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A Message from the President

HW President’s Column – Jan 2017

What a great start to 2017!! There were large turn-outs at our first three events in Ormond

Beach, Daytona Beach (cold!!) and New Smyrna Beach – where we had 47 signed-in on a

Wednesday night… Wow!!

After our upcoming MLK multi-event weekend, there is “nothing big” planned for a while as far as events –

but: please consider a trip to Panama City on President’s Weekend 17-20 February though, to support the

Emerald Coast and Pensacola clubs in their weekend. At least 6 events are available! I went last year and there

were some really nice walks.

Our main focus in 2017 will be Walk Around Florida (WAF27) in St. Augustine. We are the “host” club this

year and there will be much to do. If you are willing to volunteer to be on a Planning Committee for WAF27,

please contact me directly. We will be starting up next month. Our first set of decisions is to finalize the dates

(last week of OCT or first week of NOV) and the choice of hotel accommodations so we can get a “Save the

Date” announcement in the Apr/May AVA TAW. That deadline is 25 February.

If you were not aware, our Executive Council meets the first Thursday of every other month, opposite the

General Membership meetings – so our next session is in FEB. The EC consists of the elected officers of the

club, including President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary and 2 “Members-at-Large” intended to represent the

membership’s concerns directly on the Council. Your MAL right now are: Gloria Pratt and Robert Priest. If

you have business you think the club leadership should address, please let me know directly or reach out to one

of our MAL with your input.

Finally, our 2017 Elections will be in May and we already know that we’ll need a new Treasurer and Secretary

for the Happy Wanderers. If you have skills and are willing to serve on the club’s board in one of these

important positions, or know someone you would like to recommend -- please contact Dave Golden, at

dmgolde@nycap.rr.com Mr. Golden has agreed to Chair our Nominating Committee, and he also needs 2-3

more people to fill out that Committee and assist us in our election process. Please consider serving.

Thanks All!

v/r

John McClellan

AVA: America’s Walking Club!

Membership Renewal It’s that time again! Renew your Happy Wanderers Membership! Single $15 Family $20

http://www.happywanderersfl.org/membership/ Please make checks payable to:

The Happy Wanderers Walking Club, Inc. P. O. Box 290153 Port Orange, Florida 32129

The Happy Wanderers Fun, Fitness and Friendship in Florida!

January 13, 2017 AVA #0717

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Officers

John McClellan President

Dan Spink Vice-President

Barbara Anderson Treasurer

VACANT Secretary

Gloria Pratt Member-at-Large

Robert Priest Member-at-Large

Volunteers

Linda Ellis Birthdays

John McClellan Trailmaster Facebook/MeetUp

Karen Duhlstine Membership

Sheila McClellan Newsletter

Russ & Barbara Anderson Property Managers

Mary-Ann Westbrook Publicity

David McCarthy Webmaster

Gloria Pratt YRE Coordinator

Maureen Higgins Specialties

Food Coordinator VACANT

Happy Wanderers Website www.happywanderersfl.org Mailing Address The Happy Wanderers Club P. O. Box 290153 Port Orange, Florida 32129

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HappyWanderersAVA

http://www.meetup.com/Happy-Wanderers-Port-Orange-Walking-Meetup/

Happy Wanderers Membership $15 Individual $20 Family

Mail your checks payable to: The Happy Wanderers Walking Club PO Box 290153 Port Orange, FL 32129

IN MEMORIAM

Former President of The Happy Wanderers, Larry Middleton, died December 18,

2016, following a short battle with stomach cancer. A long-time member of the

Happy Wanderers, his tenure as club president encompassed 2013 and 2014.

Over the many years as a club member Larry was active in our walks. He was a

Trail Master responsible for creating walks and preparing the directions and

maps used in our walk boxes. He created our New Smyrna Beach “Sun Set –

Moon Rise Walk” by creatively coordinating a date and time when the sun and

moon complemented each other for a most inspiring occasion. He also served as

an Event Coordinator for the 2013 AVA Convention held in Orlando. In that

capacity he put a tremendous amount of .time and effort in reworking the

Daytona Beach and DeLand walk routes. For many years he was POC, Point of

Contact, for the New Smyrna Beach YRE.

