THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

After walking, participants went downtown to enjoy several varieties of hot dogs, pie and ice cream. The merchants of Clear Lake sure know how to throw a party!

At our regular meeting, held before the walk, several members were honored with service awards. Meritorious Service Awards went to Janet Gerjets, Bill Hofstad, Duane Neugebauer, Dee Parsons and Quent Parsons. Donna Campbell, Lee Frantz and Larry Gerjets received a Certificate of Service Award.

Our club would like to welcome new members Deidre Busacca, Steve Hayes and Sandy Smith. We hope they will become involved in club activities and enjoy walking with other club members.

Registration at the National AVA Convention in Texas in June was down. The economy and the hot, humid weather were blamed for the decrease. One measure adopted dealt with credit for both days for multi-day events provided the fee was paid for both days. The AVA National Convention for 2011 will be held in Des Moines, Iowa.

The North Central Regional Conference for 2010 will be held in Rapid City, SD in October. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Black Hills Volkssport Association's 10-10-10 Journey Event. Ten events will be offered for the Journey Event with an additional 21 area walks that participants can opt to do. No other regional events will be sanctioned during this time to encourage members to attend the conference and Journey events. Tentative schedule for the weekend:
Friday, October 8: 8-10 AM: Meet and Greet and Workshop. Rest of the day: 2 walks and 1 bike event.
Saturday, October 9: 2 walks, 1 bike and 2 swim events. 6-8 PM: Complimentary ice cream social.
Sunday, October 10: 2 walks
Club members should make plans to attend this event. It will be like the Dakota Dozen--only another club does all the work!!!

Year Round Events for PWVC for 2010 are: Brookings and Chamberlain. Seasonal Events will be held in Mitchell, Oacoma, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus and Sioux Falls Downtown. One- and two-day events can be planned and must be turned in to Dan by the December meeting to be finalized and sanctioned.
Everyone please be thinking about some new events for next year!

The Black Hills Volkssport Association recently sponsored a bus trip to Wyoming. Prairie Wanderers Quent & Dee Parsons and Dan & Ellen Peters went on the trip. The thirty-four trippers walked in Buffalo, Cody, Yellowstone Fairy Falls, Sinks Canyon and Thermopolis. Everyone enjoyed the walks, meals and fellowship.

Bev and Paul Bergman have volunteered to do the yearly audit with our Treasurer, Sam Vaughn.

Our next meeting will be held on October 3rd after the National Volkssport Month Walk at Oakwood Lake. Everyone please plan to attend and support the club for the last one-day event for the year!!!!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
JULY/AUGUST 2009

Our regularly scheduled meeting was held after the walk. Vice President Dee Parsons conducted the meeting as President Dan Peters was unable to attend.

Congratulations to Bonnie Johnson on her re-election as North Central District Regional Director and a seat on the National Executive Council XV.

Duane Neugebauer has proposed a second walk in the Chamberlain area. Duane and Dan will work on the route and starting point. The proposal is for a seasonal walk starting at Cedar Shores Resort in Oacoma--just across the Missouri River from Chamberlain.

The Black Hill Volkssport Association has been awarded the 2010 Regional Conference. The conference will be held in conjunction with the BHVA 10-10-10 Journey Event on October 8, 9, 10, 2010. No other events will be sanctioned during this time period to encourage members to attend the Black Hills conference and walking events.

Several members received awards for their service to our organization at the AVA Convention in June:
Meritorious Service Award: Janet Gerjets, Bill Hofstad, Duane Neugebauer, Dee Parsons and Quent Parsons.
Certificate of Service Award: Donna Campbell, Gary Lee Frantz and Larry Gerjets.
Awards will be presented at the August club meeting. If you are unable to attend, please contact Dan so we can work out a time for you to receive your award.

Congratulations to Duane Neugebauer for achieving 300 Events, Bill Hofstad 375 Events, Sharon Hofstad 550 Events, Quent & Dee Parsons 650 Events, Marge Oehlke 1050 Events.
Distance Awards went to Bill Hofstad 3500 KM and Sharon Hofstad 6000 KM.
College Campus Events completed by Quent and Dee Parsons.

Participation numbers for our year round and seasonal events for the first half of 2009 are: Sioux Falls Downtown 82, Chamberlain 21, Mitchell 17, Yankton 16, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 15, Brookings 11 and Yankton Lewis & Clark 9. The reason our numbers are so low is due to lack of participation by our club members.

Our annual "e-Postcard" has been filed with the IRS for the AVA fiscal year ending June 30. Since our club income is less than $25,000, completing the form takes care of our tax filing for this year.

We need two volunteers to do the audit of the club's financial affairs for the past fiscal year. The audit needs to be finished by the middle of September. Dan and Sharon are not eligible to do the audit as they must certify the document. Sam and Chuck cannot serve as auditors as they are the authorized signatory on club checks.

EUNICE SOLEM INVITES EVERYONE TO ATTEND THE HOT DOG DAY WALK IN CLEAR LAKE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 21st.
We will hold our regularly scheduled meeting at 2 PM before the walk registration begins at 3 PM.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
MAY/JUNE 2009

President's Report: Dan reported that he has cast the ballot for Bonnie Johnson for North Central Regional Director. Bonnie has agreed to carry the PWVC proxy to the National Convention in June. PWVC will give $25 to help sponsor the North Central booth at the convention.

