Sunday, June 26, 2011

OPT-BEA-BULL June 23, 2011

Revised
Opening: Our meeting opened with the ring of the bell and the flag salute led by Marv Doty followed by this day in history (1878 in the old west) and the invocation by Chaplain Wally Johnston.
Guest: Wally introduced Greg Magnus from the Beaverton Police Dept., Greg is our club’s new honorary member for services rendered. Greg was very helpful during last Saturday’s garage sale and loaned us a canopy to keep us dry.  He is the police liaison with Southridge High. We made $327.00. Thanks to all who helped in this first garage type sale. A show of hands indicated that we should consider doing this again in the future. Thank you Chairman Wally and Co-Chair Meredith. Thanks also to our frozen women who opened at 7 AM …Susan & Joan & Meredith and to Joe, Jack, the two Marvs, Gene, Lil and anyone else I’m forgetting. 
Book Sale: Wally also will be holding his book sale and signing tonight (6-24-11) at the Peppermill Restaurant from 7 to 9 p.m. Wally’s book covers New York City’s 9-11 as a chaplain. Wally was also interviewed by KUPL radio.
Jr. Golf: Our club received a request to help in funding six PNW District Jr. Golfers trip to Florida. The request wasn’t approved by our board. Our funds are skimpy and we did not have anyone we sponsored this year going.
Weekly Raffle: Can it be believed? Alan “Mr. President” has now claimed he won two weeks in a row! How could this happen right in front of us?   While we watched, you could see him puzzling over the four tickets in his hand, and then asking the Sheriff for help. He is clever!!! Fortunately Steve actually understands how the raffle tickets work.
Speaker: Today’s speaker Rachael Diehl was introduced by Joan Anderson Wells. Rachael is a member of the Master Gardeners and her main topic was Water Wise Gardening. Items covered, Planning & Design, Plant Selections, Soil Review, Efficient Irrigation, Mulching, and Maintenance. To find out more information on Water Wise Gardening go to http://extention.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco_gardening/waterwise-gardening . (Sorry, this link isn’t working…) Thank you Rachael and Joan for this interesting program.
Until then         

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Beaverton Optimist Bulletin 6-16-2011

Marv D. led our Pledge of Allegiance and Wally gave the invocation and misled us in his history hint. As Joan knew (cause she looks these things up on the internet) on this day in 1884 there was no mention of dogs! The first roller coaster in the US was opened at Coney Island which went 6 miles an hour for some 600 feet. It is true that Nathan started selling “dogs” in the twenties at Coney Island but what kind of hint is that? Coney is Americanized Dutch for rabbit in case you wondered. Hopefully we impressed today’s speakers with our historical savior faire as they came to update us on our own Washington County Museum.
Our elderly President forgot his bag with money so appointed a very secret greeter to raise funds to pay Barry’s raffle winnings. This ploy worked because when Michael announced his victims, six annoyed members had to pay fines. There was further irritation when our President did his victory dance after winning today’s raffle.
Jack reported that Vern is in good spirits with his new heart valve but the Doctors want him to lay low for a couple of months. He would possibly appreciate a call or visit. Jack passed a map around showing where in Iowa he was born and gave us a quiz about famous people with weird names. His clue was guys who sculpt using dynamite? Gene claims to have a chunk of granite from one of these folks and Jack promises to auction off a rock from one of these tortured souls. Be cautious bidding on Jack’s auctions.  Michael, having recently returned from touring Texas, actually remembered the name of the Commander of the Alamo! (So, incidentally, did Mr. Meek at our Hillsboro Club and it cost Jack a breakfast.)
Our own 9/11 Ground Zero Chaplain and author, Wally, reminded us about Saturday’s yard sale at the Nazarene Church. He has decided not to have a book sale stand there so he can keep a better eye on our members and not be pestered by people wanting him to sign books. He is being interviewed today about his book by the Oregonian here at the Peppermill! He will also be here on Friday the 24th from 7-9 PM for a book signing.
Marv T passed out his latest proposed letter to our business community regarding our joint Golf Tournament with the Hillsboro Club scheduled for October 1st at Forest Hills. We need hole sponsors at $100 and a copy of their business card. This will fund our Dean Mitchell $1,000 Public Safety Scholarship and other children’s funding through our Club.
Monday night the Board reallocated $200 which had been designated for feasting and dancing girls while helping to erect playgrounds for children with the Park District to help fund Jordan Strahl’s Scout Eagle project. He is building things for the Beaverton Police’s K-9 section. We still need two more Board members and a Secretary. Joe also detailed transferring designated funds to our Youth and Community area instead of building a storage area and maintaining firewood equipment at the Jenkins Estate.
We gave a wrap-up report on the Optimist Jr. Golf Tournament conducted by the Hillsboro Optimists. They had 42 kids participate this year and raised about $3100. Their costs were about $1000 to the Meriwether Golf Club and they need to send each child to Florida with $695. The Pacific NW District also contributes about $1500. Last year they sent 5 children and anticipate sending about the same number this year. We funded Parker Ryan’s participation in the tournament this year.
Donna Schmidt and Sam Shogren updated us on our Museum. Besides updating the building they changed the name from an Historical Society and are now the Washington County Museum. They have exhibits from early Silicone Forest companies like Floating Point Systems and flat panel screens. Tonight they have free wine and paintings of our own Washington County artists. Perhaps they will sign their works?
Go to: www.washingtoncountymuseum.org  for exhibit schedules
Go to: http://beavertonoptimist.webs.com/  for pictures and bulletin