Folks like Larry keep our club active and functional. We owe a great amount of

gratitude for the years Larry put into making the Happy Wanderers the club it is

today. He will be missed for the efforts and talents he shared to make us “Happy

Wanderers.” Larry will be remembered by all who knew him as we trace his

steps in New Smyrna Beach.

Welcome to Our New Members

Michele Cloudman, John Hoag,

Debbie & Joe Hollinger,

Sidney Hutchins, and Bonnie Thornton.

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Happy Wanderers Vice-President Dan Spink

BLUE DOTS ARE BACK WITH A BIG SAVINGS!

For those of you who are not familiar with “BLUE DOTS” and where to purchase them, they are available at all

of our walks from Dan Spink using cash or check made out to the “Happy Wanderers.”

WHAT: Dime sized self-stick blue colored dots.

WHY: They are used in place of cash for our club’s paid walks. They are convenient for the walker because you

do not need to carry money, get change etc. Keep your Blue Dots into your name tag for easy retrieval. It is

very helpful for the POC “Point of Contact” person as they do not have to deal with collecting money. Also the

sign-up line will move along faster.

FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE: The cost of our paid walks is $3.00 and Blue Dots sell for $2.50 each giving a 50

cent savings to the walker.

WHO: Only Club Members may purchase Blue Dots ~ an advantage of Club Membership.

P.S. Blue Dots are similar to the K-Mart Blue Light Specials! Remember? Buy them and enjoy.

Happy Wanderers T-Shirts and Sweatshirts

HW shirts: $18 Pre-shrunk Cotton T-shirts and $20 Medium weight Sweatshirts (Robert got them on Sale!)

HW clothing available for purchase at every first Wednesday of the month walk and at every walk our Boutique

Volunteer, Maureen Higgins, attends. If we do not have your size, please fill out an order form, we will be

making an order when we have at least 10 items to order.

Triathlon Opportunity Walk, Bike Swim in Port Orange

At the Port Orange Start Box, you will find a map for the 5 or 10 kilometer Walk. A map for the Bike route and

an explanation for the distance required to complete the swim portion. Please follow the directions located

within the start box to complete the log. Each event is $3 or $8 for all three. While supplies last, Triathlon

Medals are available for an additional fee. If you are not a member of the YMCA, call John 781-686-0660 for

more information.

First Coast Trail Forgers Volksmarch Washington Oak State Park March 25th

Sign In between 9:00 and 10:00AM. The Group Walk begins at 9:30AM. Check out the brochure for more

information:

http://firstcoasttrailforgerswalkingclub.org/Washington%20Oaks%20Flier%203_25_2017.pdf

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Year Round Events (YRE) Coordinator Gloria Platt

YEAR ROUND EVENTS (YRE)

Thanks to all the POCs for getting the Walk Boxes updated for 2017 and to the Webmaster for updating the

information for the YREs on our website. Joanne Wright is now POC for our New Smyrna Beach YRE. Dan

Spink is temporary POC for our Mount Dora YRE. Please consider filling this POC volunteer position. I am

available to answer any questions about being a POC.

We have not only brought back our great year-round walk event in Palm Coast, we have added a year-round

bike event. In Port Orange, the walk and swim YREs were renewed and we brought back the bike YRE, thus

giving participants an opportunity for a Triathlon Event. For the Palm Coast and Port Orange scheduled YREs,

you can now choose to walk or bike.

POINTS OF CONTACT

In past issues, we have reported the responsibilities this volunteer position encompasses and the importance it

holds for the success of our year-round events for our organization and the AVA. Often we gather and

participate in these events without thinking about that important volunteer that makes it all go smoothly. This is

the fifth in a series to introduce these members that step up and help us function well.

We continue with Bill Ellis, who has shared the following information with us.

