Southern Comfort Activities: January 2019

Monday, January 28, 2019

Meeting Minutes January 28, 2019

NEW ADDITION TO CALENDAR SINCE THE MEETING:

I was able to get in touch with the Border Patrol Station this afternoon and have scheduled them to come in and do a presentation for us followed by 1/2 hour of questions and answers. This will be held on February 19th at 10 AM in the Hall. Mark your calendars.

Chili Cookoff Winners:

The winners of the Chili Cookoff were awarded $25 Gift Certificates at the meeting this morning:

White Chili - Don Kellet
Vegetarian Chili - Bernice Keller
Meat Chili - Lynn Parkes

Shuffleboard News:

Doubles Tournament at Pine to Palms: Congratulations to Don Talbot and Bruce Weber who took 1st Place in the MAIN bracket and Alice Moore and Myra Haldorson took 4th place in the Consolation bracket (Beginner's bracket).

At the Mixed Doubles Tournament: Congratulations also to Graham and Lynda Newton took 1st Place and Bryan Weber and Alice Moore took 2nd in Main.

Southern Comfort will be hosting a Mixed Doubles Tournament January 29-31st. Approximately 60 Amateur teams and 70 Expert teams will be here during those days. It will be busy. Parking may be limited on those days but come out and enjoy the fun. Lunches will be available for all for a fee,

ENCORE TEAM NEWS:

Congratulations and best of luck to our Encore Teams. Please come forward when I read your names and stay standing because Lee is going to take a picture of the group of you. Everyone hold your applause to the end.

8 Ball: Paul Haldorson, Wil Kelley, Linda Cesario, Jean Rothfusz (alternate: George LeMay)

10 Point Pitch: Danny Haller, Jerry Williams, Yo Williams, and Linda Mitchell

500: Mark Reyhons, Irv Von Sprecken, Kathy Reyhons, Lois Tryggestad

Bean Bag Toss: Jack Savage, John Berry, Barb Savage, Eileen Derr (Alternate: Jerome Derr)

Bocce: Don Kellet, Bill McPherson, Ina Adams, Joan Gleason

Bridge: Linda Beaupain, Bernice Kellet

Cribbage: Randy Deppe, Jim Brown, Linda Mitchell and Elaine Austin

Darts: Liz Handy, Luella McPherson, Randy Lewis and Tony Kehler

Egg Toss: Randy Deppe, Jim Moldenhauer, Bernice Kellet and Luella McPherson

Euchre: Tryouts are tomorrow morning.

Horseshoes: Jim Groves, Ross Yocum, Liz Handy and Myrna Nanson (Alternate: Odin Gleason)

Pinochle: Bob Lucas, Ray Burchill,

Shuffleboard: Alice Moore, Myra Haldorson, (Alternate: Josie Zepeda/Pat Bremer)

Slow Bike: Randy Lewis, Mark Reyhons, Linda Lewis and Kathy Reyhons

Swimming: Bill McPherson, George Lemay

Texas Hold-Em: Randy Lewis, Jerry Williams, Gwen Kennedy, Linda Mitchell (Alternates: Bruce Greer and Penny Berry)

Not all the Encore Games Participants were here this morning. In fact, the Horseshoe Teams were already in action at Tropic Winds.

Let's give these guys a big round of applause and give them your best wishes!

BLANKET REPORT FROM SONDRA PLOWMAN:

We want to thank you for you generous donations of 190 blankets this year. Blanket distribution was made to the following agencies:

Estella.     (Friend)                                                                  7
Hidalgo Public Health Department and WIC 33
Davila Dialysis. 10
Dialysis. 10
Dr Lares Office. ( geriatrics doctor) 66
Baptist Church. 16
Rosie. (Friend) 6
Dr Lizardo Office.       ( pediatrics doctor) 42

Total. 190

I will still collect and store blankets for next year but I have stopped distributions for now. I have $40.11 in donations that I will use to start the blankets collection in the fall and I have 9 children’s blankets stored.

Thank you for being so generous and the agencies expressed their thanks constantly.

Next year I am adding knitted and crocheted stocking caps or beanies. I have 10 already! If you do not knit or crochet you can donate money to buy yarn or buy 4 ply yarn to donate. If you knit or crochet I can get you patterns or there are a lot of free ones on Pinterest. There is a bin under the tables in the front of the hall labeled “Yarn for hats”.   If you have extra yarn and can donate it please put it in the bin. Knitters or crocheters can pick colors from the bin.   Mix and match colors. Use a double strand for light weight yarn. No pompoms. No special colors. Stripes or blocks of color are OK. Keep it simple. Any size -adult through newborns.   Get started this summer and bring them down next year. I will distribute them with the blankets next fall. If you have suggestions of places I can distribute to please let me know.   If you have questions give me a call (Phone Number is in Directory) or stop by Lot #65.

