We grew from 729 to 791 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:
- WEATHER WARNINGS: If there is a severe weather warning (thunderstorm, tornado, etc.) for this area, Alamo does have a storm siren. If we have this type of weather, you can go to either of the shower buildings or inside Friendship Hall in the bathrooms or anywhere away from exterior walls or windows.
- Thanks to everyone who helped out with the Craft Sale. It was another successful Show. The Pie Ladies made $108.50 and the money was contributed to the Activities Fund. Thank you ladies.
- Lutefisk Tickets are now on sale in the Business Office. Ludefisk is at Our Savior Lutheran Church on February 2nd, from 11-2:30 PM. Price is $15 each. They only sell 400 tickets total so stop in and get yours right away if you are interested.
- The Short Shot Golf Tournament sponsored by the Alamo Chamber will be held on Saturday, February 23th. Information is posted on the Bulletin Boards. Winter Ranch has had participants in the past who have come home with trophies so let's do it again!
- The Business Office has tickets for the remaining two Symphonic Band Symphonies on February 12th and March 26th at the Trinity Worship Center. The tickets are $5.
- Cathy had a couple of reminders for us this morning. Please do not pull through sites. You can run over lines and cause some major problems. Also start watching your speed whether you are in a car, truck or golf cart! The office has had numerous complaints from your friends and neighbors. The major problem seems to be on Branding Iron but other areas have had complaints also. Please think about your speed. We know you don't mean to hurt anyone but you could!
- The Alamo Parade will be held on March 2nd. We have had participation in our park for many years and we have always done well on Trophies. If you would like to participate, see Cathy in the Business Office. You can decorate yourself, your cart, your truck, or whatever you like!
- All Valley RV Show will be held this weekend, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Rio Grand Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes. Wilder Parks has a booth at the show so stop in and see us. $5 entry fee.
- Please return your completed Directory Information Sheets to the Business Office as soon as possible so that the Computer Group can start working on the Directories for people in Winter Ranch this season. The sheet was in your Welcome Packet when you arrived.
- The last Sundae Sunday was a tremendous success. Joan Beedle reported that they went through 13 gallons of ice cream and all of the toppings. After it was all over the servers just cracked up laughing because it was so awesome to see everyone there. Just keep on a-coming and we'll keep buying more supplies!
- Linda Doerschug reminded the group that the Quilt Show will be on January 29th from 9 AM to 1 PM in Friendship Hall. The Quilting Group would love to show your modern or antique quilts, table runners, quilted art or accessories. Please see Linda Doerschug, Lot 676, if you have questions.
- 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.
- Zion Church is looking for old blankets that they use as batting when they make quilts for the needy. They will even take old electric blankets. See Ginny Toman, Lot #635, if you would like to donate one or more blankets.
- Update on Recycling Program - Wanda Wheeler reported that there has made some progress on recycling. Alamo is going to get started recycling with recycling from Winter Ranch, Trophy Gardens and the Alamo Country Club. They will be bringing in 10 bins shortly for tin cans, cardboard, etc. Please rinse out your food cans before you put them in. We would love it if everyone would participate in recycling and keep the landfills from filling up so quickly.
- 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! Be sure to let Marcia 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.
- 50/50 Drawings: In order to give all Activities a fair shot on the 20 Wednesday morning drawings next season, JD asked that each group come get a number and that number will determine your place in drawing a date for next year. Signup in the Activity Office for your group. The Activities Office wants to be fair with all the groups trying to raise funds!
- 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 12th - Pancakes (last Saturday breakfast if there are more signups)
- Jan 16th - French Toast (starting Wednesday breakfasts this week!) Please sign up!
- The Men's Luncheon will be held on January 18th at 11 AM. Tickets can be purchased in the Activities Office. Meat Loaf, cheesy potatoes, green beans, roll & dessert - $5.00 Wanda Wheeler is the Coordinator of the event.
- 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 Alamo 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.
- A 4-hour AARP Driving Class will be offered tomorrow in Friendship Hall from 8 - 11 AM. This course is for those who have not taken the safety course for 55+ to qualify for the insurance discount. 8 hrs of classes is required for the insurance discount and Don will work with you to get in the other 4 hours. No testing is required. Don DeKeyrel is the contact person for questions concerning the course.
- The Variety Show will be held on February 15th. On January 25th, Lee Clement (Coordinator for the event) wants to have a short meeting with all those who want to participate. There will be two rehearsals in February. You also need to let Lynn in the Activities Office know that you are participating.
- The 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration will be held on February 10th at 2 P:M. Jan and Paul Wilson are the Coordinators for this event. There will be three different signup sheets for the event:
- Anyone married between June 62 and May 63 who will be celebrating 50 years of marriage.
- Anyone who is not celebrating their 50th this year but has been married over 50 years.
- Guests who want to share in the celebration. Guests, please do sign up as we don't want to run out of ice cream. We need a head count!
- The Dance this week is Sweetwater on January 11th at 7 PM.
- The Entertainment Line-up is complete and tickets are available in the Activity Office. Concession Stand will be open for these events. 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).
The Gold Wing Express Group that was scheduled for February 3rd had to cancel. We'll just start the Super Bowl Party earlier that day.
Calendar Updates:
- Super Bowl Party in Friendship Hall on February 3rd beginning at 4 PM. The Concession Stand will be open. Game on the Big Screen TV. Bring you lawn chair and drinks and/or snacks.
- Horseshoes starts this week.
- Dominos - reschedule due to entertainment - During January and February, Dominos will move to Sunday evening in the Big Hall.
- Pitch has been rescheduled during January and February due to entertainment. It will be Tuesday evening in the Big Hall.
- Water Color and Acrylics begins this week. These are beginner sessions and anyone can learn to paint!
- Social Hour this Tuesday at 3:30 PM in Friendship Hall is Diego. The Concession Stand will be open. After Diego, 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. If your state doesn't have a potluck, join ours! Bring a dish to share and your drinks and table service.
- Colorado Potluck is on January 13th at 11:30.
- The Illinois Potluck is on January 20, at Noon.
- Park 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.
JD gave us an update on the bus. Jack Hulsey will be setting out on Friday to pick up the bus and should be back by Tuesday or Wednesday. Then the bus will need to get a Texas inspection. If all goes well, we will be in business again. The King Ranch trip has been rescheduled to February 11th. The Bus Trips will be posted as soon as the bus arrives in Texas.
Volunteers Needed:
- Wanda Wheeler is looking for volunteers on Thursday, January 17th, to make meat loaf for the Men's Luncheon. She also needs volunteers to make cakes on January 18th. Come on and help. You'll get a good meal!
- Nora Minor is still looking for volunteers on the Decorating Committee. 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.
- 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
