Sat. May 7
Americares type project
Mon. May 9,
Wed.
May 11
Regular Meeting and Trull-Honan Awards
Sat. May 14
Flag Day/Summer Flag Presentation
Wed. May 18
Board of Directors Meeting
Wed. May 25
Regular Meeting
Sat. May 28
Great Pootatuck Duck Race and annual Lions picnic
Thurs. June 9
Hospice Breakfast
Sun. June 12
Ladies Night/Awards/Installation
Sat. June 25
Orchard Hill Cleanup
President’s Message
Fellow
Lions,
What a year this has been! The time flew so fast I can hardly believe we
are approaching the end of our Lions year.
We have had some really amazing results:
Last October, we wrapped up a fantastic Mustang Raffle. We sold almost
9,000 tickets and netted $55,000 for our charities and projects. That was
so far ahead of the previous record that it astonished everyone. As a
result, we were able to continue our donations at the same level as last year
while funding a few new ones.
Two weeks after the Mustang Raffle, we had our first Great Pumpkin Race.
More than 200 people showed up to cheer on the racers, a sure sign that this
event is a winner. The race committee has
plans for an even bigger event next year. The race was set up primarily as
a fun activity for the whole community. It certainly exceeded expectations
and holds promise of rivaling the Great Pootatuck Duck Race.
November brought record attendance at the Progressive
Dinner. The Holiday Dinner Dance and Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance
were also very well attended. In March, we packed
We kept up our usual support for charity all year and responded immediately when
the tsunami and earthquake struck
Our 11th Great Pootatuck Duck Race is coming up very quickly.
Many of you have been out selling raffle tickets,
even in cold and wet weather. Last year’s race was an astounding success,
with record ticket sales and a huge crowd. That sets a pretty high
standard for this year but we can do it if everyone does his fair share.
I wanted to share some more good news with you. You will remember that we
voted to establish a charitable foundation to be
called the Newtown Lions Club Foundation, Inc.
The objective is to obtain 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Once we have IRS
approval, donations made to the foundation will be tax deductible and we can
apply to the State of
Let’s keep our momentum going. Help out selling Duck Race and Mustang
tickets. Our fundraisers enable us to continue to serve our community.
Also, reach out to your friends, business associates, fellow church members and
any other service minded people and show them what a great Club we have here in
I want to congratulate our new Club Officers and Board Members on their
election. Good luck for your new term.
Proud to be a Lion,
Walt
-Odd Ball Signs
In an office:
Toilet out of order . . . use floor below.
In a
Bargain basement upstairs.
Put outside a second hand store:
We exchange anything, bicycles,
washing machines etc. Why not bring
your husband along and get a wonderful bargain?
On a repair shop door:
We can repair anything.
Please knock hard on the door (as the bell doesn’t work.)
Notice in a farmer’s field:
The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull
charges.
President
Ray Keegan
1st
Vice President
Edwin Miklaszewski
2nd
Vice President
Jim Manville
3rd
Vice President
George Arfaras
Secretary
Doug Body
Administrative
Treasurer
Peter McNulty
Project
Treasurer
Kevin Corey
Tail Twister
Gary Fillion
Cub Tail
Twister
Gordon Williams
Lion Tamer
Stan Wyslick
Cub Lion Tamer
Denny McLaughlin
Directors – 1
year
Frank Delucia
Skip Sims
Directors – 2
years
Ryan Henry
Doug Hensal
Toastmaster
Paul Krueger
Immediate Past
President
Walter Schweikert
Doings of the Pride
All of our snow birds have returned, generally reporting good weather and
good times. Bruce and Jane
Landgrebe had similar comments but their holiday was a little different than
most for it was a working vacation
Seems Bruce has an elderly and frail aunt in Florida who truly needed
their help so the Landgrebes spent much of their time cooking, cleaning
and fixing things. . . .Charlie Godfrey spent
a delightful week with his
son, Kenny, his wife and children, on tiny undeveloped Water Isle.
It was a homecoming of a sort for Charlie because he and his wife, Judy
honeymooned here. . . .Peter
McNulty has also been traveling.
He, his wife and two daughters, spent the Easter weekend with his father in
sail boat has had a major altercation.
Seems last October in one of the violent wind storms we have had the
boat in the
next dock broke loose from its mooring and bashed
into his over and over again throughout the night.
You can imagine what kind of damage a 10,000 pound boat could do.
To repair the damage it will cost about $22,000.
Fortunately, the man whose boat was the aggressor has good insurance.
Many days you can find Paul down at the marina tinkering away.. . . President
Schweikert has successfully come through two cataract operations, only a week
apart. Though his eyes are not
those of a twenty year old, he is seeing much better. with colors being brighter
and his right eye being almost 20-20.
Bob Virgalla has had a serious operation.
Fifteen years ago he had to have surgery to remove a pituitary tumor in
his brain. Over the time it has
grown back so he has had to have the same operation again.
I’m sure he’d
appreciate a call or a card.
If you want an amazing story and the bare facts ask Jon Christensen for
his bear in the back yard story. . . . Finally, congratulations are due to Doug
Hensal for his Newtown Savings Bank
advancement. Hired as an electronic
banking manager in 2007, he has recently been promoted to vice president of
retail banking.
Book Review by Bill Denlinger
The Wrecker
by
Clive Cussler
and Justin Scott
The book club I belong to recently
read a thriller entitled The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott.
The book revolves around attempts in 1907 to sabotage Southern Pacific
Railroad lines both actively in use and under construction. The evildoer, the
"wrecker", is brilliant, ruthless, and deadly, with the ability to appear from
nowhere and sabotage at his pleasure. Fortunately there exists a brilliant,
wholesome and equally deadly detective named
Our book club was extremely lucky
to have Justin Scott, a Newtown Resident, as a guest for our discussion of the
book. Mr. Scott is an award winning writer of mysteries and thrillers. Among Mr.
Scott’s works are the Ben Abbott mysteries which are more or less based on
Best selling
author Clive Cussler
approached Mr. Scott and suggested they collaborate on a book (The Wrecker).
Mr. Scott explained how collaborative writing works for both parties and how
much he enjoyed working with Mr. Cussler. They have since collaborated on and
published a second book, The Spy, and have other books in the works.
The Farmer and the Older Woman
A forty- five year old farmer
stopped by the local mechanics shop to have his truck fixed but it was going to
take some time so he decided to walk home.
On the way home he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and
a gallon of paint. He then stopped
by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose.
However struggling outside the store he wondered how to carry his entire
purchase home.
While he was scratching his head
he was approached by an older lady who told him she was lost and asked the
directions to
On the way he said, “Let’s just
take my short cut and go down this alley.
We’ll be there in no time.”
The older lady looked him over cautiously than said, “I am a lonely widow
without a husband. How do I know
that when we get in the alley you won’t hold me up against the wall, pull up my
skirt and have your way with me?”
The farmer was amazed and said, “Holy smokes lady!
I’m carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens and a goose.
How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do
that?” The older lady replied, “Set
the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket,
and I’ll hold the chickens.”
Focus on Our Wives
You’ve frequently seen her name in the Newtown Bee.
This week it’s in and last week there was a picture of her.
She is peripatetic, just about everywhere,
In fact, she might as well live in
Exercise for People Over Fifty
Begin by standing on a
comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.
With a five pound potato bag in
each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as
long as you can. Try to reach a
full minute, and then relax. Each
day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.
After a couple of weeks, move up to
ten pound potato bags.
Keep working and you will
continue to strengthen. Eventually
try fifty pound potato bags and then try to get to where you can lift a one
hundred potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full
minute.
After you feel confident at that
level, put a potato in each bag.