Robert Alpert has temporarily taken on the responsibilities of the Rental Secretary until we can find someone to fill that position full time. Please forward any rental requests to Robert. There is also a new Rentals page on the website with information about club rentals and downloadable rental agreements. Contact Robert at: webmaster@concordrodandgun.org or 617-968-8169.
Pistol
Range
Work on the pistol range floor has begun. Please pardon the mess while Robert and his volunteers work to complete the job. If you are using the range and notice any unsafe objects downrange, please move them out of the way before you start shooting.
Let Us Zap You Your Newsletter Via E-mail!
Please let Sheryl Read know if you would like to get this newsletter via email. 617-965-4038: shrent2@rcn.com. You will get your newsletter much faster AND it saves the club money and volunteer time.
Membership News
Membership Dues
Remember, 2005 dues need to be in before the end of the March Membership Meeting,
March 28, 2005
. Those members who have already paid can pick up their membership cards behind the bar. Dues for 2005 are $145.00. Make cheques payable to The Concord Rod & Gun Club.
New Members
Two individuals presented themselves for consideration, Peter Funkhouser, from
Concord
, sponsored by Henry Dane, and Kevin Fadden also from
Concord
, sponsored by Kevin McNamara and Tim First. They were accepted as Limited Members. We look forward to seeing them at work events and other activities to meet members and to fulfill their work requirements.
Calling All Limited Members Your Club needs you to fulfill work requirements to attain full membership. Here are some contacts that have chores that need to be done on the grounds, an upcoming event, or in the clubhouse. There is also a list posted on the club’s bulletin board. Get in gear and volunteer!
Help out with the 3-D Archery Shoot scheduled for Sunday April 3, 2005, setting up targets on Saturday, April 2nd from
9 am
to
12 pm
, and helping to break the course down on Sunday April 3rd, after
2 pm
.
Open Position: Maintenance 978-369-8926 Charlie Atherton: Steward 978-371-7109
Bill Lewis: Grounds 978-952-6696 Vin Bartolomeo: Trap 978-369-2428
Robert Alpert: Pistol 508-651-1153 Rich Gagnon: Archery 978-692-5054
Remembrances
On
November 22, 2004
, Frank Harding Logan, Jr., a long time member since the 1970’s passed away. In the words of his wife, “He loved the gun club, and even though he could not get there in many years, he faithfully paid his dues every year and was proud to hold membership there.” Our deepest sympathies to his wife and family.
Kim McDonald’s father and father-in-law of Owen (Huck) McDonald passed away the first week in March. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kim and Huck.
Board of Governors’ Slot Still Open
Adrian Munoz-Bennett was re-elected to the Board of Governors. Thank you
Adrian
for stepping in and filling the gap. However, Del Ferrante has had to resign due to health considerations, so we need candidates for the BOG who are willing to provide their professional expertise and good counsel to further the Club’s goals. If you would like to serve in this capacity, please submit your name to one of the Club officers and your candidacy will be voted on at the next Membership meeting scheduled for
March 28, 2005
.
Are Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Doomed?
That depends on you. If you hunt, fish, or trap, you know that there are many negative cultural and political issues that face sportsmen and sportswomen today. For example, there are well-financed organizations now proposing to make bear hunting and bow hunting illegal across all of the
United States
.
As the District Supervisor of Northeast Wildlife informed the few attendees of the meeting of the Middlesex County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs last December, “It’s not that these challenges to sportsmen haven’t been made before, it’s that the organizations now making such proposals are becoming better financed and organized, and may be able to actually succeed unless sportsmen and sportswomen become more involved.” For example, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) listed with the IRS total revenues of $17,012,128 and total assets of $6,526,799 for 2002. That money is power.
Can’t happen here? Remember the proposed ban on hunting bears over bait in
Maine
that fortunately was defeated? Remember the Prop. 2 ban on the use of leg hold traps for beaver in
Massachusetts
that passed and that’s now having dire consequences all around the state? Let’s not let it happen again. We have an organization that we can use to combat the emotional and uninformed arguments against our sports – The Middlesex County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs (MCLSC) whose charter is to keep all
Middlesex
County
sportsmen and sportswomen informed, and to provide a strong, unified voice to the governor, legislature and other state agencies on issues important to us.
The Concord Rod & Gun Club (CRGC) is now actively supporting the MCLSC, and we want to build a larger core of sportsmen/women experts to track and speak out on
important issues. The MCLSC is reaching out to all clubs (approximately 27 in the county) and holding monthly meetings at each club facility with expert speakers to
educate you on initiatives that may threaten hunting, fishing and trapping, and on what the MCLSC does to counter these activities and to solicit your support.
