A good number of members braved the cold temps to come to the meeting. Glen, who rarely misses a meeing, was unable to come due to surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery.
REPORTS:
Rick had a lot of short reports as follows:
A make up day for setting up flags at La Cima is being determined. It was too cold and windy on the official day.
The club will vote at the Feb. 6th meeting to approve the Bylaws that will be submitted to the IRS for obtaining 501(c)3 tax exempt status. This will enable the club to receive larger donations and grants to continue and expand our service to the community. Please read the Bylaws ahead of time and let your vote be known. It takes two thirds of the membership voting "yes" to make this happen. They have been emailed out so make every effort to read them.
A corn hole tournament is in the very early stages of planning as a new fundraiser. Jesse has some leads for more information.
Rick, Luanne and Chester are going later this afternoon after the meeting to help out again at School Fuel packing of food for kids to take home for the weekend. More detailed directions were given for finding the building. Go to the backside of Mendez Ele. near the tennis courts where you will find a School Fuel sign. They are getting a new location on Hwy 123 in Feb. Stay tuned.
There is a K Kids meeting at 2:15 at DeZavala on Friday. (This is past since the newsletter is a little late due to a sprained finger that hindered keystroking on the keyboard.) Rick is wanting to find out how we can help their club and where they are on fundraising. It has been challenging to get information.
Feb. 8th is the Kyle 4H Fancy Feathers event at the Dripping Springs Event Center. Kristi encouraged members to attend. There is a chicken poop bingo game which has people cheering chickens to poop on a bingo game card. For real. There is also great people watching when they try to get their chickens to "show" in proper award winning poses. They have bucket auctions and silent auctions with great items. There are also rabbits in competition and chicken eggs are judged. Seriously, the event is a blast to attend. If it is cold be prepared with warm clothing.
On Wed. Jan. 29th there is a dinner social planned at 6:00 pm at Italian Garden located at 415 N. LBJ. Many thanks to Cheryl for getting this organized. Please RSVP. A sign up sheet went around the meeting. If you were not at the meeting, let Cheryl know if you are going. I can attest that it is really good Italian food in very generous servings.
Feb. 28th is Casino Night. Commemorative Airforce Museum, SMTX Airport.
Finally, due to members leaving before their term was up, we need two more board members. If you are interested in serving, let any of the officers or current board members know. It is one night out of a month with very occasionally group email business for immediate decisions so it is not a huge timetaker.
PROGRAM:
Garret Hope, Downtown Program Coordinator for the San Marcos Main Street Program, gave an upbeat presentation with a Powerpoint and printed material about what is happening with our downtown area businesses, buildings and streets. It covers 20 square blocks in our district with 290 businesses involved so far. Funding comes from the Hotel Occupancy Tax, a General Fund and grants. They use the Four Point approach of Economic Vitality, Design, Organization and Promotion. There is a Legacy Business Program for any businesses that have been in operation 20+ years. A main focus is to attract tourists as well as the locals to enjoy events in the downtown area through offerings such as music and movies on the Square and Merry on the Squarey. A Deal and Discouts Pass is available for savings from 40+ local businesses. There are amazing murals that have been painted on the exterior walls of different businesses reflecting our art and cultures. There is also a Beautification - Clean Team to keep the area beautiful plus attention to landscaping. Shop, attend events and dine locally to keep our downtown area vibrant! Garret said there are many volunteer opportunities in which he would like Kiwanians to participate. They are still working out logistics of how to get volunteering organized. Check out their Facebook site for more information.
https://www.facebook.com/downtownsmtx/
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
Jan. 30th: Rachel Sanborn, San Marcos River Foundation
EVENTS:
Jan. 29th: Club Social at Italian Garden at 6:00 pm. Cheryl is making arrangements for this so please RSVP to her.
Regular Reminders:
Don't forget to click "like" and "share" on Facebook and other social media to promote the Kiwanis Club. We need to keep getting the club's name out there to promote our community involvement and to add new members to help in our endeavors.
Be sure to check the Calendar posted on the San Marcos Kiwanis Club website to stay up-to-date on what is happening.
Humor and Musings:
Taken from "Quotes About Downtown"
"The allure of downtown lies in its eclectic energy."
"The soul of a city is mirrored in its downtown charm."
"Downtown is where the cityscape becomes a mosaic of life."
"Urban history is etched into the architecture of downtown."
bring a guest to an upcoming meeting!
