JanK

We typically change those mailing addresses when the new list comes out in February. I've notice that the majority of the people on that committee usually don't change, so the January issue does get to most of the right people.<P>That said, it wouldn't hurt for the new list to be posted here, once it's available!<BR> <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

The company is up for sale, according to this news release issued in November 2001. <A HREF="http://alford.iberkshires.com/advocate/story3219.html" TARGET=_blank>http://alford.iberkshires.com/advocate/story3219.html</A> <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

One more reason to post a copy of the registration form on the website in .pdf format. Can anyone oblige? Peter?<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Since people have been concerned about getting their registration forms for the annual meeting, is there any way the form could be put on the national website somewhere in .pdf format? Those with computers could print out copies and circulate within their region to those in need.<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Ron, we got your January issue in the mail yesterday. It looks like your invitation to the membership (for contributions) has paid off! Your mailbox must be overflowing. <P>Congratulations on your early Christmas present as well. It's well-deserved!<P>See you in Philadelphia!<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

I have to agree with Sal on this one. One of our local members drove for a wedding, and the bride caught and tore her gown on one of his doors. He ended up paying for a whole new dress. <P>When anyone in our region gets these requests, we treat them as fund-raisers for the club, and that seems to satisfy insurance requirements. Of course, that also means that fewer people are interested in taking on the job, since they don't benefit personally. Most of us now only drive for the weddings/occasions of family and close friends.<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Glad to hear from you, Frank. It takes a lot of courage to venture into this DF, and you've already taken that first step.<P>Don't be afraid to speak your mind, and don't take what anyone else says too personally, and you'll fit right in!<P>For the record, we ARE going to go to Philadelphia this year after all. See you all there -- weather permitting. (We're driving in from Wisconsin.)<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Now I know why we DON'T have snow. It all went south for the winter. <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

She and her husband said they were "okay" but they wouldn't face that kind of crowd again just to get them. They said they'd be just as happy with Dunkin' Donuts. <P>(Please don't kill the messenger.) <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

The new KK store in West Allis, WI is so busy that they have policemen directing traffic around it. My stepdaughter thought she'd pick up a few on Sunday -- she thought her two small sons might like to try them -- and it took her over half an hour to get a dozen. It would have taken longer if she hadn't settled for a pre-boxed dozen. I guess I'm not going there anytime soon!<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Saab stories....that one hurt.<P>Prior to owning my Rambler we had a red 1965 Volvo PV544. (My husband had owned a 1961 in a previous lifetime, and he actually liked it enough to look for one as a collector car.) <P>Believe me, NO ONE could figure out what it was when we took it on the road. It sure got a lot of attention, though. Sadly, we ended up selling it and now it lives in Canada. Maybe they appreciate them better up there?!?<P>We sent pictures of the car to several relatives of mine in the Stockholm area. I'm of Swedish descent (my maternal grandparents were born there) and I thought they'd get a kick out of the fact that we had a Swedish car. The reply from most of them was that we were nuts for buying it. So much for cultural pride! <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region<p>[ 12-19-2001: Message edited by: JanK ]

I'm all for communication, so I'm glad any time one of the directors or "persons in the know" posts anything of substance here on the DF. That said, I'm sure there is also a hesitancy on their part to over-communicate minor issues, for fear that we on the DF may blow it all out of proportion. (Who, us?) <P>I also suspect that many people associated with National underestimate the power of this DF as a communication tool, or they would rely on it more as a key resource. Few of our Wis Region members are connected, but I make sure that I share what I read and learn with the pertinent people within our region. News of the National Meeting change, for example, reached our membership long before any printed correction from National did.<P>Regarding the Antique Automobile concerns: I don't need a lot of details about the problems they may or may not be having with a given issue. IMHO, I'd like them to simply create a post with the date that they mail each issue, so that I know when to start watching for it in the mail.<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Message received -- loud and clear! No KKs for me. I have enough trouble with the beer and cheese and sausages that abound here in Wisconsin. It's tough being of half Swedish and half German descent. I like ALL the bad things... <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