I live in Orange City, Florida and was born

and raised in Paris, Kentucky. I have been

married to My Linda for 58 years. We have

two sons, four grandchildren and two great-

grandsons. It is a blessing to be old and

enjoy the great ones.

I served four years in Uncle Sam’s Navy,

after which I received a Bachelor’s Degree in

Accounting from the University of Eastern

Kentucky. I became a CPA around 1965 and

retired as Controller for a life insurance

company in 1995.

I enjoy walking and volunteering. For 18 to

20 years I have volunteered for organizations

that have thrift stores. I currently volunteer

about 20 hours a week with Hospice in

Orange City. Linda and I joined The Happy

Wanderers in 1996, when we were new to

Florida. We thought walking would give us

the opportunity to learn about the area and to

meet and make new friends. We did not

become active in the Club until about 2000.

Currently Bill is POC for our Sanford YRE and the Blue Spring State Park FVA YRE. Some years ago, he and

Linda handled Specialties. Additionally, Bill has served as YRE Coordinator, Vice President and, just as he

was preparing to ‘retire’ from that office, he stepped up to become President when the need arose. While

actively involved with The Happy Wanderers, 4 or 5 years ago, Bill was named a Volusia County Senior

Volunteer of the Year for his work with organizations in Ormond Beach. Thank you, Bill, for your continued

support of this Club and other organizations as well.

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Remote Start Boxes Online for some walks in South Florida

Remote Walks – AVA (American Volkssporting Association) has been piloting online Start Boxes for 2 years

in California (phase 1).

Register for walk, pay online (through PayPal – you do not need to have an account to enter your credit card),

download map, print electronic insert cards for your books. Phase 2 is now being launched in locations across

the Country, including Florida.

The Mid-Florida Milers have put their Southeast Florida Atlantic Coast walks online, these include: West Palm

Beach Walk, Palm Beach Walk, Boca Raton Walk, Delray Beach Walk, Ft. Lauderdale Walk, Miami

South Beach Walk, Key West Walk.

The AVA Online Start Box is found at: www.cva4u.org

The Happy Wanderers Election of Officers is coming - May 2017

Think about supporting your club -- become an officer!

The club is actively looking for a new Treasurer to start in the summer of 2017. Treasurer maintains our club

finances, pays bills, maintains the club bank account and interfaces with the AVA, State of Florida and the IRS.

The position requires trust, reliability, modest computer skills (primarily MS Excel or similar), and some ability

with numbers/finance. (You do NOT have to be a CPA or a Finance guru) The commitment is probably a few

hours weekly but you can still travel / be away for vacations, etc. as the club President is also trained in these

areas. If you think you may be interested in this important position, please contact John McClellan or Barb

Anderson- current Treasurer.

Walk Around Florida (WAF 27) in 2017 Dates TBD We are hosting!

We need all hands on deck (lots of volunteers) to host WAF27. A wonderful 4 Walk Weekend end of

Oct/beginning of Nov. timeframe.

We are comparing hotel prices now. Our Theme: Conquer the Castillo We are open to suggestions for the

Dinner Venue Saturday night – suggestions? We’ll need a banquet room, capacity for 75 people and

affordable! Thanks for your help!

Wednesday Fun Walks Start time 6:00PM Register starting at 5:30pm

1st Wed of the month – Boutique Store - purchase club items

2nd Wed - Wear your Club Apparel

3rd Wed - Bring a Friend

4th Wed - 50/50 Raffle.

For Your Information – National Park Passes for Seniors going up to $80!

Dick Wright, shared at our meeting– the price for National Park Passes for Seniors 62 years or older is going up

Price Of Senior Pass Going To $80; Buy It Now For $10.

