Author: Mary Pucel

Greetings, crew!

I hope you're all enjoying the summer and are planning to come to CONvergence. It will be a blast! See more information in this newsletter. We're publishing this special July newsletter to make sure folks are in the know about everything that's going on, and it's a lot. Please read below and make sure you don't miss out on any of the fun - we really want to have fun with all of you!

Speaking of fun, do you have an event or community service project that you'd like to see on our calendar? Don't forget that all members are welcome to submit ideas. We'll consider anything you'd like to do, so let a board member know. The governing board will formulate the calendar and present it to the crew in September, so now's the time!

We have lots of events this summer that require advance signup. Some also require advance payment. Don't miss out - sign up today!!

• Feed My Starving Children on July 16th
  • This summer's packing event is at the Eagan location at 990 Lone Oak Road, Suite 136, Eagan, MN 55121. As of this writing we have only 2 people on a reservation of 15, so please go to www.fmsc.org to sign up today! As you might imagine, when we're done with our 6:00 to 7:30pm packing session we'll head to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Join us!
• Moon Party on July 20th
  • Join us in celebrating the anniversary of the first moon landing at the Moon Party, hosted by Phill Goldman & Lynne Tauer at their home in the northern suburbs. We'll start at 6:00PM and go until "whenever." You are invited to bring your favorite side dish for potluck-style sharing, but that is completely optional. Please bring a lawn chair and, because it’s a summer evening in Minnesota, don't forget your preferred bug spray. Registration (sign up online) and payment for your meal ($11 per person) are due by Saturday, July 13. No exceptions. This event is exclusive to Nokomis members and plus-ones only.

• Tall Ships Adventure and Overnight August 10th and 11th:
  • Join us on the shores of Lake Superior for Festival of Sail Duluth 2019. The festival runs from Sunday, August 11 to Tuesday, August 13. We will be going on Sunday. The hours are 11am to 7pm. Tickets are sold on the website (www.festofsailduluth.com), and you should order them ASAP. We'll also be having a sleepover on Saturday night, thanks to Denise and Mike. They have a cabin half-way to Duluth and are welcoming us to come up on Saturday. We'll have breakfast in the morning and then caravan up to Duluth to meet those who aren't sleeping over. Please use the signup sheet to let us know you are interested, so we can keep you in the loop.
• Outdoor Movie Night on August 17th
  • Please join us for our 2019 outdoor movie night on August 17th. The fun starts at 7pm in the backyard of the Captain's Quarters. Everyone is welcome to Trek under the stars! The cost of the event is still $12 and includes your meal and entertainment. Please bring a beverage of your choice and something to sit on (most people bring chairs but blankets work, too). Please sign up online ASAP or let Mary know if you plan to attend so we can plan the amount of food. We need to know who's coming by August 11th. It is critically important for everyone to RSVP.
• Top Golf Outing on August 18th
  • You do not have to be a golfer to play! Think of it as a bowling alley, perched above the playing field, with golf balls instead of bowling balls. We're going as a group during the afternoon of August 18th. Each bay accommodates 8 people and 6 players, so 2 people can observe and relax. The cost of golfing is based on the number of people that go, so we can only estimate it at this time. Since they sell out the bays quickly, we'll need everyone to sign up by July 7th. Please sign up on the signup sheet and know that we have to commit to a specific number of people for the reservation.

See you at CONvergence, at these events, and around the Galaxy!

Mary

OK, folks. I've said it over and over and now it's really here...please join us to help with the sets and greeting people in the room. Even if you've never done this before and didn't build the sets, come and help. It's so fun you won't believe it!

The times we NEED you are:

• July 3rd at 6pm to load at our house (this is going to be so easy, as everything is staged in the garage already!)
• July 7th at 8am to tear down and load out, and we have to be out by 11am!!
• July 7th at the house to unload and pack everything away, then go out to eat

Here's what you should do for the convention itself: let me know when you want to come and populate the room. It's best to sign up for a time so we know you'll be there and can count on you. The room is really big this year, so we'll need people in the front and back areas, in addition to James T Hefner out in the hallway calling in the guests. You don't have to do anything other than visit and welcome people. How fun is that?

Everyone is welcome and everyone is needed, so please let me know when you can come. Thanks in advance.

Mary

July 6th is just around the corner, and it marks our 36th blood drive. It will also mark the occasion of our 1,000th pint of blood if we get 51 this year. This is amazing and means we'll have touched up to 3,000 lives with our work over the years.

Please sign up to donate at the Hyatt Regency on redcrossblood.org or on the CONvergence site at http://www.convergence-con.org/at-the-con/events/blood-drive/  There are many appointments open. You may be the one, and there will be a fabulous prize. If you're at the con, let us know in the lobby or during our open party hours in room 5121. Remember that the Hyatt is very accessible by public transportation, which has not been true of our previous locations. Everyone can come!