CALENDAR CHANGES:

1. The Texas Mobile Imaging is on Thursday, February 7th, instead of the 6th. It is right on the form that he gave you.

2. The Dummy Rummy Tournament is on March 14th and not on February 28th.

RESIDENTS' COMMITTEE:

Ballot Results:

Annual Members: Tom Crouch resigned and, therefore, Adrian Zepeda is the annual member replacing Tom Crouch and Danny Haller is the alternate.

Seasonal Members: Pat Vaughn will be serving a three year term and Jarrel Johner will be serving a one year term. Randy Deppe is the alternate.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK:

January 29^th – Hilltop Gardens Trip -You can meet in front of the Hall by 8:45 AM and decide who is riding with whom. If you leave here by 9 AM, you will arrive by 9:45 AM at Hilltop Gardens. The cost is $8 per person and there is a signup in the back. You can pay when you arrive at the Gardens. Lee has a map of how to get to the Gardens if you need it. Just stop in the Activities Office.

February 2^nd - Iowa Brunch from 10 AM to Noon in the Hall. There are signup sheets at the back of the Hall.

Also, on the 2nd we have a Trip to the South Padre Island (SPI) Kite Festival - We plan on leaving here at 10 AM. Take your lawn chair, sun screen, hats and cameras. You can bring your own lunch and drinks or buy a hamburger or hotdog from one of the vendors. Then it is time to sit and watch some choreographed kite flying. It is pretty amazing what these flyers can make their kites do. It is a real treat to watch them perform. Then you can stop and eat dinner at your favorite restaurant on the way home. The signup sheet is at the back of the Hall. There is no charge for the event.

February 4th from 2 to 4 PM – Cruise on The Southern Wave, a Catamaran that is perfect for a leisurely day's sail. The on-board Chef prepares a feast of Grilled Shrimp, Chicken and Beef Fajitas and Fresh Fruit. They also have a musician on-board to entertain us as we sail. At our last park this was the favorite of all the trips that we sent out.

February 5th - Vipers Game - A bus will pick you up here at 3:40 PM and take us to the new Bert Ogden Arena. We will be having a catered lunch rather than stopping somewhere along the way. They could not find a restaurant willing to take us all in. After they pick us up, we’ll head over to the new Bert Ogden arena for a Vipers vs North Arizona Game. You’ll also receive a T-shirt. All of that for $35 each.

February 6th - Party Under The Palms - 4 PM Happy Hour, 5 PM Grilling/Picnic Food. The Amigos will be playing from 4 to 6 PM. Lawn Games including Giant Jenga and Ladder Golf. There will be signup sheet at the back of the hall this week so we can figure out how much food we need to purchase for the event.

February 13th is the Riverside Dreamer Cruise and Dinner - We have filled the boat and it should be a great trip. Lee has a map available in the Office for anyone that needs it. Let's meet in front of the Hall at 10:45 AM. You should arrive at Riverside by 11:30 AM. That will give them time to get everyone checked in. Try to take exact change which is $8 per person.

February 14th - we are selling Valentine's Dinner & Show Tickets at the back of the Hall today. The tickets are $8 each. The dinner is going to be Seasoned Boneless Pork Tenderloin, Baked Potato with all the fixings, Green Beans Almondine and a Dinner Roll. There will also be Cake and Ice Cream for Dessert.

The Show is a Womenless Beauty Pageant called "Beards In Bras". The stars will be several of our own residents who will be transformed into beauties. They will be judged by you in three categories: "No - Not You In A Bikini", "Insanity Reigns Interview", "Talent From Way Way Off Broadway".

February 7th - The next Tribute Concert - The Day The Music Died Concert (Buddy Holly) at Country Sunshine. For tickets check with Country Sunshine Activity Office.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 8th at 1 PM in the Hall - Join the Sky Med Team for Ice Cream and information about Sky Med and what they offer.

February 9th - We have a Happy Hour starting at 4 PM, followed by a Cookout and then at 7 PM the Horse Races in the Hall.

For the cookout, bring your own meat that will be grilled by our expert grillmasters. Also bring your own dinnerware and BYOB. There is a signup sheet at the back of the hall.

February 10th at 2 PM - Gene Turner (the Pick Pocket) Entertainment. $6 a ticket at the door. Gene is also a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist and makes numerous presentations weekly on the subjects of Identix-ty Theft Risk Reduction, Travel Safety & Security and Pickpocket Prevention. His presentations are both humorous and instructive.

February 10th at 6 PM - Ice Cream Sundaes in the Hall. $1.50 each for two scoops of ice cream and your toppings.

February 15^th (Friday) - The Ultimate Rolling Stones Tribute Concert (at our park). If you don't have your tickets yet, check with the Country Sunshine Activities Office to see what is available. There are no matinee tickets for this one.

