Greetings friends,
Well, the holidays are just about winding down now and as promised, it's time to get going. I trust all of you had wonderful holidays. I certainly did - finally took some time off from work and just relaxed! (What a novel idea!) So lucky you, I'm full of energy and ready to go. Forgive me if this newsletter is lengthy, but these just sooooo much to talk about.
First of all, for those of you who haven't checked out our page lately (members.aol.com/tybrenn) please take a few minutes to see it. Sandy has put a lot of work into it and has made some wonderful changes. We are now a part of the Friends of John Denver Web Ring, which I find a great way to meet new people and see lots of sites related to JD. Our own Michael Pushard has his own site in there as well. If anyone else has a web page, please let Sandy or I know so we can add a link section for members pages. It's fun to get a glimpse into each others lives - a great way to get to know each other better.
An important item on the agenda is the planning of a general meeting. I would like to get as many of us together as is humanly possible. Therefore, I'd like to take a poll. Please let me know as soon as possible the following information: Which month do you prefer: Jan or April, What day of the week is best for you (time of day too), Which state should we have the meeting in (suggestions of a place to fit ~50 people would be helpful too). Please respond with this info within the next 2 weeks if possible. I will post the results of the poll in 2 weeks time so people can see all of the results. At that time I'll announce the date, time, and place for the meeting. If we end up needing a place that costs money to reserve, would each of you be willing to chip in to defray costs? Things are a little tight for me these days. Also, please keep in mind that not everyone will be satisfied with the results - but I'm really going to try my best.
FUNDRAISER: We are trying to get our first official fundraiser going. We are putting together a cyber cookbook. This will be a text only format so that it can easily be sent on-line. There will be a small fee charged to receive the completed cookbook. All money collected will be donated to The Hunger Project . Please send any recipes that you enjoy to Sandy before 2/14/98 so that we can get this cooking. (OK, I know, bad pun!) Also, contact me if you are interest in receiving the cookbook. Let me know if you think $5 is a fair price. If not, what contribution would you be willing to make?
For those of you who have seen the page, you know that we added a "Connecting to Other Members" section. This section is designed to be a sort of address book for the group. It in no way means that you are volunteering for anything. That section is the regional section of the page. I would like to add everyone into the Connecting section if you don't mind. Please let me know if you have a problem with that. The page will only have your first name (possibly last initial if more than one person has the same first name). Clicking on the name will connect you to that individual's email. It's a nice way to keep in touch with those near us, etc. Just as a point of interest, I currently have 59 names on the list broken out into the following states: MA - 18, CT - 7, NH - 7, ME - 2, RI - 3, NY - 5, unknown regions - 15. I will send a separate mailing to those 15 unknowns in the hope of finding out where you are. Some of you I've never heard from and don't even know if you are really interested. I don't want to be a pest to people who aren't interested, so please let me know as soon as possible.
Speaking of the regional section, we are still without reps for northwestern MA, NH, and RI. I hope someone in each area will come forward to volunteer. I would also like to have at 2 reps for each area if possible so that one person isn't overburdened. Please look to see if you would be interested in helping out in the other areas not mentioned that only have 1 rep currently.
On to more global info...
Mark your calendars. DenverDay will be Oct. 9 - 12 in Aspen, CO. This event is being planned by Rory Young (World Family Gathering Center), several of John's fanclubs like Hearts in Harmony and Rocky Mountain High, and yours truly from "It's About Time". I will definitely be going so if you're interested in attending, maybe we can get a group together for a wonderful weekend of fellowship and celebration.
The Hunger Project has announced that there will be a global conference call to begin this year's events. The conference call will be Tues. Jan 13, 1998 at 10:00am. If you are interested in participating in this event, email them to reserve your line and they will contact you with your conference call bridge number. You can email Carol Conrood at CSC@thp.org if you are interested. Unfortunately, I'll be at work at that time and I don't think my boss would like it if I participated.
Bill Danoff and several of John's friends from the early years will be putting on a tribute concert at Baldwin's Station and Pub in Sykesville, MD on Jan. 7 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $12 and the number to call is (410)795-1041. I believe they are also doing one in Alexandria, VA but I don't have the details. If anyone does, please let everone know.
The last bit of information I have for you (all right stop cheering) is some good news about John (for once). I heard from several sources that John was not flying without his license. He was flying legally. You don't hear the media shouting about that now, do you! What a surprise.
I look forward to hearing from ALL of you very soon! Remember, your voice counts so let me hear it. I wish you a Happy New Year (Hey, 1998 has got to be better than 1997, right?!) Peace to you all, Marcelle
It's about time we begin it, to turn the world around It's about time we start to make it, the dream we've always known It's about time we start to live it the family of man It's about time, it's about changes and it's about time It's about peace and it's about plenty and it's about time It's about you and me together and it's about time.
He is so in my heart ... he could never be gone...