Editor’s Notes
Summertime runs the emotional gamut—from “livin’ is easy” laid-back to “dog days” drained. But for BWNA, it’s “steady-as-she-goes engaged”—and this despite only holding one regular general meeting between the second week of February and the second week of October (“regular” defined as meeting on the second Monday of even-numbered months in Bethany Lutheran’s basement activity room from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.). How does this lapse in regular general meetings square with the characterization of BWNA being “steady-as-she-goes engaged?” Easily, for activities counterbalance the lapse. Thus, while June is the lone month between February and October with a regular general meeting, community outreach events in April and August take up the slack. Although neither takes place on Monday evenings, nor uses Bethany Lutheran Church as a venue, nor look or operate like a conventional BWNA meeting, they yet attract the largest crowds of the year. I’m referring of course to Taste of Beaumont in April and Movie in the Park, Fremont Fest, and the National Night Out Picnic in August. Read about these three August events in this issue’s front-page article by Susan Trabucco. Taste of Beaumont does include a general meeting of sorts, but it’s substantially abbreviated to accommodate elections, dining, entertainment, and the raffling of door prizes provided by local businesses.
Speaking of Taste of Beaumont, I want to offer an apology to Pips Original Doughnuts and Chai for inadvertently leaving them off the list of Taste of Beaumont participating businesses highlighted in the last issue. Better late than never, we thank Pips for the generous gift certificate that was raffled off to a very appreciative Taste of Beaumont attendee. Additionally, BWNA VP Kathy Campbell (of “Kathy’s Kitchen” renown) took it upon herself to hand-deliver a box of chocolates and a thank-you card to Pips on behalf of BWNA. For newcomers who may not be sure of the whereabouts of Pips, just look for the long line of loyal customers spilling out onto the sidewalk at 4759 NE Fremont Street!
Opportunities for BWNA outreach and resident input are also afforded through regularly scheduled board meetings (held on the second Monday of odd-numbered months in the Bethany Lutheran Church library meeting room) and articles and announcements in the newsletter and on our website blog (www.bwna.us). For example, recruiting pitches in this column and in the President’s Message column to fill five open board positions resulted in Laurie Holtz, Kati Babinec, and Rich Woyma showing up at the May board meeting eager to volunteer, and each saying that they had become aware of the board vacancies through the newsletter. Similarly, the BWNA website home page was employed to alert residents to an opportunity to provide input to the Office of Community and Civic Life regarding retention of the neighborhood association system as we know it. See related article on page 13.
I encourage you to stay engaged with BWNA during the summer: participate in family-fun events, but also consider volunteering to fill one of the two remaining open board positions and/or assisting every-other-month as a newsletter reporter (minimum of one article per issue)—a sorely needed addition to our team. Thanks.