Calendar of Events

Sat., January 21/06       Youth Pheasant Hunt Apprctn. Lunch, NORCO , Princeton , MA , 12-3pm
Thurs. January 26/06    Middlesex County Sportsmen’s League, 7:30pm : Members Welcome
Mon., February 6/06    Board of Governors’ Meeting, 7pm
Sat., February 26/06    Annual Game Dinner & Raffle; 3 - 6pm
Thurs., March 30/06     Middlesex County League Meeting; 7:30pm ; Open to the Public
Sat., May 20/06           Youth’s Trap Shooting, 1- 4pm
Sat/Sun., June 3-4/06   Jim Levinger, Cub Scout Outing

Rentals

Thurs., January 19/06   Carl Repucci B-Day Party, 12-3pm
Fri., January 20/06       Sean Slade, Concord /Carlisle Newcomer’s Club, time TBD
Sat., January 21/06       D. Blank Rental, 7-11pm
Mon., February 20/06  Nerro Team Cycle, 8am – 3pm
Sat., March 11/06        Club Pistol Championship, 9am – 12pm
Weds., May 5/06         Jim Levinger, 6 – 11pm
Sat., May 20/06           Youth’s Trap Shooting, 1 – 4pm
Mon., June 28/06         Sean Slade, Concord Newcomers’ Party, 7-11pm
Fri., July 28/06 Richard Monaghan, Wedding Rehearsal, 5 – 10pm
Fall 2006                      Mary Agnes, Wedding Reception
Sun., October 8/06       Meredith Lightfoot Amadon B-Day Party, 7-11pm

Don’t Miss the CR&GC Annual Game Dinner & Raffle!

Where in the world can you feast like royalty on venison and other wild game for only $20 per person??? Why, only at the Concord Rod & Gun Club’s Annual Game Dinner and Raffle.  This sumptuous feast of game fare is scheduled for Sunday, February 26, 2006 , serving at 3pm. Hors D’oeuvres; Entrees; Desserts – all for just $20/adult and $10/ child under 12.

Remember, this is a sell-out event and is limited to 140 people. As of Saturday Jan.14/06 ninety four of the tickets were spoken for! So don’t delay, buy your tickets now.  Sign up on the bulletin board at the Club House, and get your money to Bruce Harvey or a bartender by February 18^th for the number of tickets you’ve reserved.

Thanks to Our Hunters, Sponsors ,Kitchen Crew, and Ticket Volunteers – This most successful event of the year is a result of a lot of hard work on the part of many individuals who share their hunting bounty, on the part of the chefs who marinate, dice, slice, and braise days and weeks ahead, and on the part of the generous sponsors of our raffle program, and for the efforts of our enthusiastic volunteers who sell the raffle tickets.  So thanks to our archery, shotgun, and muzzle loader hunters for putting the meat into the freezer. Thanks to the Jarmulowicz/Fenochetti kitchen crew for their cooking skills and hard work. And thanks to Bruce Harvey and his enthusiastic volunteers for managing the dinner ticket and raffle sales.

Our special thanks to Reedy Archery of Middleboro, MA and to the Full Fan Lodge of PA.  Reedy is again helping us out with some outstanding archery gear.  You can reach Chris Reedy at 508-947-4653. The Full Fan Lodge, Brian Post, outfitter, is giving us two hunts to raffle off, both which include room & board and are fully guided. The first of these packages is a 3-day turkey hunt, May 11 – 13, 2006 ; the second is an archery hunt for deer, from Oct. 23 -27, 2006.  The Full Fan Lodge can address all of your hunting needs. Call Brian at 570-934-2668.

And just to wrap things up, we will have another beautiful quilt to raffle thanks to Mrs. Del Ferranti.  Come on down and join your fellow members for a memorable meal and take a chance at winning some top of the line archery equipment, and possibly the best archery hunt you’ve ever had in Pennsylvania .

Annual Club Pistol Championship

OK Pistoleros! Dust off the old .22 six shooter or semi-automatic handgun and scrub the crud out that barrel. The annual Club Pistol Championship will be held on March 11, 2006 starting at 9am .  All Club members are encouraged to participate in this .22 caliber 900-Point Match. Each shooter must supply his/her own pistol and ammunition (90 rounds). We will stage as many strings as necessary to accommodate all shooters starting at 9am .  If you have any questions, call: George Checkowski @ 978-263-8052, or Ned Berube @ 978-369-3231.

