Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
May 6th, 2026
President Richard Johnson presided, and called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30AM.
Richard Johnson led with the singing of America, the National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation: Richard Johnson, mentioning help for flood victims and the children.
Raffle: Linda Bontly oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $12 and the big (Joker) pot was $101.
Richard Johnson drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 515. Congratulations to the winner, Dale Henning.
The deck of cards has 46/53 cards remaining. Dale Henning drew the 7♦.
Happy Box: John Janes announced he is happy because it is the Janes’ 59th wedding anniversary.
Jerry Langdok announced he is happy because it is the Langdoks’ 62nd wedding anniversary Saturday.
Jokes: Joker Steve Skelly had a good joke about a lawyer waking up from a surgery in a hospital with the blinds drawn. “Why is it so dark?!” “The building out the window has a huge fire, and we didn’t want you to think the surgery was unsuccessful.”
Dick Fay, Ron Anderson, Ron Shuler, Linda Bontly and Mel Lemirande have birthdays this month, and a song was sung.
Other Announcements: John Janes spoke upon the recent blood drives. The first day, 55 people showed up and 43 were accepted. The second day, the Red Cross computer was down.
John Janes spoke about this day in history: On May 6th, 1937, the Hindenburg crashed, with 35 of 97 passengers perishing. On this day, the Eiffel Tower opened.
Committee Reports: John Janes announced the Kiwanis Tree Sale is on Friday and Saturday!
Linda Bontly announced the Renaissance Faire is next weekend!
April Wright introduced the day’s speaker, Judy Shumway. Judy is the owner of the Glass Garden in downtown Janesville. The store and studio were opened in July, 1998. For 28 years, they have been teaching the art and craft for stained glass hobbyists, as well as selling glass gifts, supplies finished artwork, and making custom art for homes and businesses.
Judy presented upon the Glass Garden and the many activities they offer.
Demonstrations of various pieces of art were made, and their processes detailed.
Kiwanis member John Janes asked, “Can regular glass be utilized?” Judy responded, “Generally, it is ‘fusing glass.’”
Fifty different textures of glass are used.
Many gradations exist. Over one thousand colors of glass are available.
The Glass Garden supplies Marling with cupboard doors’ glass.
Solder is used for connecting glass panes, known as “silver gleam.” After, a patina is applied (a patina is a finishing agent that hastens reactions such as copper turning green).
The first class Judy took was in 1994. She opened her store in 1998.
Kiwanian Bob Wilcox inquired, “What is the mix of sexes in attendance?” Judy responded, “Generally, more women. The first [customer] was a man.”
John Janes asked, “Is glass blowing included?” Judy replied, “Not traditionally. We do globe-like items for one thing, which is not practiced during the summer due to the heat.”
Kiwanis member Tom Neumann asked, “How is business downtown?” Judy replied, “Twenty-eight years ago we were the first to open. Now, it is busy.”
John Janes asked, “Please tell us more about the classes.” Judy responded, “Many are offered. Prices vary, based on the price of the finished project, in part.”
Judy demonstrated and then assisted members with some precision glass cuts.
Kiwanian April Wright cut some glass.
After being requested, Judy demonstrated cutting an oddly-shaped piece of glass, a bird’s wing.
Edges are smoothed with a diamond-edged water-cooled device.
Classes for beginners are limited to eight people.
Kiwanis member Ryan Lewis inquired, “How many kilns does Glass Garden have?” Judy, “Seven.”
Bob Wilcox asked, “How thick of a pane can be cut?” Judy replied, “One half of an inch, with a different tool.”
Tom Neumann inquired, “How is the glass shipped?” Judy responded, “It is picked up by our truck, from Chicago.”
Kiwanian Roger Willeford asked, “What is the cost of ‘Friends’ Night Out?’” Judy, “$85. They are on the first Thursdays. They fill quickly. June is half full. The classes are two hours, and the art can be picked up two weeks later.
A pebble base was one of the glass projects demonstrated.
Kiwanis member Linda Bontly inquired, “What are the ‘Friends’ Night Out’ projects?” Judy, “There are many different options.”
April Wright thanked Judy Shumway for speaking and presented her with a Kiwanis Parker pen.
Richard Johnson adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 10:50AM.
