Maryland Volkssport Association
Minutes of Meeting
Saturday, April 26, 2009
Stevensville, Maryland

Officers Present: President, Bob Schmick; Treasurer, Kenneth Wilson; Secretary, Steve Arnett; Dennis Lynch (Past President).

Club Delegates: Bob Wolfe (Freestate), Sue Kenyon (BWC), Sandy Lynch (Worldwide Walking Club), Jerry Baugher (Piedmont Pacers), Maribeth Evans (Sugarloafers), and Betty Davis (Annapolis Amblers).

Guests: Carolyn Petruzzelli, Carolyn Thurber, Jim and Barbara Fons.

The Meeting was called to order at 1:15 PM by President Bob Schmick

REPORTS

• Minutes from the December 31^st, 2008 meeting were approved.
• Treasurer's Report: Treasurer Ken Wilson presented the Profit and Loss Statement for 2008, the Balance Sheet for 2008, and the Proposed Budget for 2009. Ken also presented the monthly balance sheets for Dec, Jan, Feb, and for March. He repeated that Nancy Stenger closed her RD accounts, and has donated $400 to the MVA. The report was accepted as presented.
• Bob recommended that clubs buy Forever Stamps for the YRE boxes, and not worry about increases in postage.
• Future of the Sport: Ron completed analyzing 2008 figures, and is not happy with the results. Attendance improved slightly during the 4th quarter for regular events, but there were 3 more events than in 2007. There was an overall increase from 2007 to 2008, but Ron is concerned about the decrease in 2 day events.
• C&O Canal: No Report
• Webmeister: No Report

OLD BUSINESS

• Publicity Contest: Clubs should contact Joan Lampart concerning entries for the publicity contest at the AVA Convention.
• Wedding: There will be an event on the Canal on May 16, 2009. A wedding will occur at this event, and the wedding couple is paying all sanction and walking fees. The event will start at Lock 26, White's Ferry. A special stamp will be used for stamping books. Bob wants an approximate head count so that food can be ordered.
• Rediscover Maryland Program: There are still certificates for those completing the Rediscover program, but there will be no new books distributed.

NEW BUSINESS

• AVA Club Website: The Officer's page on the AVA Club Website has a place for the clubs to enter their club delegate's name.
• Proxies: Bob is taking proxies to the AVA Convention for several clubs. If a proxy is needed by a club, they should contact Bob.
• Jerry Baugher made a motion for a $1000 donation to the C&O Foundation. This motion was approved after a discussion.
• A motion was made to donate money back to the clubs based on their numbers for the YREs. The total amount will be $2000 divided between the clubs. This motion was approved.
• Annette Tollett has proposed that an RD meeting and election be held at an upcoming walk in Delaware.
• Club Social Activities: There was a discussion of social events, such as those held by the Annapolis Amblers and the Seneca Valley Sugarloafers, be considered by other clubs as a means of keeping and gaining membership.

CLUB REPORTS

• Annapolis Amblers: The Amblers recommend that street addresses be listed in publicity for all events to facilitate finding start locations via such methods as GPS units or Mapquest. They also recommended that POCs for all events list cell phone numbers in publicity. Future events are: an event in Eastport on August 29th, the annual Octoberfest event in Annapolis on the first Sunday in October, and the Boat Parade event the second weekend in December in Eastport.
• Baltimore Walking Club: The BWC is developing a series of events for 2010 based on Maryland history. An example will be in Cumberland, MD based on the coal industry.
• Chesapeake Bay Country Wanderers: The CBCW is planning to discuss the future of the club at the regular meeting scheduled for June 4th. Anyone wishing to participate is encourage to attend. Future events will be a National Trails Day event in Patuxent Park on June 6th, and a 20th anniversary event scheduled for the 7th and 8th of November.
• Columbia Volksmarch Club: No Report
• Great Greenbelt Volksmarchers: No Report
• Freestate Happy Wanderers: Bob Wolfe reported that the Freestate Club now has a patch and special book for the completion of all club YREs. Their next event will be at the Elks Club in Severna Park on July 5th, and they have a social planned at the Bowie Baysox game on July 25th.
• Piedmont Pacers: The club will hold 3 more events in 2009, including the Augustoberfest in July, and the Frederick, MD Octoberfest.
• Potomac River Volksmarching Club: No Report
• Seneca Valley Sugarloafers: A new Zoo trail has been added this year. The club is trying for a walk a month this year.
• Washington DC Area Volksmarch Club: The club held its first night walk in April, and will continue its normal series of night walks from the library prior to the club meetings in May, July, August, and September. The next event will be held from the Charles Beatley Central Library in Alexandria. This is NOT the library the night walks are held from. The club is hoping to hold an event using the walking trail being developed across the Wilson Bridge.
• World Wide Volkssport Tours: Sandy Lynch is working on events in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in conjunction with a cruise in January from Port Lauderdale, FL.
• MVA: Bob is working on plans for a possible Atlantic Region Conference to be held in Annapolis in 2010. This conference is being planned for the 3rd week in March.

MVA: Clubs are reminded that the AVA Publicity contest is coming. Awards and proxies should be submitted as needed. Clubs should make sure their Starting Points order forms are current.

The next MVA meeting will be the Annapolis Ambler event in Eastport, MD on August 29^th, 2009 at 1 PM.

The meeting was closed at 2:11 PM.

Respectfully submitted