Hello Gators,
Our Club has an fantastic array of exciting trips and activities for everyone! Please visit our website, read our weekly email blast and look through this newsletter to find out about them and sign up. Please spread the word about us and invite your friends and coworkers to check us out so more people can join in our fun. The larger our membership grows, the more fun events we can offer for your entertainment and enjoyment.
I would like to welcome our new Treasurer, Ann West, who was appointed in November. I would like to offer my deepest gratitude to our Board Members for their tireless dedication to our Club. They are the reason that we are enjoying such a great year. If you happen to talk to one of them, please let them know that you appreciate them.
We will be offering a marvelous holiday party on Friday, December 8th in lieu of the General Meeting. We will celebrate the season with a DJ-hosted dinner dance. Thank you, Evie Houston, for organizing this elegant event. The deadline for reservation and payment has been extended Wednesday, December 6th. Anyone trying to sign up after that will be charged $10 extra.
We will be having another spectacular full moon dinner at the beach on Sunday, December 3rd. We will bring our own food and chairs and enjoy moonrise on the beach in Jupiter. The first one on November 5th was wonderful, and this one should be just as nice. Thank you, Kathy Levas, for organizing these fun events.
Join the Gators as we view the annual Palm Beach Boat Parade at Juno Park on Saturday, December 2nd. This amazing parade of festively decorated boats will light up the Intracoastal Waterway for spectators in the evening. Be sure to come early to get a parking space.
We will be enjoying a new tradition, the sold out holiday candlelight walking tour in the Old Northwood Historic District on December 17th. We will visit showcased houses with various homes offering tastings from local restaurants and chefs. In addition, all homes will have wine, beer and water to enjoy! Kudos to Kathy Levas for arranging this marvelous experience!
November 18th marked the second Leisure Bike Ride series with Guest Leader Ray Collie leading an enjoyable ride in Abacoa. The next ride will be at Juno Beach in Abacoa on Saturday, December 2nd with Guest Leader Estela Basso. Look for a new ride every month, and don’t forget about the special weekend camping trip and bike ride at Lake Okeechobee in February. The cabins go quickly, so make your reservation now.
Our 2018 winter ski destinations include Winter Park, Colorado, Steamboat, Colorado; Andorra and Barcelona, Spain; Taos, New Mexico; Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Sierra Nevada, Spain. Jackson Hole has an opening for two people in a room with a queen bed. The other trips are taking wait list applicants. Spots open up frequently so I encourage you to get on the list. Please visit our website, read our weekly email blast and download our newsletter regularly to keep up with our trips.
A number of Gators have recently returned from the special Halloween cruise on the Harmony of the Seas in the Western Caribbean where they had a blast. Thanks, Debbi Haselmire, for organizing this fun trip!
A group of Gators represented the club at the Florida Ski Council Meeting in Orlando on the first weekend of November. Attending were President Sharon Long, VP / Ski Trips Walter Marussich, FSC Steamboat Trip Leader Ken Kingston, Carol Ashley, FSC Jackson Hole Trip Leader Chris McArdle, FSC New Zealand Trip Leader Karen Eslary and Acting Event Coordinator Patti Bochniak. At these meetings, we plan the trips that the FSC will be offering. For 2019, these include the January trip to Big Sky, the February trip to Park City and the March international trip to Cortina, Italy. Our next FSC meeting will be in early June 2018. Please contact me if you are interested in attending.
The Gators had a fabulous time at the Patriotic Luau party on November 11th where we celebrated Veteran’s Day. We enjoyed a barbecue dinner and appetizers along with dancing. The prize for the best tropical drink was won by Ann West, who brought not 1 but 2 rum punches. Thank you, Debbi Haselmire for organizing this fun event! Thanks also to everyone who helped.
The closing of the North Palm Beach Country Club has been postponed until May 2018. It will not reopen for at least 18 months. Starting in June we plan to move to the Marriott in Palm Beach Gardens.
Come to our regular Friday night happy hours, arranged for you by Debbi Haselmire with input from the Social and Special Activities Committee. Happy hour is a great way to start the weekend with your Gator friends. We have included some new and exciting venues mixed in with Club favorites. If you have any ideas for happy hours, please contact Debbi.
The volunteers on our Social and Special Activities Committee meeting are working hard to bring you great parties, events and trips this year. If you have an idea for an event, please bring it to the committee. If you would like to get more involved, please join the committee, volunteer to lead an event or trip, or offer to assist other officers. We are looking for volunteers to help us with our events, so please watch for our next meeting. Help us to make your Club even better.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
I wish you and your families a joyous holiday season.
Sincerely,
Sharon Long
President