Oor 2009 walks are off the a very slow start. Could be because of our weather? Now that we are experiencing some Spring-like weather and warmth, maybe we can get out and enjoy walking!

St. Cloud has put in a bid to host the 2010 Regional Conference. No other clubs in the North Central Region have submitted a bid.

All walks in eastern North Dakota are closed until flooded areas are cleared. They may reopen in June.

Dan & Ellen have condensed all old PWVC records and memorabilia. If anyone has material from 1983-1990, please give it to them to be added.

There is a new club in our region--the Heartland Walkers in Hastings, Nebraska. Check the AVA website, www.ava.org

Lynn Clark has been appointed interim Vice President of AVA to replace recently deceased John Ferguson. Election will be held in June.

The club has voted to adopt the revised version of the Constitution and By-Laws. A signed copy will be sent to AVA Headquarters.

Tater Tours will be staying in Sioux Falls on the night of June 5th on their way to Crazy Horse. Sharon will meet and greet them with water and snacks when they arrive.

Dan needs information for the 2010 walks by the June meeting.

Congratulations to Dan & Ellen for achieving 1450 Events!

There was a great article in the Brookings newspaper about Lee Frantz, his retirement, etc. I will have a copy at the meeting if anyone wishes to read it. Congratulations Lee & Donna! We're going to miss you when you move to Omaha.

Our next meeting will be on June 13th in Brookings after the Flag Day Walk.

Everyone please come to walk--wear your best red, white and blue patriotic costume--prizes awarded! Registration begins at 8 AM at the SDSU Wellness Center. Start anytime up until 11 AM, finish the walk by 2 PM.

Here is a list of members whose dues are in arrears:

Joan Anderson
Helen Bechtold
Keith and Pam Fennema
Mary and Mike Eichelberg
Richard and Mary Grebel
Martha Hobbie
Linda Hoffett
Sonja Iverson
Cynthia Johnson
Jeni Like
Al and Alice Lunden
Arlene Mathieson
Margery Oehlke
Nancy Teachout

If you wish to remain a member, please forward your dues ($5 per member) to:
Betty "Sam" Vaughn
3310 Pine Avenue
Brookings, SD 57006

We'd like to keep all of you as members!
If you have already paid your 2009 dues, please disregard.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
MARCH/APRIL 2009

President’s Report: Several clubs have listed their up-coming events as online brochures. These can be accessed at www.ava.org.

Members are urged to go to www.goodsearch.com and type in The American Volkssport Association to get funds for AVA.

Bonnie Johnson has put in her bid for re-election as North Central Regional Director. PWVC will vote for her re-election and Dan will register the vote by mail.

PWVC will not be sending a delegate to the National Convention in Dallas in June. Dan will find a delegate from another club to carry our proxy.

Executive Committee in Tucson: The club disapproved having a certified trailmaster for each individual club.

Constitution and By-Laws: Sharon reported several changes to the current document. Discussion was held and the revised version will be sent to all members with the newsletter in early March. Voting for approval on the final version will be held at the April meeting.

Old Business: Dan & Ellen are working with the club’s archives. Does anyone have secretary files of minutes or newsletters dating from 1983-1992? Also the club’s charter is not in any of the files.

If any members have event registration logs and/or start cards dated 2001 or prior, please destroy them or bring them to the next meeting and Dan will dispose of them.

New Business: Gwen wants to send out special publicity for one-day walks. Suggestions were: putting an article in The American Wanderer, sending postcards to former members/walkers and putting public service announcements in local newspapers. Discussion was also held concerning how we can make our meetings more interesting.

The April meeting will be on Thursday, April 9 in Sioux Falls. There will be a group walk starting from the Country Inn and Suites at 3 PM, members will have dinner together at the Falls Overlook Cafe at 5:30 with the meeting to follow at 6:30.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

Sixteen members and one guest met at the home of Sam Vaughn on Sunday, December 7th for our annual Christmas Party. Sam and her co-host, Chuck Kunstle, served a delicious Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. We were entertained with a piano concert by Chuck, played some games and had a gift exchange. A big thank you to Sam and Chuck for making this such an enjoyable day.

The last meeting of 2008 was held. Dan asked for a report from the Nominating Committee: Lee Frantz, Quent Parsons and Fayne Bell. The proposed slate of officers for 2009-2010 were: President-Dan Peters, Vice President-Dee Parsons, Treasurer-Sam Vaughn with Chuck Kunstle as second signature on the bank account, Secretary-Sharon Hofstad. There were no nominations from the floor. Paul Bergman moved and Eunice Solem seconded that the proposed officers be elected. Motion approved by acclimation.

New Business: Dan announced that the next Executive Council will meet in Tucson, AZ on February 27 & 28, 2009.

The Checkpoint from AVA Headquarters is now available online at www.ava.org

There is one copy of STARTING POINT 2009 available for purchase. Contact Dan.