I'll resist as long as I can. Luckily, I drive in the opposite direction each morning...<P>But for those of you in the Devil's clutches, doesn't it give you just one more reason to participate in the Founders Tour put on by the Wisconsin Region in July 2002? <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

We just received the December issue of "The Schoharie Valley Rambler" today. I thought your editor's message was outstanding. You should have no problem pulling in all those stories you're looking for.<P>In the meantime, don't hesitate to borrow stories from other regional newsletters, if it helps to get the ball rolling. Over the years, we've reprinted several stories from other newsletters (both within AACA and outside of it), and no one cared that they weren't about cars in our region. They were just happy to read something other than the dry, necessary stuff. Most editors are very willing to give you reprint permission, provided you give credit where credit is due.<BR>(And those "borrowed" stories may help your readers understand what you're looking for in the way of length, style or topic.) We'll be running the Perry story on "Life with Packards - Two Views" from the November issue of the Mississippi Valley Region's "The Autograf" in our January Beam, just because we thought it was a great story.<BR>The Perrys were even kind enough to email me the pictures that accompanied the article. Talk about cooperation between editors!<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region<P>PS: Just how to you pronounce "Schoharie" anyway?!?

The traffic report on today's ride home warned everyone to avoid Hwy. 100 in West Allis, WI tomorrow morning because of an expected traffic jam of major proportions. It seems that Krispy Kreme is opening their first shop in Wisconsin at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow. <P>Sadly for me, that shop is less than three miles from my home. God, give me the strength to keep my distance except on special occasions, Tuesdays, take a donut to work days... <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

We do things a bit differently in the Wisconsin Region. We had a twelve person Board of Directors (which is being reduced to nine members over three years due to an inability to get people to run for the board). The board meets monthly to plan club events and resolve issues, but the meetings are open to anyone in the region. (Frankly, only a few ever show up.) The members serve a three year term, with 1/3 retiring each year. The outgoing board members become the nominating committee for the new candidates. <P>Typically, with some arm twisting we manage to find just enough people to fill the open positions. In the past we used to put forth six names for four positions, but that caused a lot of heartburn for the losers so we stopped that practice.<P>Once the new board is seated in January, they elect the President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer (ask Executive Committee) amongst themselves. Anyone not elected to one of the executive positions must then take on one of the established chairmanships instead.<P>This seems to work for our region, but it may not work for others.<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

We still haven't made a decision about National. We don't like to miss it, but it's a lot more complicated this year. Frankly, flying is not high on our "must do" list right now, so we're checking into the possibility of driving to Philadelphia from Wisconsin. (That could be good news, considering we have quite a few items for the Founders Tour 2002 trade show booth.) On the down side, that could mean more time off work for me, just as I'm trying to open my own business. Decisions, decisions!<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region<p>[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: JanK ]

Lucky me, my daughter-in-law is having us over for Thanksgiving turkey. I only have to bring the sweet potato dish and the wine. They only live a mile away, so if we eat too much we can always walk home.<P>The meal will be preceeded by the Packer-Lions game (which may give us indigestion, depending on which Packers team shows up that day). Watching the Packers on Thanksgiving is a tradition my husband has been reminiscing about, and he's glad to see the tradition revived this year.<P>In my daughter-in-law's family, Friday is "clean up and a movie" day for the women. That way, they get to enjoy most of Thursday, and turn the tedium of chores into a social day the next day. I've gone to one of these follow up days, and it's been a lot of fun. I've suggested to my sisters and mother that we try this at Christmastime, when we all get together.<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

This couldn't have come in at a better time! Thanks for posting it so quickly.<P>Jan K. <BR>Wis Region

Thanks for the info on the impending Rummage Box issue.<P>And like you, I thought Doug's stated intentions were a bit ambitious, given everything he has to do. I guess we'll just have to settle for the quarterly columns in the Rummage Box. <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

