Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
March 4th, 2026
Richard Johnson presided, and called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30AM.
Richard Johnson led the meeting with the singing of America, the National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation: Richard Johnson, mentioning Spring weather to spring into action for Kiwanis projects and the children.
Raffle: Linda Bontly oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $11 and the big (Joker) pot was $232.
Richard Johnson drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 952. Congratulations to the winner, Luci Cramer.
The deck of cards has 33/53 cards remaining. Luci Cramer drew the J♠O♥K♣E♦R and won the entire pot!
Richard Johnson thanks greeters Bob Wilcox and Ryan Lewis, rafflemaster Linda Bontly, and server Bob Knudson.
A collection was passed for the Salvation Army.
Happy Box: Mel Lemirande announced he is happy because he saw a robin on the way to club today.
Luci Cramer she won the raffle, and is donating the weekly bucket to Early Childhood Literacy.
Jokes: Joker Steve Skelly had a good joke about animals in the savannah. An elephant is walking along, and sees a turtle, then kicks it. A giraffe leans in and asks, “Hey elephant, why’d you kick that turtle?” The elephant responds, “Oh, the turtle bit me 50 years ago.”
Member Health: John Janes had a status update on Ron Shuler, whose physical health has improved. He is at St. Elizabeth’s, and should be visited.
Tom Neumann had a status update on Bruce Jorenby, who may finally be released on Friday. He will require continuing physical therapy.
Glenn Disrude, Ryan Lewis and Bruce Jorenby have birthdays this month, and a song was sung.
Other Announcements: John Janes spoke upon the recent blood drives. Due to a scheduling problem, the events were moved from Faith Lutheran to Cargill Methodist. They were a success, and gathered 45 and 30 (total 75) pints of blood. As a reminder, blood has a limited shelf life, and is always needed.
Committee Reports: John Janes announced the truck will be removed today! That includes locating the winning entries.
Tom Neumann announced the Saint Patrick’s Day dinner will be at the Elks’, with a buffet. This time, the divider won’t block the entertainment, Irish dancers which will begin at 5:45pm. The cost is $24, with $5 contributed by the club. The party starts at five!
John Janes made a point of saying to Dave Figi what a good job Dave does on the newsletters.
April Wright introduced the day’s speaker, Burdette Richter. Burdette is a tour bus driver for Van Galder Tour and Travel. He has been to 41 countries and all 50 states. Burdette has worked for Van Galder 17 years. He was previously the director of financial aid at Blackhawk Technical College. Burdette was military for 31 years, serving in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf.
Burdette began by mentioning he just returned from Costa Rica.
The VGT&T tours include trips that are a single day, such as to musicals in Chicago.
Previously, Coach USA was sold to RentCo, and Van Galder kept the “Coach USA” marker.
The company has six tour directors.
Upon occasion, the company offers ‘mystery trips,’ to e. g. Omaha, NE (a funny one), which was a sort of ‘five cultures in five days’ via visits to locations such as a Hindu temple, an elaborate train station, the American German Society (with the full experience including dining), a paddleboat ride on the Missouri with an Irish dinner, A Greek Orthodox church with a meal and entertainment, Crayton University, a drive-by of Warren Buffet’s house, and more.
Other good domestic destinations include Boston, San Francisco, ‘DC, New Orleans for seven days, New York City – “this country has lots to do!”
Tours have three levels, one, two and three. Three is a lot of walking.
Get the insurance! Sometimes things go wrong with airlines, weather and other items beyond control.
Kiwanis member Tom Neumann asked, “European trips?” Burdette responded, “Yes. Van Galder has contacts worldwide, with a company named Collette. They provide expert local guidance. They take over at the destination, with local guides.
You are never on a coach more than 2.5 hours. Stops include e. g. Culver’s.
The transportation have a 100% maintenance record, and a “error free.”
Kiwanian Mel Lemirande inquired, “Is it true that lately, U. S. citizens are not as welcome in foreign countries as a few years ago?” Burdette replied, “Collette has things right. Tourism is money for destination countries, which means they welcome you.”
