President David Bassham (left) with Mike Futscher, Wood Worker of the Year (right)
Joni Matthiessen
On Nov. 29 we gathered to celebrate another awesome year at the Woodshop! In the past, the Woodshop has always had great get-togethers at members’ homes, either to celebrate holidays or just to get together as a group. Since this year’s record-breaking explosion of new members, no one living here at the Ranch could now accommodate our size group. So, this year, Kathy Dial and Sue Wells put together the most fun evening at the clubhouse where we celebrated another wonderful year of playing at the Woodshop.
On arriving, we were met by Kathy Dial who handed out handfuls of tickets. We were advised to put our names on the tickets and that there would be drawings for various door prizes. Come to find out, our own master penmaker Loren Christensen, who heads up our Pen Making Club, spent his own money on all the pen kits and wood. He worked for hours secretly in his garage, making everyone a different pen (all 127 of us!). The pens awaited us at our place setting to use to write on our tickets. Thank you, Loren!
Then, upon entering the ballroom, we were greeted by the big guy with the beard dressed in red with a jolly “Ho, Ho, Ho” to start off the evening. It was great seeing you, Santa (Bob Hestes)! We had some social time to chat and browse the door prizes, followed by a delicious meal of chicken parmesan, pasta, salad, rolls, and cake for dessert.
Our outgoing president Dave Bassham then gave a PowerPoint slide show encapsulating the year, recognizing several people with various talents who absolutely make the shop work so well. Thank you, Dave, for all the time and energy you’ve given to the club over all these years. We so appreciate you and the board!
Our new board of directors is Kathy Dial, president; Joey Misiaszek, vice president; Sue Wells, secretary; Frank Hunter, treasurer; and Larry Ditch and Larry Daniels as shop managers. Dave then announced the recipients of our Founders Awards, which went to Jim Fisher, Larry Ditch, and Steve Russell who continue year after year to contribute greatly to the club. Finally, our Wood Worker of the Year Award was presented to Mike Futscher. Hats off to a great 2022! We thank all our board members for all the time and effort. Now, onward to another great year playing in the Woodshop!