Ashland Optimist Bulletin Nov 8 2025
Breakfast: Nov. 15- Carole Iles, Dorise Slinker, Tony Ash
Speaker- Mary Dewey, Downtown Optimists sharing about Optimist International opportunities
Our club will hold our Veteran's Day breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 11th from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Leigh Kottwitz stated that she has plenty of volunteers that have signed up to help, but if you are interested in helping, cooks need to arrive by 6:00, with servers coming at 6:45. All veterans and their families are welcomed to attend for a free breakfast!
There will be an Optimist Board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13th at 7:00 p.m. Please let Barrett Glascock know if you have anything that he needs to add to the agenda by Tuesday.
We had Bingo on Friday, with 132 players. Even though it wasn't a huge turnout, the special game tickets that were sold on the floor allowed a $2,500 deposit. Last night was Bern Bonderer's last time working in the paper window for the next three months while he continues to deal with cancer. Barrett mentioned that the phones at the building are not currently working, but calls are being forwarded to his phone for now until they are fixed.
A breakfast team trade occurred, allowing us to enjoy a delightful breakfast of casseroles, banana bread, doughnuts, and fresh fruit provided by Chris Felmlee, Leigh Kottwitz, and Loren Plank.
Because we didn't have a speaker this morning, President Ernie Wren asked a couple of the members that were in attendance to share. Mike Fulca, who recently returned from his second home in Harlingen, TX, shared about his plans to see the opera, La Bohéme, at the Forum Theater in Columbia, as part of their Metropolitan Opera series.
Chris Felmlee shared that the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA) has recently acquired a piece of property near the airport. In a generous move, Anna Marie Knipp sold a portion of her property to MSBA for the development of a cutting-edge training center dedicated to law enforcement and school administration. This facility aims to set a national standard in training. Chris also talked about the book he co-authored with John McDonald, titled The Essential Five Field Guide, second edition, which is available on Amazon.
After they spoke, Bernie Bartel drew for the Attendance drawing. Dana Cafourek, Jamie Metcalf, and Jim Green had their chance at riches, but with their absence, the pot will continue to grow.
Letitia DenHartog
ashlandoptimist.org
