Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
September 16th, 2026
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: Bob Knudson, mentioning 60th wedding anniversaries, and the children.
Raffle: John Janes oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $17 and the big (Joker) pot was $312.
Luci Cramer drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 5820. Congratulations to the winner, Doris Henning.
The deck of cards has 30/53 cards remaining. Doris Henning drew the 10♥.
A collection was passed for the upcoming Alzheimer’s Walk.
Nikki Bennett announced that she brought a guest today.
Jokes: Joker Steve Skelly had a good joke about gardening.
Other Announcements: Richard Johnson spoke upon being president for a year, and thanks to all who supported.
Committee Reports: Greg Turco announced dues are coming soon. Please remit $155.
John Janes announced the blood drives resulted in 41 and 25, 66 total pints of blood. A shortage persists. Please continue to donate. Another drive is happening tomorrow, here at Rotary.
Tom Neumann announced the visit to Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel last week was good. In the future, should we do the Boys’ and Girls’ Club? Other locations?
Gregg Dickinson introduced the day’s speaker, Maiken Westphal and Shar Hermanson. Today, Maiken and soon Shar are here to speak about the upcoming November 3rd referendum pertaining to the GM/JATCO land parcels and the ability for the city to create a contract with (a) developer(s) for anything in excess of $450 million dollars. Maiken presented her and Forward Janesville’s opinion.
Maiken began by introducing herself. She is a fourth generation Westphal & Company chairperson.
She presented information about the GM/JATCO development options, and problems with the EPA-listed toxic land.
Forward Janesville believes everyone should vote ‘No’ on the November 3rd proposition requiring public approval for contracts of $450 million and greater at the GM/JATCO land parcels.
Maiken explained that as chairperson of Westphal, she has overseen hundreds of multi-million-dollar contracts. She knows developers would not look twice if the contracts had a clause about public approval.
Kiwanis member Ray Szczepaniak asked Maiken, “What are you doing to educate the public and disseminate this information?” Shar Hermanson responded, “Gazette press releases is one avenue. We have free yard signs (“Vote No!”), fliers, and other means such as the ‘Grow Janesville’ page on Facebook.”
Shar explained there is a Forward Janesville Town Hall tomorrow.
Kiwanian Jim Farrell spoke, “As a previous Janesville city council member, I have an understanding of the problem with a limit on conducting business. I will vote ‘No.’”
Kiwanis member Tom Neumann asked, “Was there an extension of the Viridian contract?” Shar replied, “The city council refused it.”
Shar explained that the consulting firm Stantech will provide three options for non-data center development.
Jim Farrell inquired, “What about non-disclosure agreements?” Shar answered, “Forward Janesville has no official position.” Maiken contributed, “As a construction company, we deal with them every day. They are a standard part of business.”
Tom Neumann asked, “Is there a $20 million grant for EPA cleanup?” Shar answered, “No. The current presidential administration ended it.”
Maiken and Shar encourage and recommend anyone interested in the future of our community be actively involved in it, and that Grow Janesville is a good way to be so.
Gregg Dickinson thanked Maiken Westphal and Shar Hermanson for speaking and presented them with a Kiwanis Parker pen.
Richard Johnson reminded everyone the Kiwanis induction ceremony is in two weeks. He adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 10:30AM.
Reminders: There is an executive board meeting next week.
