November 20th Wednesday Morning News
We grew from 318 to 365
residents in the park this week. Welcome home Winter Ranch
residents!
Water Restrictions - We still have water restrictions in the valley and your Welcome Packet had information about them. The main things to remember is that we can use water on Mondays and Thursdays for your sprinkling systems or to wash your house, rig or vehicle. Washing your car, shed, rig or house is limited to once a month. If you want it done more often, there are services available that will come in and bring their own water. There is a list of these places available in the Business Office. Hand watering of plants or grass can be done any day or time. Just don't let the water overflow into the street and waste it.
Bring a Friend Campaign is going on now. If you bring a friend that stays at Winter Ranch at least one month, you can earn $50. The rules are in your Winter Ranch Welcome Packet. This is for people that are brand new to Winter Ranch or who haven’t been here for at least three years.
If you are planning on doing any enhancements to your site including: cement work, installing rock, planting trees or bushes, you need to check with Larry first. Don't put yourself in the position where you need to remove what you just put in because you did not check!
Golfers, the course has been dethatched and we are starting to water it now. There was a problem with the water system which has now been fixed. The jugs of water will also be on Hole 6 now.
Breakfasts will no longer be offered on Wednesday mornings. We will continue to serve donuts and/or rolls in the morning. Unfortunately, it was a money losing situation.
General News:
The Winter Texan Insert in the Monitor - They are looking for articles to put in the Winter Texan. If you have something that you would like to contribute, please see Lynn in the Activities Office.
Ron Hoover RV is now selling park models for those interested.
Symphonic Band tickets are now on sale in the Business Office. The Christmas Symphony will be on December 17th. Tickets are $5 each. You can purchase tickets in the Business Office. The bus is full and there is a waiting list for people that cancel on the bus.
The Alamo City Prayer Breakfast will be held here at Winter Ranch on November 21st at 7 AM and Pastor Frisbee will be the speaker. The breakfast is free.
Picture Days (early session) at Winter Ranch will be November 19-22 – We have a new company, Life Touch, doing our pictures and Directory this year. Shirley Snell will again be registering us for pictures in Friendship Hall after the morning meeting and on Thursday and Friday from 9 to 10 AM in the Small Hall. Thank you, Shirley! You can have up to six people in a picture and pets. By having your picture taken you get a free Picture Directory and a $20 coupon toward any pictures you decide to order. You can order the pictures you want directly from Lifetouch over the internet and they will be mailed directly to you. Also, if you bring a non-perishable food donation to the studio when you have your picture taken, you will receive $5 off your Lifetouch portrait order. Bags for the food donation may be picked up in the Activities Office. There are still some times available for this early picture taking session.
Social Dance Classes will be offered beginning December 6th from 1 to 3 in Friendship Hall. The classes will be taught by Steve and Gail Larner. They have been competition dancers. The charge is $5 per person per lesson which is REALLY reasonable. There is a signup sheet in Friendship Hall across from the Mail Room. We will start out with the Country Two Step and the Rumba as we feel these two dances will offer you the most opportunity with the bands we have this season. As the class progresses, the class can help the instructors decide what to try next. This is a great time to start. Everyone will be starting out and it will be new to all of you. If you ever have wanted to take dance classes this is your time!
Golfers, you can join us for Co-Ed Golf at Village Executive Golf Course on Highway 1015 South of Weslaco. This will be Thursdays at 11:00 AM. We'll meet at their Big Hall. Sign up on the Bulletin Board in Friendship Hall.
Event News:
Ladies' Luncheon will be held in Friendship Hall on Monday, December 9th at noon. Lunch will be Maui Chicken, Brocolli Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Salad and Dessert for $8. Myra Green will be our entertainment. She puts on a one-woman musical play. You can sign up after the Wednesday morning meetings. There will also be someone in the Small Hall selling tickets this week Wednesday through Friday. A box for donations to the Christmas Stocking Project will also be available at the luncheon. As usual, donated door prize gifts are greatly appreciated. See info in the Volunteer/Donations Section below.
Men’s Luncheon – The Video Group is sponsoring a Men’s Luncheon on December 3rd. They will be serving a pork roast dinner with scalloped potatoes, green beans, jello, a roll, dessert and a beverage. All for $6.00. They will be selling tickets in Friendship Hall after the Wednesday Morning meeting and in the small hall most days. Signup ends on November 27th.
Blood Drive –We will have a blood drive on December 12th from 9 AM to 1:30. Our goal is 35 units of blood which takes 50 people to sign up. If we get more than 50, we'll extend the hours.
Thanksgiving Table Signup has begun. Signup on the board on the easel in Friendship Hall. For newcomers, the lead couple (No. 1 and 2) will get the group together to decide on table decorations and who is bringing what. Just pick a table and you’ll be filled in about everything closer to Thanksgiving. Turkey money is now available in the Activities Office.
New Year’s Dance - Tickets and reserved tables for the New Year’s Dance are available in the Activities Office. The reserved tables are going fast!
