Newsletters

GUESTS: Steve Beer-Hutchinson Fire Chief, guest of Kathy Hanks. Parker and Bekah and families-AMTRYKE recipients and guests of the club. Darren Veh, physical therapist and guest of the club.

AMTRYKE PRESENTATIONS: Parker and Bekah were presented with their AMTRYKES. Taking control of their new bikes was no contest for these happy children. Carpet notwithstanding, the AMTRYKES were on the move in the Town Club dining room! Parker and Bekah thank you for sharing this moment with the membership!

2017-18 CLUB OFFICERS NEEDED: Contact incoming President Thad Bartley to volunteer for service in the next AMBUC year. A few positions still need to be filled.

ABBYVILLE RODEO-May 19 & 20, 2017, 8:00 P.M. nightly. The state rodeo queens will be joining us this week for breakfast! For more information about the rodeo, contact one of our own, Doyle Ehling!

MAY 19, 2017 PROGRAM: Steve Eck, basketball coach for the 2017 NJCAA National Champions, Hutchinson Blue Dragons. Another good reason to come to breakfast and bring a guest with you!

PROGRAM for May 12, 2017: Steve Beer, Hutchinsons new Fire Chief, was the guest speaker. He has 30 years of experience and is from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Steve stated he will establish a community driven strategic plan with input from citizens. He also complemented our firefighters on the effort to combat the grassland wildfires in March of this year. When the fires were jumping one-quarter to one-half mile at a time, the firefighters confined the losses to ten homes and property losses of less than one million dollars. Look for further developments from our new fire chief.

LUCKY ACES DRAWING: Terry B. drew the 6 of hearts for $5.00.

NEWSLETTER DRAWING : Harley Macklin was not present. (up to $40.00!)

NEWSLETTER QUESTION: What are the dates of the Abbyville rodeo?

GUESTS: Gail Yohn and his son Greg, our program and guests of John Knipp. Honorary member Colby Davis.

FINES: John Knipp soloed as Sergeant. Thad paid the stand-in Presidential fine. Jay Pitzer was fined a guilt by association fine because The Highlands is trying to become a Third Class City. A pin check brought numerous fines. Duke paid a fine to thank Kathy Hanks publicly for a front page story that she wrote that he really liked.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: None that I can remember.

PROGRAM: Kathy Hanks introduced Gail Yohn and his son Greg. Greg is a member of the Hutchinson All Stars team that participates in area Special Olympics events. Whitey Alpers was coaching Special Olympics here in Hutchinson and asked Gail if he would like to help coach. The All Stars team has 13 members ranging from age 12 to the oldest member of the team who is Greg. Hutchinson also has the Hawks team from HHS. Nickerson, Haven and Buhler also have teams. They must do fundraising year round to help cover annual team expenses for attending events. The Kansas Special Olympics Summer Games will be held at the Maize South High School with some events held at the Wichita Northwest YMCA. There are 16 sports events; Athletics, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Cheerleading, Cycling, Flag Football, Golf, Powerlifting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, Alpine Skiing, and Cross Country. Greg has won many medals over the past 27 years and has given back medals to be recycled and awarded again. The participants goal is keep their eye on the ball and to have fun. Greg will be inducted this year into the Kansas Special Olympics Hall of Fame for participating the past 25 years. Kathy presented Gail a check from our club for $250 to help with team expenses.

Lucky Ace Drawing: Stan Macgirvin drew the Jack of Clubs for $5.

Newsletter Drawing: Ward Davis had just left.

Newsletter question: For $35What is the team name that Greg Yohn participates with?

5/12 Program: Steve Beer, new Hutchinson Fire Chief

5/19 Program: Steve Eck, HCC Head Mens Basketball Coach & the Abbyville Rodeo Queens

5/26 Program: History Talk by Steve Conard & Steve Harmon

Editor: Steve Conard

GUESTS: Pam Paulsen-KSU horticultural extension agent, guest of Kathy Hanks. Brother Curtis Mitchell was present also (but just needed a little encouragement to come see us).

SGT. REPORT: After the Dukester rang us in, Sgt. John proceeded with the weekly sweeping of the funds. Scott P. was fined for not telling the Sgt. good morning. Bob Tolar and Ward D. were fined for being late. Duke was fined for far too much openness at the previous weeks meeting. Guy was fined for identifying the wrong error in the last newsletter. Dane received a presidential fine for being a past president. Fred and Jay were fined for not paying attention. Curtis was assessed a tardy tax.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

2017-18 OFFICERS: Contact Thad Bartley to volunteer to serve as an officer for the next AMBUC year. The new year starts June1!

