The meeting was held at John’s Repair, LeSueur, MN and called to order by Director Phil Ward.
We had three membership renewals. We received those close to the last meeting, so these were included in the last minutes’ Membership Report, but hit the Treasurer’s Report this month. We paid for the October meeting pizza. The only liability we have is to Treasurer Randy for expenses paid on behalf of the chapter, $63.83 for postage for minutes and membership renewal gifts since July.
Membership is at 170. New or renewed memberships received from this time forward will be extended through March 2006. This information is on the website.
A search for event insurance (to cover the ’05 rally) found policies to be cost prohibitive. Policies run from $600-$1000 nationally, and are at the upper range in MN. Thus, holding the rally at Jordan County Fairgrounds will not be possible.
Member Dale Jones presented information regarding the LeSueur County Fairgrounds in LeCenter, MN. After speaking with the fair board, Dale was offered a cement floor Morton building (60’x 125’) for $300 during the July 6-10 rally dates. The fair board does not require the club to carry the event insurance. However, it is expected that each motorcycle is covered by the owner’s own private insurance.
Also available at the LeSueur County Fairgrounds will be picnic tables for club use, bathrooms within walking distance (no showers), and a place to park RV’s (with electric hookup for a fee). Restaurants and gas stations are next door to the grounds.
After a brief discussion, it was decided that Dale should finalize plans with the fair board to hold the 2005 E-H Rally at the LeSueur County Fairgrounds in LeCenter from July 7-10 (July 6 begins the rally in Albert Lea; riders arrive at the fairgrounds July 7).
Elections - Nominations for Treasurer and Assistant Director will close at the end of the Jan. 16, 2005 meeting. Nominations can be submitted to the Secretary via email, mail, or phone (contact information below). Note that nominations submitted must be "in the hands" of the Secretary by the close of the meeting, so allow the appropriate transmittal time for the medium you’re using (at least 5 working days for US Postal, one day for phone or Sunday morning for email). Elections for these offices will be held during the Feb. ’05 meeting. Changing the election date to reflect membership participation was a temporary measure for this year. Chuck Barsness will research the by-law addendums necessary to make permanent the updated election dates.
Sturgis 2005 - A Sturgis event is being planned at the 333 Saloon in Beulah for an afternoon and evening. At this event, club merchandise will be available for purchase, and club memberships will be taken. Greg at the 333 Saloon will accept E-H memorabilia to be displayed at the 333 Saloon, so if anyone has memorabilia they’d like displayed on the “EH Wall” contact Greg, Chuck, or another of the officers.
Phil Ward’s e-mail has changed to: PJWard1707@hotmail.com If you have emailed Phil recently and have not received a reply, try resending to his new address. The Jan. 16 meeting will be held in the Cities. Location to be arranged by Sue Bidwell.
Party Time!!! The Pioneer Chapter’s Holiday Party will be held on December 4th from 6PM - ????. It will held at the Narrows North Saloon (formerly Pulaski's Palace) in Maple Grove, MN. To get there, go north of 694 on Hwy 81 to 93rd Ave. The address is 9375 Deerwood Lane N., Maple Grove, MN. Call 763-425-8175 if you get lost! The Pioneer Chapter will be furnishing hors d’oeuvres but it will be a cash bar. Come and join us for this social evening! As always, spouses are invited. Please contact event planner Bob Gerhart at rgerhart@earthlink.net or 763-315-1969 ASAP so we can get give the Narrows North Saloon a head count. We’ll try to get a list of nearby motels together on the website should you decide to stay overnight rather than drive home after the party.