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DECEMBER 2007
By Co-Presidents
Brad Spencer and Tom Custance

Attendance records are being broken everyday around the Newcomers compound. A
feeling of satisfaction if not actual exultation fills the corridors of this dawning Holiday
Season as a record number of members show up for events and join brand new activity
groups popping up on our Newsletter and our GTNewcomers.org website. Even
our November auction raised a record amount of funding for our club!

Our first program at the library this year included almost 60 people to hear The
Baykeeper (John Nelson) speak about important water issues impacting our environment
and specifically the Bay waters. He explained the mission of the Watershed
Center was to preserve, protect, and advocate for the freshwater resources of Grand
Traverse Bay and the 973 square mile watershed that feeds it.

Thanks to unprecedented membership donations and enthusiasm, our sole moneymaking
event, the November 12 auction raised a record $1,849.50. That was $500
more than last year. We are sure our Newcomers Presidents. Hawaiian Trip Benefit
Package will arrive any day now. Congrats to all donors and buyers! Stellar auctioneer
Lee Hosler kept the crowd in stitches the whole time. He may want a benefit package
now too.

A superlative performance by the Kobernus Men's Breakfast group was noted at the
Omelette Shoppe as well the other morning when 18 Newcomers stretched the length
of their backroom seating accommodations to the limit. It was great to see all the new
men in attendance. It was a pretty rowdy crowd but no one sang out of key as they
watched Dexter Keller eat his mile-wide apple pancake extravaganza.
A lively new Poker Group, which is led by Mike Huffman, has met twice, once at his
home and once at the Spencer residence. There were no tragic financial losses reported.
Also, Marlowe Bonner's recent four-mile Walk-in-the-Woods around Boardman Lake
was well attended with stops for local history by Carole Groves and lunch at the
Auntie Pastas. Spot Albert made another Walk-in-the-Woods appearance as well.

Thanks to the training workshops of Karen and Mike Coquillard, the new fourth
Euchre Group has formed. Such groups serve as major paths to friendship and Newcomers involvement, we believe, and would like to see even more such groups arise.

Two other new groups that recently formed are Joan Wallace's Quilting Group and
Judy Pelto's Film Group. Congratulations to these volunteer leaders also!

So.the club is active and doing well at this time, for which we are grateful. The next
big event is the Holiday Dinner on December 7. Get your tickets early and dance the
night away!!

NOVEMBER 2007 - PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

By Co-Presidents
Brad Spencer and Tom Custance

Like the Riesling, the Pinot Noir, and the Gewurztraminer - like the grape transplants themselves - we are putting down roots, more or less. We are all transplants from somewhere, valued for our consumption, for sure, but not becoming part of the land itself perhaps; we may be from a region, but not of the region. 

As Newcomers we may be from Houston, or Hawaii, or Ann Arbor, but now we are here and part of what is a cherry and wine region - and more importantly - a cherry and wine culture. We have a choice of becoming part of that culture, of putting down our roots like the grapes themselves, or just being guests here. and consumers...and perennially, newcomers.

The heart of the Grand Traverse region are the vineyards and the cherry orchards which give the region its character and beauty, the acres of vineyards heavy with fruit, the cherry trees covered with miraculous white and pink blossoms, all of which give the region its unique beauty and magnetism. Part of the joy of living here is the discovery of what lies beneath, of finding a true connection to the land and its people - the ones who really are the heart of this land, the heart of the culture. Most of us cannot become grape and cherry growers. but there may be ways to become part of the land and to become part of the people here. 

One way to become connected to this culture might be to work on the Cherry Festival as a volunteer. or to clean up a river. but there are other ways which will take us back to the land itself, to give a feeling of really putting down roots here. As a group, we might consider volunteering some of our time to assist some of the local independent vineyard growers to harvest their crops, for example, to actually work in the fields trimming off the grapes, getting to know the owners and their helpers, getting to know
the land and the culture of the region, of Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula. Would you be interested in volunteering in this way? Let us know if you would. 

Become a charter member of Grape Harvesters Anonymous. Call Brad, 946-3365 or Tom at 935-4805.

The brisk morning air.
The tinges of color that magically appear in the forests.
The trill of the referees. whistles.
The rumble of the school buses.
The flotilla of boats in the bays chasing the elusive salmon.
The End of Season sales.

These are just some of the signs that Fall activities have begun. Perhaps the most anticipated activities are found in the Newcomers Club. If you missed the opportunity to sign up for your favorite activity group at the Fall Kickoff Dinner, it's not too late! Check out our website (www.gtnewcomers.org ) or contact any of our officers and they will direct you to a group leader.

Our thanks to the committees that have been hard at work to keep our club dynamic. The bylaws have been reviewed and updated by Patti Custance, Letha Cairns, Nancy Harris, Matt Albert and Tom Custance. Our annual auction will be bigger and better thanks to the efforts of Matt Albert, Lee Hosler and Letha Cairns. Even our Spring picnic activities are being reviewed. It.s never too early to start!

The bay is such an integral part of our lifestyle here in Traverse City that we are sure you won.t want to miss the Baykeeper, John Nelson, as he informs us about the preservation and protection of the Grand Traverse watershed. We look forward to seeing you at the library at 7:00, October 23, for some social time followed by John.s presentation.

September 2007 - A NEW YEAR, A NEW OUTLOOK

“With a new and enthusiastic leadership team in place, we hope to bring new ideas and new goals to the Grand Traverse Newcomers Club for 2007-2008,” stated Co-President Bradley Spencer .

“We had a great year in 2006-2007 and hope to add new activities to attract more newcomers to make this year even better.” Spencer added.

The club recently inducted Co-Presidents Spencer and Tom Custance  to direct club operations for the new year with Judy Albert as the new club webmaster. Brad is a former English/Journalism teacher from Ann Arbor and Tom is a former teacher and counselor from Sterling Heights.

“It’s true, we’re both teachers, but don’t expect to be giving out hall passes this year,” Tom exclaimed. “We just want everyone to have a great time and get involved in our many activities.”

“We are working to brighten our online web pages which we expect to be completed by September 1,” Webmaster Albert stated. “We hope club members will get in the habit of checking our web site at  www.gtnewcomers.org regularly to keep abreast of club events and news. “We intend to add new features to the pages as we go along.”

“We have a good-looking newsletter too,” he added. “Our editor Jody Bennett, formerly of the Lansing Schools, has provided great service to the club over the last two years.”

Club dues have been changed this year to meet expected expenses, and to provide singles with a much sought price break. The dues will be $30 for couples, and $25 for singles. “We expect to keep our dinner prices as low as possible this year for special events just as we did last year” Spencer said.

“Our focus this year will be on building membership and providing great activities for all Newcomer members,” Spencer said. He added that one of the goals of the year will be to feature members in the club newsletter and the website and will ask everyone to help with this goal by filling out the new membership forms on BOTH SIDES.

 “We would like to have a complete picture file for all members if possible,” Spencer concluded.

    ONCE A NEWCOMER, ALWAYS A NEWCOMER—INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN

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