February 17^th from 2 pm to 4 pm is the 50th Anniversary Party. If you are planning on attending, please sign up at the back of the Hall. There are two signup sheets. One for those celebrating their 50th Anniversary and one for guests who will be attending the celebration.

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After the meeting I sent Lee out to get pictures of our Manager, Victoria, and Myra Haldorson, working on getting the bleachers ready for tomorrow's tournament.

A Manager's work is never done!

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Dance With Regan James & The Hired Hands

Had a nice turnout for the dance tonight with Regan James and the Hired Hands. Fun times! Regan has been nominated for Country Band of the Year. He won last year and is in the running again this year.

Regan James & The Hired Hands

Regan out smoozing with the crowd during break.

Regan James & The Hired Hands

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Southern Comfort Chili Cook Off

Today we had the Chili Cookoff at our park. The All Encore Chili Cookoff is the 26th of February. The categories for the Chili are: Vegetarian, White Chili and Meat Chili.

The Winners today were:

White Chili - Don Kellett
Vegetarian Chili - Bernice Kellett
Meat Chili - Lynn Parkes

Here are some pictures from the event. They aren't really good because the lighting was terrible and I only had my phone with me instead of my camera, but they are better than no pictures!!

Luella & Bill McPherson, Bernice Kellett, Don Kellett, Lynn Parkes

Luella and Bill McPherson are the Coordinators of the event. They are with the winners in the three categories who will go on to compete with the other Encore Parks.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Monday Morning Meeting January 21, 2019

First a couple of Thanks Yous:

I'd also like to thank Danny Haller and Phyllis Talbot for attending the Entertainment Showcase at Mission Bell with us. It was another long day but we think you’ll be really happy with the entertainment and dance bands that we’ve selected for next season.

Also, thanks to Connie Carlson for decorating the hall for Valentine’s Day. It looks terrific!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR A COUPLE OF SPECIAL EVENTS IN FEBRUARY:

February 6^th – We’ll be having a Party Under the Palms. The Happy Hour will start at 4 PM and the party will begin at 5 PM. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy the music of the Amigos and lawn games like Giant Jenga. We’re going to have to cookout.Victoria and Deb have something special in store for you.

February 14^th (Valentine’s Day) – We’ll have a special Valentine’s here at Southern Comfort. We are going to have a dinner and a show. We are still working on the details of the dinner. The show will be a Beards In Bras Beauty Contest. Beards in Bras is a “womanless” beauty contest. The contestants will showcase their talent, creative costumes and interview questions for your delight and amazement. It should be a really fun evening!

February 20^th – I’ve added another dance on the 20^th with the Roger Kenaston Band. It is another band that I think you will enjoy but I’ll want your feedback on whether to bring them in next season.

Also, on that same note, I checked and got thumbs up on the Texas Wheels Band and those of us that were there really enjoyed them. The Band, however, has decided not to come back because they recognize their followers and could tell that we didn’t have much of a crowd from our own park.

Trips and Outings:

January 29^th – Hilltop Gardens Tour. Lee has a map of how to get to the Gardens if you need it. Just stop in the Activities Office. You can meet in front of the Hall by 8:45 AM and decide who is riding with whom. If you leave here by 9 AM, you will arrive by 9:45 AM at Hilltop Gardens. The cost is $8 per person and there is a signup in the back. You can pay when you arrive at the Gardens.

February 2nd (Saturday), join us as we attend the South Padre Island Outdoor Kite Festival. The Kite Festival is on February 1^st and 2^nd. We plan on attending on Saturday, leaving here at 10 AM o’clock. Take your lawn chair, sun screen, hats and cameras. You can bring your own lunch and drinks or buy a hamburger or hotdog from one of the vendors. Then it is time to sit and watch some choreographed kite flying. It is pretty amazing what these flyers can make their kites do. It is a real treat to watch them perform. Then you can stop and eat dinner at your favorite restaurant on the way home. The signup sheet is at the back of the Hall. There is no charge for the event.

February 4th from 2 to 4 PM – Take a cruise on The Southern Wave which is a large, stable and comfortable sailing Catamaran that is perfect for a leisurely day's sail. The on-board Chef prepares a feast of Grilled Shrimp, Chicken and Beef Fajitas and Fresh Fruit. They also have a musician onboard to entertain us as we sail. At our last park this was the favorite of all the trips that we sent out. The price is $32 per person and you can pay by check to Sail SPI. If we get 40 people to go we will fill the boat and two people will go for free. We will draw name for that. You can sign up for this trip today with Josie Zepeda at the back of the Hall. They will accept checks or cash.

February 5th – I had a request for Vipers Basketball Game tickets. We have received a package deal. A bus will pick you up here at an appointed time and take you all out to eat. We’ll get the time after they figure out how many parks are taking advantage of this deal and how they are going to transport all of us. After they pick us up, we’ll head over to the new Bert Ogden arena for a Vipers vs North Arizona Game. You’ll also receive a T-shirt. All of that for $35 each. Lee will be signing you up at the back of Hall today for this trip.