On this day:
1620 The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World
1782 Great Seal of the United States of America is used for the first time
1847 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust buys Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, preserving it as a national memorial to the Bard
1858 First overland mail to California
1863 Robert College of Istanbul, Turkey, the first American educational institution outside the United States, is founded by Christopher Robert, an American philanthropist
1869 Golf’s first recorded hole-in-one is scored by Tom Morris at Prestwick’s 8th hole in Scotland
1908 Carriage maker William C. Durant founds General Motors in Flint, Michigan
1915 US takes control of the customs and finances of Haiti for ten years
1919 American Legion incorporated by an act of US Congress
1924 St. Cardinals future Baseball HOF first baseman Jim Bottomley sets MLB all-time single game RBI record of 12 in a 17-3 rout of Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field
1925 Born this day, B.B. King helped to mainstream the Mississippi Delta blues legacy and was one of the most influential electric guitarists of his generation
1931 A blimp is moored to the Empire State Building in New York City
1938 British racing driver George Eyston sets a world auto speed record at 357.5 mph
1947 John Cobb sets a world auto speed record at 394.2 mph
1963 “The Outer Limits” premieres on ABC-TV
1965 British singer Davie Jones changes his stage name to “David Bowie” to avoid confusion with the Monkee of similar name
1967 Anni Pede runs the women’s world record marathon in 3:07:26
1972 The sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show” (the Chicago one) debuts on CBS-TV; the first episode “Fly Unfriendly Skies” stars Penny Marshall as the stewardess
1976 American Episcopal Church approves the ordination of women as priests and bishops
1978 American rockers the Grateful Dead perform last of three-night stand at the Giza Sound and Light Theater beside the Sphinx at the foot of the Great Pyramid in Egypt
1978 Filming begins for “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” on location in Monastir, Tunisia
1983 Austrian weightlifter and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes a US citizen
1987 The Montreal Protocol, aimed to regulate the production and use of chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer, was adopted by 46 countries
1992 FCC votes to allow competition for local phone service
1996 NASA launches Space Shuttle STS 79 (Atlantis 17)
1997 Apple Computer Inc. names co-founder Steve Jobs as interim CEO
National Collect Rocks Day – Collect Rocks Day is a day to get outdoors, look for rocks, appreciate the beauty and diversity of rocks, learn more about rocks and geology, start collecting rocks, and enjoy one’s rock collection. Sometimes known as National Collect Rocks Day, Collect Rocks Day has been marked at least since 2001. Events are often held at children’s museums, libraries, and parks in honor of the day.
Rock collecting, also known as amateur geology, is the hobby of collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils. Rock collecting is also known as rockhounding, and collectors are known as rockhounds. Rocks inform those who collect and study them about the Earth—the Earth is made of rock, after all. Rock collecting can spark a young person’s interest in rocks, which may lead to a passion for Earth science and geology in adulthood. Earth scientists often started as youngsters collecting rocks and being interested in rocks, minerals, and fossils. Those who pursue careers in these fields help resolve the important ecological issues of their time, such as climate change and managing natural resources.
Mayflower Day – The Mayflower, a merchant ship that usually carried wine and dry goods, left Plymouth, England, on today’s date in 1620, and headed for the New World, with 102 passengers and a small crew. It had originally started its voyage to cross the ocean the previous month along with a smaller ship, the Speedwell, but the Speedwell leaked, so the supplies and passengers from it were put on the Mayflower, and the Mayflower made the journey alone. Almost 40 of the Mayflower’s passengers were protestant separatists who hoped to establish a new church in the New World, separate from the Church of England. Known today as Pilgrims, they referred to themselves as Saints. The rest of the passengers were secular colonists. The travelers were given permission to establish their settlement from the Virginia Company.
The Mayflower is estimated to have measured 80 or 90 feet in length and 24 feet in width. Captain Christopher Jones, who led its voyage, owned it and purchased it in 1608, shortly after it had been built. It encountered brutal storms on its journey across the Atlantic, and on November 21, 1620, it made landfall at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, much farther north than where it was supposed to land. On that day, the Mayflower Compact, a 200-word document that outlined the rules of governing for the passengers, was signed by 41 of them. It was the first document that established self-government to be signed in territory that would eventually be part of the United States. On December 21, 1620, the ship landed at Plymouth Rock. The passengers disembarked on December 26, at what is now Plymouth. There they established Plymouth Colony, the first permanent colony in New England. Today we remember the ship that made the founding of this colony possible.
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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