We grew from 608 to 729 residents
in the park this week. Welcome home
Winter Ranch residents!
NOTICE: Take a look at the Blog Archives to see the article and pictures on the New Year's Party and an article and pictures on the Christmas Spirit here at Winter Ranch.
General News:
- Winter Ranch is getting a new bus! - a 2007 Bluebird flat-nosed 44 passenger bus with 6 wheels. It does not have a bathroom but it is a low mileage vehicle and not a school bus. Cathy will be posting a thank you card to Mr. Wilder on the Bulletin Board and hopes we will all sign it. She would like to show him how much we appreciate the bus and how thankful we are to have a newer one.
- JD thanked everyone who helped with the New Year's festivities. We sold 385 tickets for the New Year's Dance. We had nearly 40 volunteers working to manage the event. We had people who decorated the hall prior to the event; we had concession stand workers, popcorn distributors, people at the doors, and four guys parking vehicles. Jealous Heart played and it looked like everyone had a great time.
- Pastoral Search News - The Church Board has been doing a search for a replacement and have interviewed a pastor that they are very excited about. Jim Frisbee will be giving the sermon on January 6th and they would love to have you come and give the Church Board some feedback. This pastor has been filling in for Tip of Texas and they tried to hire him but they want him to live on the premises and he has a home Bibleville.
- ATandT Petition - Many returning residents have been having problems re-establishing DSL services through AT&T. As their only alternative, AT&T offers wireless service at a much greater cost. The intent of the petition is to alert the Texas Public Utilities Commission of the situation to see if they can get AT&T to provide either DSL service or more comparably priced alternative services. Please sign the Petition which is in Friendship Hall on the board across from the Mail Room and help your Winter Ranch neighbors that are having this problem with AT&T.
- Ice Cream Socials and Sundae Sundays have had good attendance and we enjoy having the crowd but PLEASE don't bring $20 bills to pay for 50 cent ice cream dips as we aren't set up to carry that much cash! Thanks!
- The Picture Directories are in and if you purchased one last year, you can pick them up in the Activity Office. There are also some pictures that were ordered last year in the Activity Office.
- There will be a Veterans' Trip on January 8th to tour facilities in the valley. Signup and information is on the Veterans' Bulletin Board in the Big Hall.
- Our coordinator for the Golden Age Olympics is Marcia Fabricius, Lot 618. There are newspaper brochures available about the various events in the Small Hall. Take one and sign-up for the event(s) you are interested in using the registration sheet inside the brochure. Literally 1000's of Winter Texans participate in the games over the course of three months (January, February and March). There are contests for about everything you can think of: cards, cooking, bowling, shuffleboard, billiards, etc. etc. Marcia can fill you in. Most contests take one-half to one day. When you enter you receive a t-shirt, a ticket to the sock hop and you have a chance to win a bronze, silver or gold medal! Marcia said to be sure to let her know if we register for an event because she would like to reserve a table for us at the Awards Ceremony.
- Ladies Luncheon Group fundraiser - buy chances on a GPS with free updates. They will be sold before and after the Wednesday morning meetings. The GPS will be awarded in February.
- Swimwear Sale will be held in the Library on January 17th from 9 to noon. Come on down and try them on. Patty Wrency, a professional swimwear consultant, will be on hand to assist you with your selection. This is brand new first quality swimwear and includes:
- Ladies Sizes 4-32
- Plus Size Swimwear
- Post-Mastectomy Swimwear
- Sarongs, Caps and Other Fun Stuff
- Men's suits too.
- Starting January 16th, breakfasts will be on Wednesday mornings from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM prior to the meeting. The price of breakfast has to be increased because we aren't breaking even on them at this point. Breakfasts will be $3.50 for the breakfast. A roll and coffee is $1 - $4.25 if you want breakfast plus a roll.
You still need to sign up for the breakfast ahead of time so we know how much to make!
- Jan 5th - Scrambled Eggs
- Jan 12th - Pancakes (last Saturday breakfast)
- Jan 16th - French Toast (starting Wednesday breakfasts this week!)