COMMUNITY SERVICE MEETING: May 5, 2017 at 6:30 A.M.

ABBYVILLE RODEO: May 19 & 20, 2017, 8:00 P.M. nightly. The state rodeo queens will join us at breakfast on the 19th! For more information, talk to Doyle Ehling or access: www.abbyvillerodeo.weebly.com.

PROGRAM: Pam Paulsen shared her experiences and photos from her trip to the Philippines. Her mother was from the Philippines and was visiting family with her. Photos included the Malacanang Palace, the University of Philippines-Diliman, orchid show, BATAC-Home of Great Leaders, Kapurpan Rock formation and the Taal Volcano. Foods of the region included mushrooms, coconut dishes, fresh fish and carabao.

LUCKY ACES DRAWING: Terry B.-4 of hearts-$5.00.

NEWSLETTER DRAWING: Dan Power-not present ($30.00 next meeting).

May 5, 2017 PROGRAM: Gale Yohn of Special Olympics.

NEWSLETTER QUESTION: What was the name of the volcano in the Philippines?

GUESTS: Ron Sylvester, our guest speaker, and Christine McKeown both with The Hutchinson News.

FINES: John Knipp soloed as Sergeant. Paul Hardenburger paid because his daughter Julia had a write up in The Hutchinson Newsagain. Troy Thode paid for a story he told but it wasnt repeatedhmmm. Darren Wicks was fined for making eye contact with the sergeant at the wrong moment and Paul Brown and Dwight Wiehl paid for sitting with a guilty party. Dane Power paid the customary Presidential fine. You know youre getting old whenyou cant remember what happened last Friday without neat accurate notes and you cant read your own handwriting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Troy Thode requested candidates for next years slate of officers. So volunteer now or he will come hunt you down.

Darren Wicks said he didnt have totals yet but sales were down for the NJCAA Tournament at 609 shirts compared to approximately 800 last year.

Doyle Ehling announced that Rodeo season will be here in about a month and you know what that means.

PROGRAM: Kathy Hanks introduced Ron Sylvester, Managing Editor of the Hutchinson News. Ron has been in Hutchinson at The News for 2 years. Ron presented a Power Point presentation extolling the assets we have here in Hutchinson; The Cosmosphere, Stratica, The Fox Theatre, NJCAA Tournament and The Kansas State Fair just to name a few. We are very lucky to have 2 of the 8 Wonders of Kansas right here in our hometown. The Hutchinson News was recently purchased by GateHouse Media. The News is #3 of the top 10 Kansas newspapers by circulation. He talked about how the market has changed over the years along with the demographics and how newspapers are adapting to meet the changes, but they still need subscribers. One of the new changes, The News recently purchased several URLs for new websites one of which is kansasquakes.com. The News is a very involved community based paper who will report our local news in the best possible way and has since 1895. They want to continue that tradition into the distant future and they need our help and support to do that.

Lucky Ace Drawing: Harley Macklin drew the Eight of Hearts for $5.

Newsletter Drawing: Tom Hymer didnt read his newsletteras newsletter chairman.

Newsletter question: For $25Who was our female guest and a past member who visited?

Next Meeting: Pam Paulson, K-State Horticulturist, recent trip to the Philippines.

Editor: Steve Conard

GUESTS: Caden and Colby Davis-guests of Dad, Ward.

SGT. REPORT: Colby said Sgt. John was struggling and needed help. Ward paid. Dan paid for his Africa trip. Pat F. paid for just being present. Randall H. paid for a reach tax. Doug, Jay and Dennis paid for talking while the Sgt. was in charge.

PROGRAM: Dan Power provided an impromptu program on his recent African hunt. South Africa was his destination for big game. The weather was dry; the temperature was in the 50s to 70s; and the terrain was rocky with cactus. Tall boots were in order to deal with the puff adders and cobras. But Dangerous Dan was in the hunt for a sable with horns of 40 inches or more! His guide had him pass on several big possibilities until the record sable was in sight. If you have seen all of Dans trophies, you know he is not going to miss. End result, a sable with record length horns of 44 inches for Dans collection! Since Dan was so successful on his trip, his attention turned to bagging springbok and bush pig. Check and check, these animals were added to the game bag. Dans only difficulty was air travel back home. Delays and baggage snafus were a part of the process. But all is not lost, Dan landed on a flight with the AMBUC Executive Director coming in for the Great Plains Regional Conference.

LUCKY ACES DRAWING: Rod Calhoun, on only the 5th card pulled from the deck, drew the Ace of Spades. Winner of an undetermined amount!

