Welcome to July’s club update: Who would have predicted that we’d skip over the end of ski season and head into a Covid-19 season? Sometimes it feels like we are living in a movie. “Congratulations! You survived May. Welcome to June, Level 6 of Jumanji!” is a tweet I saw and belly laughed at the absurdity of how true that felt to me.
Thank you for your patience with our club over the past few months. Our club joined the global ‘pause’ in many ways. We cancelled the March 2020 Italy trip, all in-person events, and Board meetings while we all figured out how to move forward in Covid Season. To continue moving forward, the Board met again in May and then in June to regroup. We are planning and adapting in new, creative ways to allow participation options for a variety of comfort-zones.
We are excited to share good news on many topics! We know many of you are curious about what’s happening with the summer, happy hours, and upcoming winter trips. This post covers a lot, so let’s get started!
It’s the time of year where we ask for your help to volunteer on the board. The Call for Board Nominees is your chance to influence decisions on what activities we do, where we go, how the club is run, and feel good about helping the club continue. You may nominate yourself for any position. We currently need a Programs Chair. In this position, you’ll organize the fun social events we do all year long. But don’t think you need to do this alone! We already have volunteers to help with organizing happy hours to be on your sub-team. We also need a Secretary to document meeting minutes and then share with the board. Contact any one of the Board members for more details or call me directly at 651-736-8441 for more details. Volunteering is a great way to give back to our club and help our club continue to offer affordable, fun trips to fantastic locations!
We have good news to share about summer events and activities! Due to the relaxed orders, we may now gather in groups while respecting each other’s social distance. That means we are testing out some new ways to visit again outdoors. Watch for details on an upcoming, outdoor July Happy Hour for yard games and backyard drinks at a member’s home in Woodbury. We are discussing meet-up events like biking the Gateway Trail to Stillwater. Watch your inbox, Hootline.com, and ‘Hootline’ Facebook group for details!
We are pleased to announce our Kayaking the Kinni trip is set for Saturday, August 15th. The trip will be slightly different this year. Instead of 25-30 of us departing all at once, we will split into two groups of 10 each. The first will depart at Noon, with the second group departing at 1 pm. We can meet beforehand at 10:30 am in the park to catch up, grab a bite or drink, and generally enjoy each other’s company. Check out the kayaking event page to find out more details.
And now for trips! For last season trips, Ross continues to work with all parties to unravel the financials of the March 2020 Italy trip. He will keep those involved informed of the latest information. Also, after closing out the financials on the Snowmass trip, some should expect a small refund. That said, please continue to use patience… our club/bank is in the middle of a name change that includes new checks, so Gary will send an email when the checks are cut.
For Upcoming Snow Season trips, we are excited to announce 3 anticipated trips!
- MSC’s Winter Carnival at Big Snow, Upper Michigan: January 8-10, 2021
- Whitefish, MT: Saturday to Saturday, January 23-30, 2021
- Val di Fassa, Italy, dates TBD
We will take a risk-based approach to Membership Drive and Trip Sign-Up and are evaluating how to host in-person and virtual events, including possible online registration and payments. Due to the inherent risk and amount of effort to plan these Winter Trips, we’d like to get feedback of your interest. Please let a Board Member know which category you might fall into: 1) For sure! I’m in!, 2) Let’s wait and see how COVID Season plays out, or 3) No way.
In the meantime, I am grateful that our club enjoys outdoor activities, which will help entertain us this summer. Hope to see you outdoors, soon.
Stay safe and healthy! …and welcome to July, aka Level 7 of Jumanji.
Joanne
President (2019-2020)
3M Club – Ski, Snowboard, & Social Club