February 13^th at 11 AM – Arrive at Riverside Club in Mission for an hour cruise on the Rio Grande River and then have lunch. The cruise is $11 for seniors. After the tour, you can choose from their menu at lunch. Signup in the back of the hall. We don’t have to collect ahead of time on this trip. You can pay when you arrive.

ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK (Jan 21st – Jan 27th):

January 22^nd (Tuesday) we can enjoy the Chili Cookoff at 4 PM here in the Hall. Bill McPherson will be giving you more information on this a little later.

January 23^rd (Wednesday) – From 3 to 6 is Canada Day in the Hall and the “in park” Cribbage Playoffs will be held at 6:30 PM in the Outback..

January 24^th at 10 AM – Merle Norman will be in the Outback to give the facials to the ladies that had signed up previously and were stood up!

Also on the 24^th, the Abba Fab Concert is at Country Sunshine. There is a matinee and evening show. If you don’t have your tickets, contact Debbie in the Activities Office at Country Sunshine to see what is available.

January 25^th – There is a Friendly Shuffle.

January 26^th – The Minnesota Brunch will be held in the Hall from 11 to 1:30 PM.

That evening at 7 PM (Saturday), we have dance with Regan James, Hired Hand. Tickets are available at the door for $6.

January 27^th – The Midwest State Potluck (States include: Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas and Oklahoma) will be held in the Outback at Noon.

VOLUNTEERS:

Please let us know if anyone has a Croquet Set or a Ladder Golf Game. We'd like to use these at our Party Under the Palms Event which will be on February 6^th.

Get your tickets for the:

Winterfest at Schlitterbahn Beachfront Resort - Schlitterbahn has an annual Music Festival and this year it will be on Wednesday, January 30^th, from 10 AM to 5 PM. The music lineup includes Jeff Gordon, Lobo Del Mar, Diego, Jason Whorlow (the piano man), AbbaFab (the same tribute we have as part of the Encore Tribute Concerts) Tavie’s Rock & Roll and Leslie Blasing. Lee and I have a limited number of discounted tickets available in the Activities Office. Our advance tickets are $20. The at-the-gate tickets are $25. A meal of fish or shrimp basket with cole slaw and hushpuppies is included. Then, if you want to stay for the evening, you can add a resort room for $59 which is a major reduction in the price. Stop in the office if you are interested. It sounds like a great time!

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 29^th – Hilltop Gardens Trip - Signup sheet in the back of the Hall.

February 2^nd – Trip – SPI Kite Festival - Signup sheet in the back of the Hall.

February 4th - Trip - Catamaran Cruise at SPI - Signup sheet in the Back of the Hall - Stop in the office and see Lee to pay for the trip.

February 7th - The Day The Music Died Concert (Buddy Holly) at Country Sunshine. For tickets check with Country Sunshine Activity Office.

February 13th – Trip – Riverside Dreamer Cruise and Dinner - Signup in the back of the Hall - pay when you arrive at the Riverside Dreamer.

February 14^th – Valentine’s Dinner and Beards in Bras Show - Will be signing up next week.

February 15^th - The Ultimate Rolling Stones Tribute Concert

February 17^th - 50th Anniversary Party (Ross & Mary Yocum) – All are Invited

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Trailer Trash Party

The Trailer Trash Party was scheduled to start at 3 PM but people started showing up at 1:30 PM for put up their displays or fix their tables.

Just finished bringing in this trailer and now they are adding the awning.

The Beer Can Toss - we were practicing to see if the women could manage to hit the target. Based on our sampling of men and women, we moved the women's boxes a bit closer to us. We thought we had it about right, however, when the women won 130 to 15 we think maybe we gave women too big an advantage!

A few people were missing teeth!

One Table is Ready

I don't know but it looks to me like we have two women ready to hatch in the Office! Might have to look for more help!

Some of the Office Staff, Mary, Activity Director, Victoria, Manager, and Marlene Duke, Activities Clerk.

Table 10 is getting their space pretty well ready to be judged.

Twinkies - I knew some one would!

I had one of these cigarettes - really tasty!

Not sure I could eat this!

Yuck!

Love that Watch!

Someone is going to make sure they have a hearty dinner!

Carlos Canas was our entertainer today and he did a great job!

Hmmm, who has the biggest belly?

He may get a chill from the draft!

Lee talking with the Judges (Bobbie Douglas, Larry and Germaine Plett) for the Best Table Decorating!

Table 10 won the Best Table Decorations but it was close!

We had so many great costumes today. The Judges had a hard time deciding on who won so the audience had to help decide. The contestants all paraded to "Trailer For Sale or Rent" being sung by Carlos.