After discussion, Sharon Hofstad moved and Quent Parsons seconded that the club buy the current version of Quicken to be installed on Sam's computer. Motion carried.

Is anyone planning on attending the convention this June in Richardson, Texas? If so, would you be interested in being the club delegate? The membership usually votes to pay the convention registration fee for our member delegate. If no one will be attending, Dan will start searching for someone to carry our proxy.

Reminder that our Year Round Events are open in Brookings, Chamberlain and the walks in Yankton and the Lewis & Clark Recreation Area. It is probably a little too cool for a long walk but the weather will improve. Also, remember that you can walk each of our Year Round and Seasonal Events twice each calendar year for IVV Event Credit-one time before the end of June and then again starting July 1st. When you stamp your IVV Event Credit Book the participation fee is $3 per walker. You can walk for IVV Distance Credit as many times as you desire, but you must pay the fee each time. If there is enough interest we can start the Frequent Walker Program again.

Old Business: Proposed one-day walks for 2009 are: May 16th in Brookings, August 21st in Clear Lake, September in Sioux Falls ? and October 3rd at Oakwood Lake.

Members are asked to review the Constitution and By-Laws. If there are changes to be made, they should be addressed before the February meeting. Janet Gerjets and Sharon Hofstad will have a draft by then.

If anyone has any ideas of what we can do to make our club meetings more interesting, bring your ideas to the meeting or email them to Dan. Some clubs have guest speakers or have short training sessions, etc.

Congratulations to Margery Oehlke for achieving 1000 Events.

Our next meeting will be on Sunday, February 8th at Godfather's Pizza, 200 S. Kiwanis Ave. in Sioux Falls. Members should plan to eat at Godfather's at 12:30 (Buffet is $8.53 including drink and tax) with the meeting starting at 1:30.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary *******************************************************************************

THE PRAIRIE WIND
Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

Dan announced that the AVA Executive Council will meet on November 7th & 8th in Oklahoma City. Some agenda items to be discussed are:

1. Clubs can have permission to hold sanctioned events in non-IVV countries.

2. Walks in small Pacific and Atlantic island countries can be sanctioned by AVA if there are nearby Regional Directors.

3. The IVV has moved the due date for the IVV Calendar of Events to July 15th in order to work with the printer for Starting Point 2009. PWVC approved this action. However, the item was tabled pending a change in IVV policy.

4. AVA fee schedule to be changed to add a late fee of $10 per event report, not to exceed $50 per quarter. PWVC disapproved this action because it would encourage late reports. This motion failed and clubs will continue to be charged at the rate of $10 per late report.

Effective January 1, 2009 the AVA 1-800 number will close down. To keep the number would entail a new provider at triple the cost. Only 20-25 calls per month on this number makes it no longer a cost-effective marketing tool.

AVA participation is down 2.4% year to date as compared to 2007. This is not as dramatic as some thought, considering the high cost of fuel this past summer. We need to place more emphasis on getting new people to our events and getting them to return for future events.

Two new special programs were passed at the Novemberr 8th Executive Council meeting. Hooray for Hollywood will run July 2009-June 2012. Forts of the USA will run January 2010-December 2013. Details will be published in THE AMERICAN WANDERER.

There is an Interactive Map on the AVA website that shows all YRE and Seasonal Walks in each state. Web address is: www.ava.org

All the current 2008 YRE and Seasonal Walks have been carried over for 2009. Anyone having event start cards and/or registration logs dated prior to 2002 should destroy these items. Do not throw them in the trash but either shred or burn them. As an alternative, bring them to the December meeting and give them to Dan and he will burn them.

In anyone is interested in running for the North Central Regional Director position or any national officer position, contact Phyllis Olson at the Des Moines Club. Bonnie Johnson, current Regional Director, will have hip replacement surgery on November 26th. She will then become a bionic walker! For those of you who know Bonnie, you are aware that she has had a "hitch in her get along" for some time now.

Members are asked to read their Constitution and By-Laws to see if there is a need for revisions. Bring your concerns to the December meeting and a committee will be formed.

Area Christmas Lights Walks--Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, November 29th and Omaha, Nebraska on Saturday, December 13th.

PARTY TIME! Our next meeting will be at the home of Sam Vaughn on Sunday, December 7th. Christmas Dinner is scheduled for 1 PM followed by our meeting/party. Sam will provide the meal. Ellen will bring pies. Other members are asked to bring ice cream, relish trays, Christmas cookies or goodies and snacks. A gift exchange will be held. Bring your $5 gift marked "man" or "woman". Hope to see all of you there!

Sam's address: 3310 Pine Ave., Brookings. Please let Sam know if you plan to be there! Phone: 605-693-3207 or Email: [email protected]

Bring your checkbooks to the December meeting. If all goes well, STARTING POINT 2009 will be on hand and it will also be time to pay your club dues for 2009.

Message from the President:

As we close out 2008 I want to express my personal thanks to all of you who help make our club a success. Special thanks to those who serve as points of contact for our walks, to those who serve as club officers and to those of you who come up with new ideas for new walks or ways to make our old walks better.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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