Meeting Minutes Feb. 9, 2013

[Russell Albright]

Greetings – Dennis Simpson began the meeting @ 12:23 PM by welcoming everyone. There were 31 Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and guests in attendance. Dennis then gave the blessing.

Santa Oath – Led by Trever Waltos.

Introductions – Ken Stager and Ron Mahugh introduced themselves and were welcomed to NORPAC.

Elections – Dale Scott was nominated and unanimously elected to complete the rest of the 2013 term as NORPAC’s secretary. Thank you to Karen Hayes who has been serving in that role.

Under the Weather. Health updates were shared regarding Paul Carr, Ron Kearns, Mike Reardon, Ernie Walker, and Tom Mead. “Get Well” cards were passed around and we’re hopeful these individuals will be feeling better and back with us soon.

Minutes – Dennis called our attention to two sets of minutes which he had distributed prior to the start of the meeting. One was a summary from the recent NORPAC Conference at the Great Wolf Lodge on Nov. 1-3, 2012. There were no additions/corrections to these minutes.
The other minutes were from a planning meeting of the Board members held on Jan. 12, 2013. One correction to these minutes is that NORPAC’s next meeting on Apr. 6, 2013, will be at the Sizzler in Tukwila and not at Hectors in Kirkland.

Treasurer’s Report – Dennis Gorley reported that his treasurer’s report for 2012 had been reviewed and found to be in good order at the recent meeting of Board members on Jan. 12th. He is accepting payment for membership dues which are $35 for 2013, the same price as 2012. For those still needing to pay, a membership application form can be downloaded from NORPAC’s website, under the “NORPAC Files” link. The completed application and payment may be mailed to: Santa Dennis Gorley
18221 NE 176th Street
Woodinville, WA 98072

Reports –
Santas Pack – Rob Figley reported on the success of a recent Santas Pack gathering at Ocean City on the Oregon coast. Santas Pack is the counterpart of NORPAC for Santas in the Vancouver/Portland area.
Upcoming Santa Gatherings – May 4-5, 2013. Santa Tim Connaghan’s “International University of Santa Claus” has been attended in the past by many of the NORPAC Santas and is highly recommended. It will be held in Portland, OR this year.
May 2014-National Conference of International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS), Tampa, FL.

NORPAC Meeting schedule: Apr. 6, 2013 Sizzler, Tukwila
June 1, 2013 Panorama City, Olympia
Aug. 3, 2013 Picnic at Dennis Simpson’s
Nov. 7-9, 2013 Conference, Great Wolf Lodge*
*Dennis reported that guest room accommodations @ GWL will be similar to what was available for 2012, noting that there are only 17 “king” suites in the entire facility. Those suites will likely fill up quickly, meaning that many of us will end up with “family” suites. The price for “king” suites will be $109/night on Thurs. and Fri., and $169 on Sat. The charge for a “family” suite will be $149/night for Thurs. and Fri., and $169 on Sat. We’ll also be looking into RV parking possibilities nearby as well as the cost of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express in Chehalis. He also has confirmation that NORPAC will have use of two large conference rooms this year.

Insurance – Dennis S. has been in touch with Kaercher Campbell Insurance exploring the possibility of NORPAC Santas being able to obtain liability insurance through that company. There would be an initial application fee of $2000 which would be refundable to NORPAC once individual fee payments totaled that amount. No decisions have been made.
Dennis also reported that Ron Kearns is exploring options regarding background checks.

Biggest Loser Contest – Trish Sanders distributed guidelines regarding a “Biggest Loser” contest for those interested in losing some weight. The contest will run from today until our Apr. 6th meeting. Two “winners” (1 male, 1 female) will be determined based on the highest percentage of body weight lost. Each participant put $10 into the “pot” and the two winners will split that total.

IBRBS – Rob Figley provided an update on IBRBS. He encouraged us to consider attending the national IBRBS conference in May, 2014, in Tampa, FL.

Old Business
Conference at Great Wolf Lodge. Trever thanked Dennis and Michele for their great work in coordinating the three NORPAC conferences at the GWL and presented them with a gift card for Stanley & Seaforts restaurant in Tacoma.

Swap/Sale Table – Several people brought items for sale or trade and these were described.

Sharing – Several Santas shared a favorite experience or highlight from this past Christmas season.

50/50 Raffle – Dennis G. reported that $135 was collected for the 50/50 contest. Maureen Wiser had the winning ticket. She generously donated her winnings to the NORPAC treasury.

Adjournment – at 2:10 PM.

Next Meeting – Apr. 6, 2013, noon at The Sizzler
16615 Southcenter Pkwy
Tukwilla, WA 98188

Respectfully submitted,
Dale Scott, Secretary

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