Thanks in advance for your gift of life!

Long time USS Nokomis members have fond memories of a summertime tradition, The Peep Toss. The first event took place approximately twenty years ago and continued annually through 2006. Many a strange and wonderful contraption was constructed in the noble effort to “Give Wings To The Flightless” and now you, yes, you have the opportunity to participate in this magnificent effort once again. I, the Poobah of Peep-dom and the Maven of Marshmallow, will be there to witness and oversee it in all if its brightly colored, sugar encrusted glory!

On June 8th at the 35th Anniversary Picnic the members of our Grand Organization will be launching our small, squishy, wingless friends skyward! How, you ask, may I participate in this Most Altruistic of Endeavors?  The rules are few. The participant is to construct a device to launch, fling or otherwise propel a marshmallow Peep as far as possible. The Peep must at some point fly free of the device. The devices may include, but are not limited to cannons, catapults, slingshots, or one’s own strong arm. Any method of propulsion is allowed as long as it complies with local laws and park rules. Impressively loud cool noises such as produced by a small explosion are heartily encouraged. All Peeps will be provided by the officials. The Peep itself may not be altered in any way. Each participant will place their device completely behind the firing line in turn and will launch one Peep. Misfires will be allowed a second attempt. The statistician will record the distance that said Peep travels. As you have certainly already surmised, the farthest distance is the winner. There will be prizes for first, second and third place which the winners will select from the also revived Mysterious and Wondrous Bag O’ Goodies. As you may recall, this Bag was the source of Great Hilarity and Fabulousness in the past and I do not intend to disappoint my fellow Nokomisites with its return!

Now, my most philanthropic and creative friends, I encourage you to put on your Thinking Caps and devise a way to help a small, flightless avian soar!

OK, folks. I've said it over and over and now it's really here...please join us to help with the sets and greeting people in the room. Even if you've never done this before and didn't build the sets, come and help. It's so fun you won't believe it!

We're setting up the set at my house on June 23rd at 10am. We need hands to hold the walls so we can see how fantastically it goes up. We'll assess paint and glue needs, plus anything else we need to do.

Here's what you should do: let me know when you want to come and populate the room. It's best to sign up for a time so we know you'll be there and can count on you. The room is really big this year, so we'll need people in the front and back areas, in addition to James T Hefner out in the hallway calling in the guests. You don't have to do anything other than visit and welcome people. How fun is that?

Everyone is welcome and everyone is needed, so please let me know when you can come. Thanks in advance.

Mary

You heard it right - we are going to collect our 1,000th pint of blood if we get 51 this year. This is amazing and means we'll have touched up to 3,000 lives with our work over the years. Please sign up to donate at the Hyatt Regency on redcrossblood.org. There are many appointments open. You may be the one, and there will be a fabulous prize.

Thanks in advance for your gift of life!

Greetings, crew!

We are finally getting some nice weather, and it's time to enjoy it! We look forward to seeing everyone at the May 18th CONvergence task day, the June 8th 35th Anniversary Picnic, the June 23rd CONvergence planning day, CONvergence at the Hyatt Regency, the Feed My Starving Children event in July, the Drive-In Movie Night, Star Trek Bar Crawl and so much more! We hope you love the fun new summer outing we've added! Remember that we don't have membership meetings in July and August, so information will come at the June picnic meeting and then through the website. Keep your eyes open.

It was fun to see many of you at the Journey to Babble on May the Fourth (be with you). Thanks to Scott for putting together the good time. Seventeen of us visited four breweries, had great food and relaxed!!

Please see the article in this newsletter about CONvergence. Even if you've never before come to this event, please make this the year. We truly need you.

See you around the Galaxy!

Mary

Join us on the shores of Lake Superior for Festival of Sail Duluth 2019. This is the 5th installment of Tall Ships in Duluth. It’s a rare chance to catch a glimpse and step aboard some of the grandest ships of yore. Festival of Sail Duluth is one the largest events in Duluth’s history, featuring ship tours, day sails, educational programming, food, beverage, craft beer garden, entertainment and fun for the entire family! You can also see the world's largest rubber ducky!

The festival runs from Sunday, August 11 to Tuesday, August 13. We will be going on Sunday. The hours are 11am to 7pm. Tickets are sold on the website (www.festofsailduluth.com), and you should order them ASAP. The sail tickets are already sold out, but the tour and festival tickets are still available ($10 for the festival alone and $14 if you want the tour).

We'll also be having a sleepover on Saturday night, thanks to Denise and Mike. They have a cabin half-way to Duluth and are welcoming us to come up on Saturday. We'll have breakfast in the morning and then caravan up to Duluth to meet those who aren't sleeping over. More details will be available in the next few months. Please use the signup sheet to let us know you are interested, so we can keep you in the loop.