On this day:
1541 King Henry VIII orders a bible in English be placed in every church in England
1787 Prince Hall establishes the first African American Masonic lodge, African Lodge No. 459, in Boston
1837 US blacksmith John Deere creates the first commercially successful self-scouring steel plow in Grand Detour, Illinois
1840 The world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, is first used in Great Britain
1851 American physician and inventor John Gorrie patents a “refrigeration machine” to make ice
1851 Linus Yale Jr. patents the Yale cylinder lock
1860 San Francisco Olympic Club becomes the first US athletic club
1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the elevators in the tower are not yet ready, so intrepid visitors have to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top
1915 Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth hits his first MLB home run; pitches 12 frames in Boston Red Sox 4-3 extra innings loss to New York Yankees
1915 Actor and director Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
1931 Willie Mays, one of the greatest all-around players in the history of baseball, was born in Westfield, Alabama.
1934 MLB Boston Red Sox score 12 runs in 4th inning, including record 4 consecutive triples hit by Carl Reynolds, Moose Solters, Rick Ferrell, and B Walters
1937 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and one on the ground
1940 Pulitzer prize awarded to John Steinbeck for “The Grapes of Wrath”
1941 At California’s March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show
1954 English athlete Roger Bannister becomes the first to run a sub-4-minute mile, recording 3:59.4 at Iffley Road Track in Oxford
1956 Gus Bell (Reds) homers off Bob Miller in both ends of a double header
1957 Last broadcast of “I Love Lucy” on CBS-TV
1957 Pulitzer Prize for Biography awarded to John F. Kennedy for “Profiles in Courage”
1960 US President Eisenhower signs Civil Rights Act of 1960
1961 George Clooney—who emerged in the 1990s as a popular leading man, known for his good looks and versatility, and who later became a respected director and screenwriter—was born in Lexington, Kentucky.
1963 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Barbara Tuchman (Guns of August)
1966 Canadian Minister of Finance announces a $20 Centennial gold coin
1966 The Rolling Stones release the single “Paint It Black” in the US, featuring prominent sitar music played by Brian Jones
1967 Maureen Wilton runs female world record marathon (3:15:22)
1968 Columbia Records releases “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison”, the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded in January 1968
1974 American composer Roger Sessions receives special Pulitzer Prize for his life’s work in music
1974 Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Lindblad makes an errant throw in 1st inning of 6-3 loss to Baltimore, ending his record streak of 385 consecutive errorless games
1979 American Fred Markham (22) sets a bicycle speed record of 81.8 kph (50.8 mph) over 200-meter course
1982 Seattle Mariners Gaylord Perry becomes 15th pitcher to win 300 games
1986 Donald E. Pelotte becomes the first Native American Catholic bishop
1987 Mario Andretti sets a one-lap speed record at Indianapolis at 218.204 mph
1987 Miroslav Mihailovic begins 54 hours of telling jokes
1991 Seppo Raty of Finland sets javelin record to 301′ 9″
1991 Space Shuttle STS 39 (Discovery 12) lands
1993 STS-55 (Columbia) lands
1994 Channel Tunnel linking Folkestone, England and Calais, France officially opens
1997 12th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Bee Gees; Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills & Nash; The Jackson Five; Joni Mitchell; Parliament-Funkadelic; The (Young) Rascals; Mahalia Jackson; Bill Monroe; and Syd Nathan
1998 Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s first iMac, a personal computer that became hugely successful and helped revive the struggling company.
The Great American Grump Out is a day to focus on humor and positive behaviors, in an effort to lighten up the mood and ward off grumpiness, crabbiness, and rudeness for 24 hours. The day was started in 2002 by Janice A Hathy, an author and speaker who has presented stress reduction programs and has focused on improving mental, physical, and emotional health through her company Smile Mania.
National Nurses Day honors and celebrates nurses. The holiday is part of National Nurses Week. It opens the week, and the week concludes on May 12 with Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Student Nurses Day and National School Nurse Day are also a part of the week. In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland of the newly-founded U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower urging him to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October 1954. He didn’t, but a National Nurses Week was held that year from October 11–16, marking the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. It wasn’t until twenty years later that another National Nurses Week was held after President Nixon proclaimed it in 1974.
Minutes by Ryan Lewis.
Credit: Dave Figi, and Ryan Lewis, 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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