What is the Senior Pass? A $10.00 lifetime pass that provides access to more than 2,000 recreation sites

managed by five Federal agencies, with up to 100% of the proceeds being used to improve and enhance visitor

recreation services. https://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior.html

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Our Fellow AVA Clubs in Florida

Florida Volkssport Association http://walkflorida.org/Walk_Florida/Walk_Florida.html

Emerald Coast Volkssport Club Panama City no website

First Coast Trail Forgers Jacksonville www.firstcoasttrailforgerswalkingclub.org

Meandering Manatees Lehigh Acres no website

Mid-Florida Milers Orlando http://midfloridamilers.org

Pensacola Volksmarch Club Pensacola no website

Perdido Key Volksmarch Club Pensacola no website

Suncoast Sandpipers Clearwater http://suncoastsandpipers.org/events/

Condolences

The Happy Wanderers would like to offer our condolences to Suncoast Sandpipers President Alice Lawrence on

the recent passing of her husband. If you have walked Walk Around Florida anytime in the last 26 years – you

probably saw Jim Lawrence wearing one of his many hats in making WAF and the Suncoast Sandpipers a

success.

(AVA) American Volkssport Association http://www.ava.org/

The AVA has over 220 clubs in the United States. They support over 1,800 YRE’s nationwide.

AVA Current Special Program Books: http://www.ava.org/specprog.php

What is the AVA: http://www.ava.org/about2.php

Find an AVA Club in the USA: http://www.ava.org/locateclubs.php

Search for a Volksmarching Event in the USA: http://clubs.ava.org/ava_search.asp

Happy Wanderer Links

Our Web Site http://www.happywanderersfl.org/

Calendar of Walks HW Calendar

Driving Directions to our Sunday YRE Walks: HW Driving Directions

If you are a member of the Happy Wanderers – our thanks!

If you haven’t yet joined but have enjoyed our walks – please join today!

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The Happy Wanderers January, February, March 2017 Walk Schedule START DAY MONTH DATE TIME PLACE CITY NOTES Sunday JANUARY 01 HOLIDAY – NO WALK SCHEDULED Wednesday 04 6:00 PM Cassen Park Ormond Beach Thursday 05 6:30 PM P. O. Presbyterian Church Port Orange 4662 Clyde Morris Blvd. New member orientation 6 PM Sunday 08 1:00 PM City Island Daytona Beach Wednesday 11 6:00 PM Flagler Ave. Park New Smyrna Beach Saturday 14 8-10:00 AM Blue Spring State Park Orange City (Flyer available on website) Sunday 15 8:30 –10 AM DeLeon Springs State Park DeLeon Springs (Flyer available on website) Monday 16 8-9:30 AM Comfort Inn DeLand (Flyer available on website) Wednesday 18 6:00 PM Colin’s Park Daytona Beach Sunday 22 1:00 PM Monroe Harbour Marina Sanford Wednesday 25 6:00 PM County Library Port Orange Sunday 29 1:00 PM Publix Supermarket Palm Coast Wednesday FEBRUARY 01 6:00 PM Riverside Park New Smyrna Beach Sunday 05 1:00 PM County Library Ormond Beach Wednesday 08 6:00 PM Frank Rendon Park Daytona Beach Shores Sunday 12 1:00 PM Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach Wednesday 15 6:00 PM Airport Road Park Port Orange Sunday 19 1:00 PM Winterhaven Park Ponce Inlet Wednesday 22 6:00 PM Kohl’s Port Orange Sunday 26 1:00 PM Big Al’s Bait Shop Flagler Beach Wednesday MARCH 01 6:00 PM Buena Vista Park New Smyrna Beach Thursday 02 6:30 PM P. O. Presbyterian Church Port Orange 4662 Clyde Morris Blvd. New member orientation 6 PM Sunday 05 1:00 PM Double Tree By Hilton St. Augustine Wednesday 08 6:00 PM Halifax Marina Daytona Beach Sunday (DLST begins) 12 1:00 PM YMCA Port Orange Wednesday 15 6:00 PM Colin’s Park Daytona Beach Sunday 19 1:00 PM Publix Supermarket New Smyrna Beach Wednesday 22 6:00 PM Ponce Preserve Park Ponce Inlet Sunday 26 9:00 AM Lakeside Inn Mount Dora Wednesday 29 6:00 PM Coast to Coast (C2C) Trail Edgewater