- The first Ladies Luncheon of the season will be on January 14th. The tickets are $8 and are being sold on Wednesdays after the meeting. Lasagne will be served. Bring a food item or can good(s) to the dinner and we will donate them to the local Food Bank. Brenda Granger would also appreciate it if anyone having any craft items they would like to donate for prizes would bring them to her place, Lot 513. She will need them by January 10th so she has a chance to get them wrapped. Brenda also told us to bone up on our state trivia because we may have a little quiz. The theme for the February luncheon is Celebrating the States. You might want to know your state bird, etc.
- The Woodshop Dinner is January 22nd at 4:30 PM. Tickets are $5. Baked potato with toppings, dessert and a drink will be served. Bring your own table service. Tickets are on sale in the Small Hall after the Wednesday morning meetings.
- The 1st Responders will have their fund-raising dinner on January 7th at 5 PM. They will be having a 1/2 lb Sirloin Burger, potato salad, baked beans, ice cream and coffee or iced tea. They will be selling tickets in the back of the Large Hall on Wednesdays after the meeting and weekdays and Saturdays from 9-11 AM in the Small Hall. Last year they served 550 burgers in less than 40 minutes!
- The Dance this week is Swing Tyme on January 4th at 7 PM.
- The Entertainment Line-up is complete and tickets are available in the Activity Office. This is the January line-up:
January 10
|
7 PM
|
Betty Rydell - $5
|
January 17
|
7 PM
|
Bernie & Red - $6
|
January 24
|
6 PM
|
Red Head Express - $7
|
January 31
|
6 PM
|
David Church*
|
*David Church tickets will be $10 for general admission or $12 to reserve a seat in the first five rows (100 seats).
Calendar Updates:
- Swedish Weaving begins on January 8th. The date given at the meeting was not correct.
- Water Color and Acrylics begins this week.
- Stained Glass will begin January 8th.
- Square Dancing starts on Friday.
- Social Hour this Tuesday at 3:30 PM in Friendship Hall is Phil Brunette. Next week will be Diego. Then we will pause the Social Hours because of other events for a couple weeks.
- The 5 State Potluck (SD, ND, WY, NE, MT) will be held on January 15th at 11:30. Bring a dish to share and your drinks and table service.
- Iowa Potluck is on January 6th, at Noon.
- Short Bike Ride is scheduled for January 8th at 8 AM. Sign up by the board across from the Mail Room. Contact is Joe Holzer.
- Potlucks have started on Monday at 5:00 PM. Bring a dish that will serve at least eight people and a serving spoon. Also bring your own table service. Iced Tea and coffee are provided.
- Craft Sale is on Tuesday, January 8th! A volunteer posting is in Friendship Hall.
JD reported that bus trips won't be announced until after the bus arrives at Winter Ranch. Jack Hulsey will be flying to Virginia to pick up the bus and it is a 1700 mile trip. The King's Ranch trip may have to be rescheduled.
Tours:
Gail reported that the New Orleans trip is full, however, if you would like to go let her know as she will add you to a waiting list. She has never had to charge anyone who had to cancel because she has had people on the waiting list. Next Wedneday, the 9th of January, she is having a meet and greet at her place for those taking the New Orleans trip. She will be serving a pot of gumbo.
Volunteers Needed:
- JD is looking for several volunteers to take down decorations from Christmas and New Years. He needs both men and women as the wreaths are pretty heavy. Stop at the Activities Office and see JD.
- Nora Minor is the Decorating Committee Coordinator. The Committee decorates for all the holidays and special events. She is looking for both men and women to join her committee. You can contact her at Lot 567.
- A volunteer signup sheet for the Craft Sale is in Friendship Hall. We couldn't do it without you!
- Lynn would like a Coordinator to lead a new Garden Club group that would assist in beautifying the public areas of the park. Talk to Lynn about what would be involved.
- Lynn would like Co-Coordinator to assist her with the Christmas Party next year. Let her know if you are interested.
- Lynn is also looking for someone to tackle a new position as Coordinator for the Christmas Golf Cart parade so that the date is set early in December and it can be advertised well.
From the Blog Administrator:
If you see pictures on the blog where I don't have people identified - most of the time they show an xx - and you know who they are, send me an e-mail and I'll remedy the situation. I try hard to identify everyone but knowing everyone in this park is like knowing everyone in a small city!!
If you want to share some news or have pictures from any of the events or bus trips trips that you would like to share on the blog, you can send them to me and I'll post them on the blog. Just send them to my e-mail at : blogwinterranch@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Mary Benfield