Kiwanis member Carl Cramer asked, “Are the VG family active?” Burdette, “After Steve’s passing, they are less hands on.”
Kiwanian Jim Farrell inquired, “Have gas prices had an effect on trips’ prices?” Burdette replied, “Van Galder absorbs the cost. Coaches are governed at 68MPH. They are 250G diesels that achieve 7MPG average. A 65MPH speed is requested of drivers. The drop from 70 to 68MPH saved VG $7,000 monthly. A 250G tank goes to ‘DC and back.
Kiwanis member Jenny Turco asked, “Do VG have any electric buses?” Burdette, “I am unsure. Some are said to have a 1,500 mile range.”
Kiwanian Jim Farrell inquired, “Are there accommodations for Cubs and Brewers fans?” Burdette responded, “The May 7th Brewers game is sold out. Wine and beer are included. Cubs, we were told to not unload at the entrance aside people with wheelchairs. We were made to park eight blocks away, and they gave us poor seats. We stopped offering trips there.”
Kiwanis member John Janes asked, “What happens in the event of airline problems from severe weather?” Burdette, “Nova Scotia once, the flight was cancelled. We had to wait a day in the airport.” “Reimbursement?” “Yes, depending. Vouchers.”
John continued, “What is the cost for rental?” Burdette replied, “Around $1,500 daily. That is fifty people at thirty per person. Alcohol is allowed.”
Kiwanian Greg Dickinson inquired, “Are smaller buses available?” Burdette responded, “Not any more. All of them are 45-foot, 56-people capacity.”
Kiwanis member Tom Neumann asked, “What do they cost?” Burdette, “They average around $600K unwrapped. They are 7-800 after extra features. They run one million miles and then are sold. They are NCI from North Dakota, delivered to New Jersey for pickup.”
More information is available at vangalderbus.com
April Wright thanked Burdette Richter for speaking and presented him with a Kiwanis yellow tumbler.
Richard Johnson adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 10:40AM.
Reminders: Meet club members after the meeting at the lagoon to remove the truck, and then later at the bank to verify the winners.
On this day:
1675 John Flamsteed is appointed the first Astronomer Royal of England
1681 English Quaker William Penn receives charter from Charles II, making him sole proprietor of colonial American territory Pennsylvania
1774 First sighting of Orion nebula by William Herschel
1789 First US Congress meets and declares the Constitution in effect (9 senators, 13 representatives)
1789 US House of Representatives holds its first full meeting at Federal Hall in NYC. Frederick Muhlenberg is elected as first speaker.
1791 President Washington calls the US Senate into its first special session
1791 Vermont admitted as 14th state (1st addition to the 13 colonies)
1792 Oranges introduced to Hawaii
1793 George Washington’s second inauguration as US President at the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall, Philadelphia. The shortest inaugural speech of any president with only 133 words.
1797 John Adams inaugurated as 2nd President of The United States, Thomas Jefferson 2nd Vice President
1801 Thomas Jefferson is the first US President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
1809 James Madison becomes the first US President inaugurated in American-made clothes
1817 James Monroe is inaugurated as the 5th President of the United States
1822 Boston residents eligible to vote ratify the incorporation of the city and accept the charter to convert their town into a city
1825 John Quincy Adams inaugurated as the 6th US President
1826 1st US railroad chartered, Granite Railway in Quincy, Massachusetts
1829 Andrew Jackson inaugurated as 7th US President
1829 Unruly crowd mobs the White House during President Andrew Jackson’s inaugural ball
1837 Chicago was incorporated as a city, with a population of about 4,200. The city is known for its creativity in the arts, architecture, and business, as well as its proximity to Lake Michigan.
