President's Message

As you may have noticed the weather is beginning to change. With any luck it is the beginning of a good skiing and snowshoeing season.
The board got together last week and start discussions regarding what the club should do this season. The major issues discussed included: 1. Meeting Location and frequency 2. Membership Recruitment 3. Club activities and events that should be pursued this season, and 4. Maintenance of the trail system and equipment.
To begin with it was agreed that our first meeting of the season will be held next week. Thanks to the efforts of Nancy and Greg Lewis, the club meetings will be held at the Community United Methodist Church and begin at 7:00 PM. We plan to continue meeting 0n the first Tuesday of each month, through April. COVID is still with us, but at least it is not considered to be as significant as it had been for the past couple of years. But I would encourage everyone to continue to use safe practices to avoid unnecessarily spreading it, or the flu, to others when we meet. I am not sure if the church is requiring masks any more. Nancy and Greg will probably fill us in at the meeting. But just in case, please bring your masks with you to this meeting.
Regarding recruitment of new members, two issues have been raised. First, what methods should the club be trying to use to promote a diverse membership of individuals and families ranging in ages of 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and greater. Second, how should the club get the word out about the Panhandle Nordic Club and its activities. Currently, the board feels that a person with skills in Public Relations is needed. So, if there are any members who possess these skills, or want to try to hone these types of skills, let one of the board members know. We would love to add you and your skills to assist the board.
The board also started talking about activities for the coming season. We have agreed that the “Best Hand” Poker Ski & Shoe, and the Rock Soup events will be held again. But to get things in the works for the future the main topic of next weeks meeting will be to review activities that have occurred in the past. The objective will be to assess level of interest, establish leaders for planning and coordination and to establish schedules if possible.
The board also discussed the trail conditions and status of the grooming equipment, gates, and facilities. Currently, everything is either ready or on track for being ready for the ski and shoe season. This being in part due to the efforts of member volunteers, members of the grooming crew, and the Panhandle National Forest Hotshot crew. The Hotshots volunteer to help us out by clearing over 100 trees from the two miles of the “Ski and Shoe” trail. A letter of thanks was sent to their superintendent via the Forest Supervisor and District Ranger.
As reminder, since it is the beginning of another season the need for folks to renew their membership or join the club is critical to supporting the maintenance of the trails and facilities at 4th of July recreation area. I want to thank everyone who stuck with the club in 2021 regardless of COVID and hope you will renew your membership in 2022.
Please keep in mind that when you are renewing, or joining for the first time, it can be done through the Nordic Club WEB site. When done through the WEB site your member information will be posted to the membership list. Also, the WEB site includes the ability to submit dues. If you have questions, forward them to Randy Brewer via pnc12@mail.com
Please sign up as soon as you can. It really helps to get the membership list for the year completed early. Thanks again for your support!
PS – Goeff Harvey may be looking for volunteers in the near future to get the grooming equipment sheds and snowshoe warming hut up. If you have the time to help when requests go out, please let Geoff know. The more the merrier!