Christmas Lighting Contest - Remember to plan on a Christmas Lighting Contest again this season. More info on it will come closer to the season.
Calendar Updates:
Choir starts this week.
Ice Cream will be served this Sunday evening at 5 PM in Friendship Hall. Bring your own bowl and spoon. It is $1 for a large dip.
Craft Class will be held on December 4th from 10-12 AM in the Arts and Crafts Room. Brenda Granger is the Coordinator and we will be making a Reindeer, You will need to bring $1 and a towel and washcloth.
Craft Class will also be held on December 11th from 10-12 AM in the Arts and Crafts Room. Rita Huether is the Coordinator and we will be making a Christmas ornament.
No Roundup Thanksgiving week or on December 3rd!
The next Roundup will be on December 10th. On December 17, the Roundup will be a Taste of the Valley. You can come on over and sample foods from various places in the Valley. We'll have the Chuck Wagon open also.
Billiards Double Shots will be on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month starting at 2 PM. This is one man and one woman per team taking alternate shots.
Dance to Diego on November 22nd at 7 PM. Tickets are purchased at the door. We still need kitchen helpers for the evening.
Dance to Wild Side on November 29th at 7 PM. They are our resident group so come out and enjoy the dance. Tickets can be purchased at the door. There are volunteer signup sheets on the wall across from the Mail Room for this dance.
Bingo on Wednesdays has started. Bingo on Saturdays will start in December.
Bus Trips:
Saturday, November 30th - Greyhound Racing in Harlingen on South Ed Carey Drive - The Bus will leave at 11AM and will return after the last race about 5 or 6 PM. $2 at the gate plus what you bet.
December 6th, Killer Bees Hockey Tickets $10 each. The bus will leave at 6 PM and return after the game.
December 9th - Hidalgo Lights and Dinner, Cost $12 per person. Bus will leave at 4:30 PM and return around 8:30 or 9 PM. Information on the trip is on the wall outside the Activity Office. Sign up and pay in the Activity Office.
Gail Field is our Coordinator for Tours and Cruises.
She has posted a booklet on the Travel Board as well as a page of Go
with Jo Tours. Get in touch with Gail
for more information or to sign up for one of the trips. I don’t post phone numbers on the blog but
hers is on the Travel Board in Friendship Hall.
There are a lot of new cruises available out of
Galveston.
Gail attended a meeting for DNS Travel. Royal Caribbean will be offering a cruise to Rolton, Belaise and Cozumel on February 23rd. It will be on a newly renovated Navigator of the Seas. They have spent $45 million redoing the ship. Those rooms without a window are now equipped with virtual balconies that show what is going on outside at all times. Gail has brochures. Call them for pricing. They will need $50 down by this Thursday.
Volunteers and/or
Donations Needed: A Salvation Army Coordinator for bell ringing at Walgreens is needed as the person who did it last year won't be here in time this season. See Lynn in the Activity Office.
Door Prize Donations for the Ladies Luncheons - If you have something that you would like to donate as a Door Prize for one of the Ladies' Luncheons, please take them over to Marsha Bender at Lot 592 or Kathy Loerch at Lot 438. Please get them there a week ahead so they know if they need to buy any.
Welcome Committee - Cathy would like to revive a committee that was once in existence to welcome new residents to the park. If you would be interested in assisting or leading this group, see Cathy in the Business Office.
Sound System Operators are needed. Dave and Jody Nunn are leaving us after 14 years and we need some volunteers to step up. We can train you!!! We need sound system people to cover for the jams and other events that use the system. See Lynn and JD in the Activities Office.
Christmas Stockings Project – Barb DeGarmo is the Coordinator for the Christmas Stockings Project. The Christmas Stockings are given to the ARISE organization and sometimes these are the only gifts these children get at Christmas. Barb says she can use school supplies, small match box cars, small dolls, and Christmas Stockings from the Dollar Store. They do also make some of the stockings. They would like to make 300 this year. Last year we donated 200 stockings but they ran short so we will be increasing our efforts this Christmas. There is a donation box for this project by the Activities Office. These children are 8 years and younger.
Ronald McDonald House - If you have any soaps and shampoos from hotels, you can donate those to this project until after the stockings are delivered. After that we can still use the shampoos and soaps. We donate them to the Ronald McDonald House.
Decorating Committee - Nora Minor needs volunteers for decorating the hall for Christmas. There is a signup sheet on the bulletin board across from the Mail Room. They will be decorating on December 2nd starting at 9:30 AM.
Exercise Classes - Pam Hoppe and Judy Teply are looking for a couple of people to act as their alternates to lead the Exercise Classes in the morning. Contact one of them if you are interested.
Bikers Escort Needed - Flo Reed is looking for some drivers to excort the bikers. Please contact Flo if you are interested. You will be reimbursed for mileage.
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The 50/50 Drawing this morning raised $62 for the Billiards Group. Shirley Snell won the pot.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Benfield
WR Blog Administrator