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Another Saturday, Another Playground

On June 4, the Beaverton Optimist Club and the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District completed the final playground installation project for the summer. This one was in the established older, neighborhood at Forest Hills Park.





The club assists the Park and Rec Department, the playground designer in the park projects, usually with neighborhood participation. The middle pictures shows one of the neighbors and their son helping out.

Friday, June 10, 2011

OPTI-BEA-BULL 6-09-11

Meeting started right on time with flag salute and invocation by Wally and 1954 this day in history. Soon after the opening the secret greeter was called for and Joe Coss was caught a little late on his rounds. We did welcome back Barry Baxter and Marv Doty after brief hospital stays. Still on the absent list is Vern Williams who is now home from heart surgery and doing well, hope to see you soon Vern.
Board Meeting: Monday June 13th at 6:30 P.M. at the PAL Club meeting room, all invited
Junior Golf: Our clubs entrant this year is Parker Ryan who is a sophomore at Aloha High School. The tournament is being held at Meriwether Golf on June 12th.
Rummage Sale: June 18th is the date for the Nazarene Church/ Optimist garage sale. Chairman Wally Johnston said you can deliver our items on the day before. The Church is located at 22nd and Hall. For those signed up to work on the sale see Wally for sign-up sheet.
Book Signing: Wally’s book signing will be held at the Peppermill Restaurant on June 24th and books will be $10.00 with no senior discounts. Coffee and donuts possible!
This Day in History: June 9, 1954 Joseph McCarthy meets his match, after Joseph Welch special counsel for the US Army lashed out at McCarthy when he said communism had infiltrated the U S armed forces. Welch”s verbal assault marked the end of McCarthy’s power during the anticommunists hysteria of the RED SCARE in America. To read more see me next week for breakfast.
Raffle: Today we had two raffles, the first was the drawing won by Barry ($9.00) and a bag of goodies brought in by Bob Arneson and auctioned off by Jack Franklin. And the winner was Scott Thompson.
Speaker: This morning’s speaker was Francis Maiser. BUTTONS,BUTTONS, if you wanted to know all about buttons you needed hear what Francis had to say. Starting with the Romans up to today’s buttons we were shown a button collection that she started many years ago. Thanks Francis for joining us this morning. Next week’s speakers are Donna Schmidt and Sam Shogren from the Washington county Historical Society Museum. Thanks to Joan Andersen Wells our Program Chair for June.
Program Chairs for coming months:  July, Meredith Weber, August, Wally Johnston, September, Bruce Buffington, October, Dick Schouten, November,  Joe Coss/Dave Chrisman. If you have an interesting speaker that would like to be a speaker please contact anyone above to see if there is an opening.  Also, as you can see, December is open for you to sign-up!!
Until Then              

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Beaverton Celebrates June 9th


 On this day in 1973 Secretariat wins the Triple Crown and Cole Porter was born in 1891 but most important...Barry Baxter and Marv Doty both felt well enough to rejoin us. Barry even won the raffle! Marv plans to go on walks with Vern Williams who was in the hospital at the same time and had his successful heart surgery.

Joan introduced Francis Maiser who brought lots of buttons and shared their history with us.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Steve Kruger Park Ranger 6-2-2011

Steve spoke at Beaverton's Optimist meeting about Stub Stewart State Park and the new Banks to Vernonia Trail for horses, bikes and walkers. Please ignore the large Hillsboro sign...it is just a reminder as to who still has our gavel even after we visited them on Tuesday and provided breakfast for one of their members. There are lots of festivities planned for this coming Saturday at the Park. They will be cooking hotdogs for visitors, showing off the frisbee golf course, displaying the mountain bike course and so on. In the future, the astronomy club and OMSI will be viewing the planets and stars here instead of Rooster Rock later this month.


Joan Andersen-Wells, this month's program chairperson, presents Steve with a thankyou mug. My apologies to our members who became confused due to the sign and thought they had accidentally visited the wrong club for breakfast.

Wally visited Marv D at St V's. He did have a stroke but is doing all right and has left ICU for his room 920. His son and daughter are there and he anticipates going home soon. Thank goodness Gene checked up on him and got him up to the hospital and they cleared out the partial blockage in his neck.