We need to alert and educate both new and experienced sportsmen/women about these negative issues, and we would like Concord Club members to attend at least one meeting this year. Meetings are held each month at a different club. By attending, you will have the opportunity to meet other sportsmen/women, contribute your ideas, and take action with your town, county and state government representatives.
Our apathy in these matters can only result in further degradation of the pleasurable outdoor activities that are an integral part of our lives. The next meeting is at our own Club at
7 pm
, on Thursday, March 31/05. If you plan on attending, please let Barry Robinson, our representative at MCLSC, know. You can reach him at: 508-254-2678 for more information. Get involved! Preserve your sports!
Events
Coming Events
Three Dimensional (3-D) Archery Shoot,
Sunday April 3, 2005
This Bay State Archers 3-D shoot is open to all archers using all types of equipment. Sign up starts at
7am
and the shoot ends at
11am
. Shooting fees: adult Bay State Archers members, ages 17 and up is $8.00; adult non-members, $10.00; youth, ages 13 to 17, $4.00; kids under 13 shoot free, but must be accompanied by an adult. This shoot is open to the general public, so invite your friends. Breakfast and lunch will be served.
Set up for the shoot, starting at
9am
on April 2, usually takes a few hours, and so we should be done about
noon
. Take down on April 13 will start around 2pm. Steward, Charlie Atherton will have the kitchen humming for breakfast and lunch. All limited members with work hours to fulfill and any other members are encouraged to come up on Saturday for set up or on Sunday to help Charlie in the kitchen or to help with the shoot.
Past Events
The Game Dinner was a gourmet experience. For those of you who missed it, here’s a brief sampling of the menu: Sautéed Pheasant Breast, Venison Shish Kebab, Frogs Legs, Southern Fried Catfish, Deep Fried Wild Turkey, Wild Boar Chops, Smoked Salmon, Venison Stuffed Mushrooms, Moose Kielbasa, Pan-Seared Goose Breast, Bear Stew, Wild Boar Ham, and many other dishes.
Our thanks to organizer Billy Jarmoluwicz and head chef, Bob Fenochetti, the kitchen and serving crew for such a delectable meal, and to Kim Sullivan and the young women volunteers who sold a raft of raffle tickets for the many prizes that were avidly picked up. Helping Billy and Bob to cook, serve, and scrub were: Eric Hamilton, Richard and Peter Malloy, Lukas Rounds, Pete Dallaire, Jim Gallagher, Joe Brooks, Brad Stetson, Tim Phelan, Joe Delorey, Joe Facenda, Tony Genova, Bob Sullivan and Bob Suslavich. Thanks also to Bruce Harvey for his masterful handling of ticket sales, and to anyone else whose name we might have missed.
The Game Dinner is one of the largest and most profitable events held by the Club (netted more than $4K, including bar sales this year) and every year it gets better. It gives us the opportunity to share our bounty from the outdoors with fellow members and their guest, hunters and non-hunters alike.
CR&GC Grounds & Boundaries Walk
Brad Stetson guided some seven hardy members and one intrepid dog in the annual property bounds walk on
Saturday March 5, 2005
. It was a beautiful clear morning with about eight inches of snow on the ground. Two sets of snowshoes were in evidence, but most slogged over hill and dale, and across the pond ice in boots. It was impressive to see the extent of the Club’s property and to better appreciate how the Club serves as an island of conservation in
Concord
’s green environment.
Kim Sullivan reports that the Winter Carnival that took place on Sunday, March 6th was a huge success! Thank you to the W. Concord Dunkin Donuts for donating 200 cups of hot cocoa and to Ilisa’s Balloon Décor (Robert Alpert) for the wonderful decorations that helped make this event so special. A note of thanks to Mev Barton, Trent Mutchler, Brad and Art Stetson, Bruce Harvey, Warren Soar, Owen McDonald, Tim Kilroy, and my family for lending a hand where needed. Please visit the club’s website for a photo montage, as well as individual photos of all of the day’s activities.
The annual Corned Beef Dinner took place on
March 12, 2005
in spite of the snowstorm. Some 40 fearless attendees enjoyed the opportunity to join their fellow members in becoming Irish for the night and wolfed down the corned beef and cabbage, accompanied by potatoes and carrots prepared by Steward Charlie Atherton and his crew.
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