I'm looking ahead to my November issue. Will Doug Drake have another column posted before 11/10? Will another Rummage Box issue arrive/post around that time?<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Almost no one from the Wis Region is on this DF. I will do my best to spread the word, but is National going to do anything to get the word out to people? On of our members called me last week to confirm the dates, so he could book his flights. Luckily, he hadn't done so yet, when I called him today. How many others are going to be stuck with nonrefundable tickets, if they don't get the word in time?<P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

Hmmmm.....I'm usually the keeper, not the teller, of secrets, but I'll try. <P>1. The size, glossy cover, and layout of the Beam has not changed appreciably in over 20 years. This is what the members are accustomed to seeing, and any suggestion of change has been met with clear resistance. (No one in the region seems to like change...)<P>2. New members have never seen anything different, so they don't question the production of the newsletter. They might, if other members voiced a concern, but since they aren't hearing anything negative from the other members...<P>3. Members regard this publication as one of their membership perks. (Note: Our membership is $30/year for a single/joint membership. How many of you are charging anything near that?)<P>4. I don't think the people in the region stop to think about what the Beam costs, since they don't see the bills. Only the Board members are privy to the expenses of the region. The members see totals for income and expenses but not the breakout. If asked, we tell members that the price of membership covers the cost of the Beam and the roster. All other events are underwriten by the fund-raisers we participate in and donations from members.<P>5. Because we know what it costs to produce each issue, we try to give them the most bang for the buck. Yes, it requires some creative effort on our part to give them content some months, but we'd feel like we were cheating the members if we didn't try. This is where the "Do you like what you're doing?" comes into play.<P>6. We are fortunate to have a number of people who will willingly provide content when asked. We have one retired gentleman, for example, who attends a lot of meets as a judge. I asked him to write about his experiences at these shows, in the hopes that his reports might induce other members to attend meets outside our region. He's a folksy kind of writer, and I have to do a light edit on his material, but his enthusiasm for judging shines through. That and his eternal hunt for the perfect ice cream parlor make his articles well worth reading. <P>Our Board members are told early on that we expect them to do a cover story for one issue during the time they are on the Board. (The upside is that one or more of their cars appears on the cover. I think that's a fair exchange, and not too hard to sell.) We also expect them to provide -- or delegate to someone else willing to provide -- the write-up for any event they host. The first time is sometimes a bit difficult, but it's brought us some repeat contributors because we try to make the effort painless for them. We've accepted submissions on napkins, spiral bound notebook paper, and murky faxes. We make no comment to the author or anyone else about anyone's spelling, grammar or writing, but we always reserve the right to edit articles as we see fit. And we always try to keep the "voice" of the author in place through the clean up. As a result, we get a lot of "thank you for making me look so good" from people who had been apprehensive about their submissions (instead of "what did you do to my article!?!").<P>Whew, that was longer than I intended, and I still don't know if I really answered your question. I guess the REAL answer is that it's harder to set something up and fund it, than it is to maintain the status quo. <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region<BR>Editor/Web Editor

If all else fails, then scale back. If you want to continue as editor, but your time is limited, figure out what you can deliver and then do it. The first duty of any newsletter is to benefit the membership that pays for it. The awards are great for the recipients, but if the newsletter is of no use to the locals, then you're just going through the motions.<P>I receive a number of newsletters courtesy of the exchange that National has set up. I have found that the smallest newsletters sometimes contain the most beneficial chapter/region information. Don't let size be your guide, look to content instead.<P>Vern and I have the luxury of being in a region that DEMANDS a quality publication, and they're willing to pay for it. Our newsletter is the heart of our region, and they recognize its value. As a monthly publication, it does become burdensome on occasion. With two of us working together, we find a way to bolster each other through the rough spots. We've found that the newsletter really is a two-person job, and we suggest that finding that willing partner is crucial to making it through each issue. It's unusual for TWO people to be having a downturn at the same time, so the enthusiasm of one should buck up the other. The hard part is finding that person to work with. I happened to be married to mine...others may not be that lucky. <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region