Agenda for May General Meeting
If you want to have something put on the agenda for the General Meeting in May, please contact Terry E., Vice President at 268-9922. Terry will be acting President while Ron C. is out of the country.

The Angels vs. Lukas Tate, aka 'The Engine Thief'
So, what is happening? It has been about six months since Mr. Tate was charged with stealing our engine and trailer. We know he is guilty, the evidence shows he is guilty, but when will he be convicted? The court system acts at a pace only slightly less than a snail's. On April 23rd, we had a great showing at what was to be his hearing on the felony charges, but at the last minute it was called off. That, however, was not a bad thing. He had waived his right to a hearing, clearing the way for a trial. What was really great was that his lawyer saw how we packed the courtroom. He knows we are not going to let this slide. So does the DA. On May 18th, Tate will be arraigned on the final charges. In the meantime, Tate continues to wear the fine orange jumpsuit and bracelets furnished by Nevada County. Then there will be a 'felony conference'. That will be the last thing before trial. However the DA's office thinks he might change his plea to guilty and just try to get the best deal he can on sentencing. That would probably be wise for him. We will not let this just be forgotten. If it comes to a trial, the Angels will again show that, like the Marines, 'You mess with the best . . .'

COME TO THE GENERAL MEETINGS & WIN!
Five car related items were raffled off at the general meeting in April including a 'Back to the 50's sign and an Elvis poster. At the next meeting, we are going to be raffling off five more car-related items from the wall at Penny's Diner. No purchase necessary. Must be present to win. This offer void for non-Roamin Angels.

The next General Meeting is on Monday, May 18 at 6:00pm at The Salvation Army on Alta Street in Grass Valley.

Does anyone out there feel that time is accelerating? It seems like I just wrote my last column and my Jiminy Cricket (our newsletter editor, Diane B.) reminded me last Friday my column for this month is now due. Whoa! Where did the time go? Well, April was a pretty good month, in spite of taxes. Last month ended and this one (April) began with a bunch of us on Big Dick's Tour to Del Mar. It may sound repetitive to say once again that "This years tour was great", but it was. Although Pod 1 had so many hitches the first day that they were considering changing their name to Pod 13, everyone eventually made it home under their own power. As an ex-SoCal inhabitant, I do not relish hitting the 'offensive driving' freeways of our southern neighbors, but it was worth it. I am sure there is a lot to read on the trip in the newsletter, so I will not belabor this account. Let's just say it was a ball and Dick did his usual fantastic job.

For those who have been keeping up with the Roamin Angels vs. Lukas Tate soap opera, I wrote an account of what is happening in this edition. What is amazing to me is how our court system works. We're heading into six months since the charges were brought on this and still may have a ways to go. Maybe they're looking for a second season. Look for a new reality TV show called "Survivor: Grass Valley". Just remember that you heard about it here first. I get the residuals.

One matter that has become a bit of an concern for me is getting new members involved and making sure old members feel included. Just saying "We Care" doesn't do it. As your board, we are looking at ways to do this. Edie is calling all new members in an effort to find out if a get-together or some other such event would be worthwhile. We also want to make sure that the members of long standing are addressed. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not really a 'Touchy-Feelie' kind of guy and I doubt most of our other members are either. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just being friendly. One of the challenges of no longer having the long tables at breakfast is making sure we do not fall into small, exclusive groups. I was a stranger when I walked into this club, but I'm a little bolder than some. So let's make sure we make everyone welcome by inviting people you don't know to sit next to you. Most of them don't bite. And even the ones that do probably don't have rabies anyway.

To continue on my rant, we do need ideas. What should we be doing in this area? If you are new or a long-term member who feels left out, what do you suggest? Yes we, have grown bigger, but how can we keep that small-club flavor? This is no "I need to say this, but I don't really care: speech. I do want to know and so does the board. Talk to me, email me, phone me or write me, but let me know. Like I said, this has sorta become a 'thang' for me.

'Nuff said, I'm outta here!

General Meeting Minutes
April 24, 2009 • Salvation Army, Alta Street, Grass Valley

All board members except David B. were present as were 45 members and their spouses.
Meeting was called to order at 6:07 p.m. following the members' open forum.

Minutes from the last general meeting and tonight's agenda were approved. (Edie H./Lynne F.) Sheila A. gave a brief treasurer's report. Motion to approve was passed. (Edie H./Lynne F.)

Other board member reports:
Ron N. reported that there were 184 engine raffle tickets sold at the Downtown car show. This was up about 10% over last year. He also announced that we have received 14 applications for the scholarships this year. The committee has decided that Kyle Young will receive the 'third' scholarship this year. He is a family member of a Roamin Angel, and a very talented youngster.

Terry E. asked that anyone with board items for the agenda contact him for the month of May. Ron C. will be out of the country. The board meeting will be at Karen S's home on May 11, and the general meeting will be on May 18.

Vic R. reported that there is a lot of legislation coming up in Sacramento that will have an adverse impact on our cars. He asked for volunteers to come with him on May 6-7 to get some of these stopped. Please contact him if you are able to donate a day for this important event.

OLD BUSINESS
1.Court Case - Ron C. indicated that Justin Tate has waived his right to a hearing. He's not contesting there's enough evidence to go to trial. Next will be the arraignment on May 18. We don't need to show up for this appearance. Following the arraignment, there will be a felony conference. At that time there will probably be some sort of deal made. He will keep us posted.
2. Property Committee- Ted C. said the committee has met with an attorney, and gathered a lot of information. He said that obtaining a property will not jeopardize our non-profit status. Ron C. asked Ted to prepare a report following their meetings. Ted also indicated that each member of the committee has been assigned a month to take charge of a tour for club members. There are quite a few ideas floating around for this event.
3. Club Radios - No report
4. Computer - Karin R. has the car show laptop and is entering the entries as they arrive. Contact her if you have any car show related computer needs.
5. Budget - Sheila A. has prepared a forecasted budget for next year based on the past 3 years expenses. Ron C. has reviewed this, and has it available to any Roamin Angel member who is interested in seeing it.

NEW BUSNIESS
1.Membership concerns - Ron C. is still concerned that new members are not getting the attention they should have. We need suggestions from members on this one. The club's newest member, Brad M. was at the meeting and said he felt very welcome. John K. indicated Brad was very helpful at the Downtown show on Saturday.
2. Political announcements: Ron C. apologized to the membership for allowing a couple of political messages to leak through at breakfast. He indicated we will not allow this to happen again.
3. Toy Drive - Lynn F. indicated she has held 2 meetings so far - one in Feb., the other in March. Their committee has decided that we will not be giving bikes this year. There will be a $60 limit per child - two gifts. We will have some household items. They are trying to streamline the input process, and are looking for a better location for the distribution. They are trying to secure this location now, not wait until October. They would like to 'pass the boot' at the car show in September, which would add money to the toy fund. She will talk to Thane and Duke about this. Mike H. also spoke about a Roamin Angels Toy/Christmas food project that he, Howard Levine, and the Downtown Association would like to have added to the Grass Valley Cornish Christmas celebration. A straw vote of members showed that many were interested in getting more information and/or participating in this event.
4. Legislative committee - Members Bill K., Ted C., Dennis G., Dusty S., and Terry E., have volunteered to attend the legislative meetings on May 6 and 7 with Vic R.
5. Car show needs - Ron C. asked for typing help with his mailing list. Karin R. will take care of this for him.
6. A late add item was briefly discussed the Around Nevada Classic Car Tour, which will be in June. They will be going through our area, and we have been asked if we're interested in being greeters for the participants. Vic R. will get more information and report next meeting.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.