1841 Longest US presidential inauguration speech (8,443 words) by William Henry Harrison
1861 Confederate States adopt “Stars & Bars” flag (US Civil War)
1861 US President Abraham Lincoln opens Government Printing Office
1877 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” has its world premiere, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow
1881 California becomes 1st state to pass plant quarantine legislation
1881 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson begin their first case together in “A Study in Scarlet”
1882 Britain’s first electric trams run in East London
1890 Longest bridge in Great Britain, the Forth Bridge (railway) at 1,710 ft in length is opened in Scotland by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII
1902 American Automobile Association (AAA) is founded in Chicago
1911 Victor Berger (Wisc) becomes 1st socialist congressman in US
1913 1st US law regulating the shooting of migratory birds passed
1918 US Army mess cook Private Albert Gitchell of Fort Riley, Kansas becomes the first documented military case of Spanish flu; start of worldwide pandemic killing 50-100 million [some sources cite date as March 11]
1921 Hot Springs National Park created in Arkansas
1924 The song “Happy Birthday to You” is published by Clayton F. Summy Co
1925 US President Coolidge’s inauguration broadcast live on 21 radio stations
1927 Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in MLB history when he signs 3-year, $70,000 per season contract with the New York Yankees
1929 Republican Charles Curtis becomes the 1st Native American to be Vice President of the United States
1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd US President, pledges to pull the US out of the Depression, stating in his inaugural address “that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”
1933 Frances Perkins was sworn in as U.S. secretary of labor in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was the first woman appointed to a cabinet post and served one of the longest terms of any Roosevelt appointee (1933–45).
1936 First flight of the airship Hindenburg at Friedrichshafen, Germany
1937 9th Academy Awards: “The Great Ziegfeld”, Paul Muni & Luise Rainer wins
1943 15th Academy Awards: “Mrs. Miniver”, James Cagney & Greer Garson win
1955 1st radio facsimile transmission sent across the continent
1957 The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.
1959 NASA’s scientific spacecraft Pioneer 4 misses the Moon, enters a heliocentric orbit, and becomes the second (and the first US) Earth-launched ‘artificial planet’
1962 AEC announces 1st atomic power plant in Antarctica in operation
1965 David Attenborough becomes the new controller of BBC2
1966 North Sea Gas 1st pumped ashore by BP
1968 Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched
1970 Jacksonville is 1st college basketball team to avg 100+ pts per game
1976 John Pezzin bowls 33 consecutive strikes at Toledo, Ohio
1976 MLB’s San Francisco Giants are bought for $8 million by Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth
1977 1st CRAY 1 supercomputer shipped, to Los Alamos Laboratories, New Mexico
1979 200th episode of “All in the Family”
1979 US Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter’s rings
1982 NASA launches Intelsat V satellite, no. 504
1984 Pee Wee Reese & Rick Ferrell elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame
1990 US 65th manned space mission STS 36 (Atlantis 6) returns from space
1994 Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit
1995 Blind teenage boy receives a ‘Bionic Eye’ at a Washington Hospital
1997 Comet Hale-Bopp directly above the Sun (1.04 AU)
1997 Russia launches spacecraft Zeya Start-1
1997 US President Clinton bans federally funded human cloning research
2002 Canada bans human embryo cloning but permits government-funded scientists to use embryos leftover from fertility treatments or abortions
Discover What Your Name Means Day takes place during Celebrate Your Name Week. It is a day to learn what your name and the names of others mean. There are many sources on the internet that can help you learn the history of names and what they mean. The day may also be used to give your name its own meaning—one that reflects who you are.
Holy Experiment Day – The purpose of the day is to try something religious. It is a day for experimenting with prayer, getting someone to consider your religion, or for trying out a new religion. When experimenting with prayer, prayers may be said for things that would seem like miracles if they occurred, as well as for things that seem more possible. The day is also for seeing what the effect the religious experiment had: were prayers successful, has someone considered changing their religion, and were you enlightened with your experiment with a new religion?
Minutes by Ryan Lewis.
Credit: Dave Figi, photographs.
Note: Kiwanis and its members are not responsible for errors or omissions. We are open to discussion if you would like to request an alteration. This content may only be reproduced without alteration and with credit to the original author(s).
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