Sydney Lewis and Tommy Crutchfield were all over my engine... and boom...after removing the serpentine belt, we noticed remnants of what was a pulley plastered on my engine block. I needed the belt but also needed a new pulley. With help this daunting task was finished quickly. These gentlemen, camping friends, are great and I could not have done it myself. We could have been stranded somewhere, but without any hesitation these fellow chapter members jumped in and helped! Karen and I are blessed to have these types of friends, and all the others in our chapter! Wreath Truck Arriving The Dogwood Good Sams Volunteers Wreaths Placed With the threat of rain and overcast skies, on the December 14, 2013, 12 Dogwood Sams members (Jackie & Larry Blake, Connie & Bob Homan, Lawrence Merino, Irene & Gene Parker, Dottie & Bob Rance, Lorra Robert and Lois & Ken Schlatter) arrived at Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Page 4 of 5
Pensacola, FL to participate in the Wreaths Around America Project. The group waited for the truck to arrive with the wreaths, then gathered to get the wreath boxes and instructions on where they were to place them. The group started with 5 boxes and found that there were still boxes in the truck. So they returned to the truck 4 times for more for a total of 9 boxes and 135 wreaths. Larry Blake & Lawrence Merino Connie & Bob Homan Lois & Ken Schlatter Jim Robert Ken Schlatter Gene Parker Bob Homan For some reason the weather does not cooperate with the Dogwood Good Sams chapter projects, but once again there were rain showers when seven members (Connie & Bob Homan, Lawrence Merino, Gene Parker, Lorra & Jim Robert, and Ken Schlatter) arrived on January 5, 2014 at Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola, FL to participate in picking up the wreaths from the Connie Homan Wreaths Around America Project. The cemetery is very large, but that did not stop the group from walking both sections and picking up every wreath. The group was too busy for a group photo, but some individual pictures were captured. A special thanks to Lawrence Merino for volunteering his truck to help carry the wreaths to the disposal area. The Good Sam Club Pledge As a member of the Good Sam Club I pledge to give aid to others in need, respect nature and the environment, give back to the community and those less fortunate, treat others with dignity and respect, and to wear a smile (like Good Sam and Good Samantha s) and promote the pledge of the Good Sam Club to others. Newsletter Lorra Robert 850 582-2746 Updates: - There s now a Facebook Page for Dogwood Good Sams Good Sams Chapter 142 13 members joined to date! Join us it s a closed group and can only be viewed by members. - The official name for Good Sam Club Chapter 142 is Dogwood Good Sams - Dan & Zerelda Hammer s address - 428 Childers Street, PMB 23142, Pensacola, FL 32534 DEADLINE FOR THE FEB NEWSLETTER INPUTS: Feb 19. Email them to me at ljrobert@mchsi.com. Page 5 of 5