Presidents Letter:
Greetings one and all, I hope everyone is getting into the holiday season in their own way. For those who missed the holiday party, we had a lot of fun. We had a good turnout. First of all, I want to say thanks to Theresa, KG4TVM, for once again putting on a great event. The food was great and the company even better. Thanks to Sgt Tucker Renckert and Lance Corporal Sydney Ally coming on behalf of Toys-For-Tots. Thank you for your service.
Just to stop all of the rumors, yes it is true that Pinkie the Pig does exists. From random sighting to appearing in the Manassas parade, it became clear that the myth is a reality. To reinforce this, Pinkie surprised us at the party. What a real ham bone. She looked like she had a real swine time there. Even though she only stayed for a short time, this due to having to feed the piglets at home, I for one am happy she came.
Reflecting on this past year, it has been interesting to say the least. From our signature events Hamfest and Field Day, to our community service, such as the Mini-Tri’s and JOTA, also including the Prince William Half Marathon and the Manassas parade. The Manassas Park parade was canceled due to weather. Speaking of weather, the Manassas Airshow was pretty much a rain out event also. Hopefully next year will be better. In addition, we had the solar eclipse event that a number of club members participated in.
This year we started a new award called the Lifetime Achievement Award. The first two recipients were Butch, W4HJL, and Art, W1CRO. In following years, one person will be chosen. Congrats to Butch and Art. This year also brought in club recognition in the form of shirts and name tags. What better way to promote our club and amateur radio than by showing who we are and what we do for a hobby. A big accomplishment was a redesign of our website. I know that a lot of people were concerned about change, but when they saw it, their fears were put to rest. All of the changes were done to enhance the appeal of the club and to freshen up what had become stale. We also can’t forget about finding OVH a new home. Without club members, this would have been a harder process. Another project that was completed was the lettering of the trailer. After a number of years, it finally became a reality. Thanks to all the were involved in this endeavor. With the changes, I have seen more club members getting involved with different projects and this also brings in new ideas. Case in point, we have the D-Star back online thanks to a special group of people.
I could go on and on praising people and naming them, but to be honest, it was the club that did this. It is the club members that are willing to step forward and use their talents and skills to move forward. With more members stepping up, this will only increase the club’s presence in the community and what we do. I look forward to the new year and all of the new adventures that await.
I do want to thank Paul, W4ZB, for what he has done for the newsletter. His patience with me as I am always late with the newsletter.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
73 Ray KM4EKR