NEWSLETTER DRAWING: Stan (Marvin) Macgirvin was not present (up to $25.00 next time).

NEWSLETTER QUESTION: What snakes did Dan avoid on his hunting trip?

4-21-17 PROGRAM: Kathy said it is special, so bring a guest!

GUESTS: Dave Moore, guest of Randall Haltom. Tracy Tanley our guest speaker.

FINES: John Knipp and Doug Foss were our Sergeants. Randall Haltom, Harley Macklin and Scott Potucek were fined for talking and guilt by association. Guy Gann was fined for trying to run down John Knipps wife. John then preceded with trivia questions about the Fabulous Flippers band that once played Hutchinson regularly. The Sergeants closed out with a pin check.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Board Meeting at 6:15 AM.

PROGRAM: Kathy Hanks introduced Tracy Tanley, General Manager of The Alley. The Alley began following the closure of Countryside Lanes. Tracys dad started working at Countryside Lanes as a mechanic and later became Manager. Tracy started working at Countryside Lanes at age 14. She also bowled while attending KU then stopped bowling for several years to raise a family. Joma Bowling Company purchased the equipment of Countryside Lanes. Tracy approached Joma for a manager position should a new bowling alley be built in Hutchinson. Not only did she get her wish for her dream job she also got much of the equipment from Countryside Lanes. This proved to be a mixed blessing because the older bowling equipment, while being very well built, had deteriorated over time and needed rebuilding. The Alley has done this and it will be ongoing. The Alley has 20 lanes plus 6 additional lanes in a separate Back Alley which can be booked for private parties. They also offer arcade games, laser tag, bumper cars and AJs sports bar. Most traveling league competitions want 24 lanes close together and they really didnt build the Alley to cater to this group. While league bowling was the bread and butter of the former Countryside and Riverside lanes the Alley was built mainly for local users and visitors to our city. Today it is more casual infrequent groups. They also specialize in hosting events such as birthday parties, after-school parties, church rentals, corporate parties and fundraising. Party hosts oversee these events. The Alley also provides many job opportunities for local youth. If you havent been in to see the new facility I urge you to go and see it. It is quite different than the bowling alleys of the past.

Lucky Ace Drawing: Steve Conard Jack of Clubs for $5.

Newsletter Drawing: Stan Macgirvin didnt read his newsletter.

Newsletter question: For $20In what bowling alley did Tracy get her start?

Next Meeting: Kathy is gone 4/14 so it may be impromptu. A special guest for 4/21.

Editor: Steve Conard

GUESTS: Sheri Stauffer, guest of Brad Thompson. Robert Nielson and Tim Dressman, both guests of Guy Gann. Todd Brown, guest of John Knipp. Mike McQueen guest of Jeff Brewer. Chris Grilliot our guest speaker along with family members Sam, Stan and Tom Grilliot. Honorary member Colby Davis.

FINES: Since it was Big Hat Friday Brad Thompson and Stan Macgirvin were our Sergeants. Guy Gann and Steve Conard were fined for not wearing their Big Hat. Duke Wiggins paid since he was acting President. Steve Conard paid for a table tent advertising an upcoming history talk at the town club (ratted out by Paul Brown). John Knipp was fined for having the day off as the real Sergeant. Ward Davis was fined for being late. Rod Calhoun was nice and paid Colbys fine for also being late by association. Harley Macklin, Dwight Wiehl and Randall Haltom (since they were sitting together) paid for not having a Big Hat yet. Jay Pitzer was fined for impersonating Little Jack Horner sitting in the corner. Kathy Hanks was granted immunity by Brad since she does such a good job with programs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Community Service Meeting at 6:15 AM.

PROGRAM: Kathy Hanks introduced Chris Grilliot who is an International Pilot. Chris was raised in RenoCounty then served in the Air Force for four years. He then attended the University of North Dakota for flight training. Chris moved to Minnesota to be a cloud seeding pilot for hail suppression. After that Chris moved to the Middle East to pilot for a US defense contractor. He then spent 10 years as an airline pilot. Following that he was also a pilot in Bamako, Mali and the Niger RiverValley in West Africa. Chris showed a slide presentation of his Africa travels.

Lucky Ace Drawing: Mike McQueen drew the King of Spades for $5.

Newsletter Drawing: Doyle Ehling left early so no drawing.

Newsletter question: For $15In what City and Country in West Africa did our speaker pilot in?

Next Meeting: Tracy Tanley, General Manager of The Alley

Editor: Steve Conard

GUESTS: Darren Busick, KSU extension agent, guest of John Knipp. Shirley Power, guest of Dan and Dane.