A sign up sheet will soon be posted in the Club house. You must sign up for a designated time to participate. There are rumors that a Shooters’ Breakfast of bangers and beans will be available, but that hasn’t yet been confirmed. Keep a sharp eye for more details.

Membership News

New Limited Members

The following individuals presented themselves as candidates for limited membership at the last BOGs’ meeting on January 9^th:

Steve Brown of Westford sponsored by Rich Gagnon , and Phil Dubuque of Wellesley , sponsored by Kim Sullivan . Steve is interested in archery and kayaking, and Phil is a pistol shooter and fisherman, as well as a member of GOAL and the NRA.

Welcome aboard Steve and Phil and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events to meet other members and to work off your ten-hour work requirement towards full membership.

Getting to Full Membership

Contact the following individuals to fulfill your work obligation:

Steward: Brad Stetson, 978-369-8926 Trap: Vin Bartolomeo , 978-369-2428
Gronds: Bill Lewis, 978-952-6696                  Pistol: Robert Alpert , 508-651-1153
Archery: tbd

Help Us Find These Lost Members -- If any of you know the whereabouts of  Francis McCarron and Kevin McGonigal, please send their addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses to Bruce Harvey (BruceHarveySKB@msn.com or call him at 978-369-4990). We want to be sure they’re getting the newsletter. Thanks.

Club Communications

Membership Dues Are Due – Don’t procrastinate, renew your membership to the CR&GC by sending your check to: Concord Rod & Gun Club, Attention: Bruce Harvey , Financial Secretary, PO Box 271 , Concord , MA 01741 . Make your check out for $145.00 to: The Concord Rod & Gun Club. Your dues payment must be in Bruce’s hands before the end of the March Member’s meeting on March 27, 2006 , or you may be subject to the reinstatement fee of $75.00. Dues-paying and non-dues-paying members can make donations at this time to support Club activities.

Save a Tree and Postal Fees! If you’re online, you can get this newsletter via e-mail AND access the Club’s website. It’s quicker, timelier, and saves the Club money. Contact Kim Sullivan at: 781-424-1800 or via e-mail at: crgcsecretary@yahoo.com.

Why a January/February Consolidated Newsletter?

Because we’re trying to get ahead of the production curve to get your newsletter to you before it is old news. We’re well aware that some of last year’s newsletters were late in getting out, so this year we’re going to attempt to get them into your hands (either electronically or via postal mail) early in the month that activities will be taking place. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

A Double Blessed Event

Congratulations and best wishes to Mark and Erika Lewis at the birth of their twin boys, born at Emerson Hospital on January 9^, 2006 . Stephen Robert weighed in at 4lbs, 12 oz, and Griffin William at 7lbs, 9 oz. Erika and the boys are doing very well and are expected home by the weekend.

Children’s Christmas Party

Kim Sullivan reports that the Children’s Christmas party was a jolly affair thanks to all of the families and children who attended.  We played games like Pin the Nose on Rudolph, Pass the Presents, and Santa Bowling.  A small lunch was provided for those that had worked up an appetite.  Our “regular” Santa was in Florida this year and could not get his sled here in time, so we had a special stand-in.  He was 6’3”, had a real beard, and wore a 2X Santa suit.  The kids never noticed the difference once the gifts were handed out.  Our thanks to Kim’s daughter Christina, for manning the kitchen along with Brad Stetson and the other event volunteers for their cheerful help.

Winter Carnival – We may not have much snow at the moment but you know it’s coming. Planning for the 2006 Winter Carnival is underway.  Those hearty souls who attended last year’s carnival know how much fun it was playing in our winter wonderland.   If you are interested in helping in any way, please e-mail Kim Sullivan at crgcsecretary@yahoo.com.  Kim plans to have a meeting in early February to plan out the day’s activities. Watch for that date!

Vinnie Bartolomeo reports Friday Cribbage nights have begun with a small group, so he’s looking for several more players to deal and peg.  Thus far nine people have shown up to play on the first two Friday nights along with two families who have played on the side to get up to speed. To work properly, cribbage needs teams of two people who play at a table of four. Then as play proceeds, players move among tables, except for the anchor player, teaming up with other players at other tables. It takes approximately three hours to complete the nine games.

 If this makes sense to you and you like to play cards in a convivial atmosphere by a crackling fire, bring a partner to the Clubroom on Friday nights starting at 7 pm sharp. The Cribbage season runs from January 6/06 through March 24/06, not including the Cribbage Dinner. For more information, contact Vinnie at: 978-369-2428; Bartolomeo@Verizon.net.