SGT. REPORT: Sgt. John tried to test the membership with NCAA tournament trivia. Duke spoke out of turn and was fined. Thad was fined for committing a Duke classic, transfer mayhem.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BIG HAT MEETING-MARCH 31, 2017, 7:00 A.M. The Big Hatters will be large and in charge this Friday A.M. Bring your Big Hat and be on time or bring plenty of cash, if you dont!

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS MINGLE, AUGUST 10, 2017. Thad Bartley is looking for volunteers to serve on a committee to assist with planning this event. John Knipp is the first volunteer. Contact Thad by e-mail or phone to help!

NJCAA T-SHIRT REPORT: Darren Wicks thanked Brad T., Stan and Curtis M. for extraordinary assistance with the booths. The location of the south booth may have impacted sales. A full report will become available at a later date.

PROGRAM: Dan Power shared photos and video of his trip to Hong Kong with Shirley and Dane. Hong Kong is now a special economic district of China about the size of Wichita with a population approaching New York City numbers. Housing is at a premium with 500 square feet costing 300K to 500K. Photos of the marketplaces included multiple varieties of birds, fish and flowers. The presentation concluded with a video of Danes bungee jump from the highest one in the world. Dane has also jumped from the second highest in New Zealand!

MARCH 31, 2017 PROGRAM: CHRIS GRILLIOT-INTERNATIONAL PILOT.

LUCKY ACES DRAWING: Troy-$5.00.

NEWSLETTER DRAWING: Keith Geist left early. $10.00 next week.

NEWSLETTER QUESTION: What is the date of the YP Mingle?

GUESTS: No guests. No President. No Program. Happy St. Patricks Day!

FINES: John Knipp quizzed each table about Irish Trivia and collected fines from those who did not know the answer. Thad Bartley paid a Presidential fine for filling in. Those who did not wear Green also paid a fine.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dont forget to work your shift this week.

PROGRAM: Darren Wicks discussed the NJCAA Basketball Tournament that is now in progress. The East Booth remains unchanged but the West booth is gone and has been replaced by a new booth in the new South addition to the building. The new booth is completely empty and has no counter. We are reducing choices to White and Gray short and long-sleeved shirts only. Sizes choices are also being reduced at both ends to reduce inventory. A sign-up sheet was in progress.

Lucky Ace Drawing: Brad Thompson drew the Ace of Spades to win $60. We begin again next week.

Newsletter Drawing: None since website was down and newsletter couldnt be posted.

Newsletter question: For $5The new booth is in which area of the Sports Arena?

Next Meeting: My guess is NJCAA?

Editor: Steve Conard

GUESTS: Mikayla, Sandra and Jacob Milburn; Sophia and Stacy Rose; Maggie and Candace Davidson-guests of Kathy Hanks.

SGT. REPORT: Ole Sarg was not present and was greatly missed!

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CASINO SURVEY RESULTS: President Simmons reported on the casino survey. The results were quite mixed. The club will continue with 3 to 4 casinos per year until a majority of the club membership direct otherwise. The Board will address establishing a committee for operation of the casinos.

YP MINGLE: The Hutchinson AMBUCS will be sponsoring a Young Professionals Mingle at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in August to increase awareness and visibility for the chapter. Look for future announcements of the date and time in the newsletter.

CLUB OFFICERS FOR 2017-18: Are you interested in serving as an officer or a committee chairman during the next AMBUC year? Contact Thad Bartley to volunteer and register for the Regional Conference in Dodge City for training. You would have received the registration materials for the conference in an earlier e-mail.

NJCAA National Basketball Championship March 20-25, 2017, Hutchinson Sports Arena: Members, please clear your calendars to volunteer at the T-shirt booth at the Tournament. Darren Wicks will have a schedule available in the very near future. Sign up and take a look at the renovations in progress for the Arena.

PROGRAM: Save the Elephants, a local fundraising effort by fifth-graders from Plum Creek Elementary, Mikayla Milburn, Maggie Davidson and Sophia Rose was our program. The ladies raised donations to save African elephants from poaching for their ivory tusks. $1285.01 was raised with 100% of those funds going direct to Save the Elephants. The hat was passed; and AMBUCS added $102.00 to the cause.

MARCH 3 PROGRAM: Jesse Brothers-videographer.

NEWSLETTER QUESTION: Doug Foss won. (But he doesnt think $10.00 is enough!)

LUCKY ACES DRAWING: Darrin Wicks-$5.00 for the 4 of clubs.

NEWSLETTER DRAWING: What month are we sponsoring the YP Mingle?