Committee Reports

The Club Needs You!!!– We have four openings for Committee Chairpersons for 2006: Archery; Fish & Pond; Maintenance; and Rentals. If you’re an avid archer, or love to fish, or take particular pride in your do-it-yourself skills or in your project management and scheduling capability, these Committee Chair positions can make use of your interests and expertise. Anyone interested in helping out the Club by managing the events and projects that fall under these functions, please contact President, Lawton Read at 978-264-4869, or via e-mail at: Lawton.Read@Verizon.net.

Grounds & Bridges – Bill Lewis reports that signs stating: No Trespassing – Active Shooting Area will soon be obtained for posting along the Club boundaries. We will need volunteers to help mount these signs in highly visible places on Club property lines. Stay tuned.

Pistol – Chairman, Robert Alpert wishes to thank George Checkowski for repairing our much used call box. This type of volunteerism is what keeps the Club humming.

Standings in the Nashoba Valley League after 12 matches are as follows: 1^st,  Littleton with 10 wins, 2 losses and an aggregate average of 1349.08; 2^nd, Concord C, 9 wins, 2 losses, average of 1325.09; 3^rd, Stonybrook, 9wins, 3 losses, average 1338.33; 4^th, Concord A, 8 wins, 4 losses, average of 1330.67; 5^th, Westford, 7 wins, 4 losses, average of 1325.09; 6^th, Concord B, 4 wins, 8 losses, average 1266.92; 7^th, Musketaquid, 3 wins, 9 losses, average of 1303.67; 8^th, Tyngsboro, 1 win, 10 losses, average of 1181.64; 9^th, Maynard, 1 win, 10 losses, average of 1133.36. Many of these matches were hard fought and close won – one by a single X! Good shooting guys and gals.

Shortfall On Targets – The Club is still losing money on targets. We know some of you pay more than required for the targets you use, but evidently there are some shooters who just aren’t paying up for their targets. That’s not fair to the rest of the membership, so please pay for your targets. Donations are always welcome.

Delegates’ Reports

Middlesex County Sportsmen’s League – Delegate Barry Robinson reminds us to mark our calendars for the MCSL’s meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 30, 2006 at our Club.  The main topic of discussion will be “Beavers in Massachusetts” presented by Colleen Olfenbuttel, Wildlife Biologist, Furbearer Project Leader, Mass Wildlife. 

Barry also reported that the Nantucket Deer Hunt was indeed stopped by a lawsuit brought by a local landholder.  Best of luck to the inhabitants of that Lyme-Disease ridden island.

                                                Proposed Hunting Ban in Boxborough

Thanks to member David Karr, we were alerted to a proposed firearms hunting ban in Boxborough.  A citizen’s petition in Boxborough seeks to ban all discharge of firearms, with limited exceptions.  This would make all firearms hunting illegal within Boxborough town limits. This citizen’s petition is purportedly the result of a December 2005 hiker and hunter confrontation on conservation land.  According to an article in the Thursday, January 5/06 MetroWest Daily News, “When the hiker told the hunters about hunting prohibitions in the area, one hunter had reportedly said that bullets don’t know the difference.”  

If this conversation did indeed take place, we feel it was unfortunate that a hunter should make such a threatening statement. You can see the upshot of such an angry retort. If you’re a citizen of Boxborough, we hope that you’re verbal in opposing the introduction of this prohibition bylaw.

Officers:

President: Lawton Read; tel.978-264-4869; e-mail, Lawton.Read@Verizon.net
Vice President: Henry Dane; tel. 978-369-3093; e-mail, HDane@DaneLaw.com
Treasurer: Jim Gallagher; tel. 978-369-7126; e-mail, bt99@rocketmail.com
Financial Secretary: Bruce Harvey ; tel.978-369-4990; e-mail, BruceHarveySKB@msn.com
Secretary: Kim Sullivan ; cell 781-424-1800; e-mail, crgcsecretary@yahoo.com.

Board of Governors:

Ned Berube: tel. 978-369-3231; e-mail, nedberube@comcast.net
Del Ferranti: tel, 978-897-7425; e-mail, DEL508abn@msn.com
Kevin Flavin: tel. 978-371-9550; e-mail, Kevin.Flavin@comcast.net
Bill Jarmulowicz: tel. 978-443-8148; e-mail, RhonaHill@worldnet.att.net
Carl Repucci: tel. 978-371-7913; e-mail, Carl.Repucci1.Verizon.net
Dave Schaefer: tel. 978-369-8212; e-mail, Schaefer3@gis.net