Sons of Erin Cape Cod

July 2010 Newsletter

Sons of Erin Cape Cod, Inc.

“Promoting Irish Culture, Heritage and Pride”

 

Club Newsletter

July 2010

 

Fifty Fourth General Membership Meeting

 

Our Fifty Fourth General Membership meeting was held on Sunday, July 11th at 10:30 am.  Newly elected President, Mike Regan, started with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence for our Troops, loved ones, lost ones and a Free and United Ireland.  Members were also reminded to sign the attendance book. 

 

Mike Regan kicked off the meeting by presenting Mike Shea and Bob Bagge with “Presidential Plaques” and thanking them for their years of service as the first two Presidents of the Club.  The crowd responded with a standing ovation.  Gus Healy suggested making them Lifetime Members.  A motion was made and seconded with all in favor to accept the suggestion.  Mike then introduced the new officers; Vice President-Jody Reid, Secretary-Linda Morin and Sergeant at Arms-Ron Haley.  He also thanked Vin McQueeny and John Flaherty for running for Office as well as Sheila Glynn for chairing the Nominating Committee.  Sheila agreed to chair the Committee again this year.

 

Big Mike distributed the Treasurer’s Report for the month of June.  June 2010 bar revenue was down 23% but food revenue was up 40% compared to 2009.  Year to Date (YTD) the bar is down 12% but Food is up 15%.  When combining the two, June was down just under 10% and YTD we are down 7%.  The recent trend has been for Members and their Guests to come into the Club for the inexpensive dinners and have water and soda with their meals.  As the markup on food is much less than the markup on alcohol, we have been experiencing lower numbers as Members feel the crunch of the economy.  Luckily, Membership Renewals have been rolling in so we are in a sound position.  Expenses for July included pumping the Septic Tank, re-setting the Sprinkler system after a mysterious alarm and payment to our CPA for Tax Services.  Donations were made to the Moose, Champ Homes, Dream Day on Cape Cod, Dana Farber Cancer Center and food was provided to Noah’s Shelter.  To add to our financial challenges, the Town of Yarmouth voted to take an additional 0.75% in Sales Tax each month, which now raises the total monthly sales tax from 5% to 7%.  This is a 40% raise from July 2009.  A motion was made and seconded to accept the report.

 

The Minutes from the previous meeting were included in last month’s Newsletter and on the website and a motion was made and seconded to accept them.

 

Membership Secretary, Ellen Regan, distributed a sheet with twelve prospective members that were voted on and accepted at the meeting.  723 membership renewals were received by the deadline of July 1st, which is an all-time high.  Several members have been contacted by phone and the remaining will be mailed renewal notices in case they do not have access to a computer.  Members that have not renewed have had their numbers removed from the daily drawing and cards shut off.  Membership numbers that have not be renewed for two years will be re-distributed.  As always, Members can drop off cash or a check at the Club, use the Payments and Donations page on the website to renew via credit card or Pay Pal or send a check to the Club at P.O. Box 403, South Yarmouth, MA. 02664.

 

Newly elected Vice President, Jody Reid announced his intention to make the Club more “child friendly”.  We will be purchasing a Wii and several games and are looking into other ways to draw families into the Club.  A suggestion was made to have some Arts & Crafts available.  Jody will also be creating a Facebook page for the Club to compliment the website. 

 

Sandy Bagge from the Events Committee advised that due to a poor response, the Lobster Boat Cruise on Saturday, July 17th has been cancelled.  The picnic scheduled for August 15th at Flax Pond has also been cancelled as the Town of Yarmouth does not allow alcoholic beverages on Town property.  This year’s Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game will be played at Fenway Park on Wednesday, July 28th.  The YD Red Sox are providing a package deal that includes a bus trip to Fenway and tickets to the game for $50.  Details and a sign-up sheet are posted at the Club and the deadline to purchase is Wednesday, July 14th.  Sandy is also working with the YD Red Sox staff to schedule an SOECC night at one of the home games.  Lisa and Jay Collett’s grandson will throw out the first pitch!!

 

Topics of Discussion

Blood Drive- Ann Savery will host the second Blood Drive on Thursday, July 29th from 11-5 pm at the Club.  Back in April we had 16 units donated, so we’re hoping to get over 20 this time around.

Committees – Mike Regan announced the Chairpersons and the following Committees:

Bob Bagge-Building Committee            Sandy Bagge-Events Committee                      

Luke Foley-Scholarship Committee       Carol Keller-Bylaws Committee        

Mike Shea-Entertainment Committee    Jody Reid-Kitchen & Bar Committee

Carol Shea-Irish Cultural Committee     Martha Cloran-Sunshine Committee

If any Member would like to volunteer for any of these Committees, please contact the Chairperson.

Food Preparation – Jim Washburn is looking for volunteers to come in on Fridays from 12-3pm to help prep for dinner.

Irish Summerfest- all the vendors have been chosen, posters have been printed, entertainment for the kids and adults has been booked and soon there will be Radio & Newspaper Ads and TV Commercials being aired.  Tuesday, July 27th at the Melody Tent is approaching fast and tickets are available at the Club with no surcharge.

Kitchen Cleaning – Jim Washburn is looking for volunteers to help clean the kitchen on Saturday, July 24th from 10-1pm.

Kitchen Hours- with Summer upon us, the Kitchen will be open from Sunday thru Thursday from 5:30-8 pm and Friday and Saturdays from 5:30-8:30 pm.

Mid-Cape Networkers – Linda Morin, on behalf of the Wednesday night group, presented the Club with a framed certificate of gratitude for giving them a place to gather along with a generous donation to the Community Fund.

Pan-Mass Challenge- Lisa Collett reminded those in attendance that the Club will be gathering together on 6A with the Club banner on Sunday, August 8th.  A sign up sheet will be posted at the Club.  Donations can be made on the PMC website: www.pmc.org.

Presidential Email- Mike Regan has a new email address that Members can send comments into: soecc-president@hotmail.com  Please be nice!!

Window Tinting – in an effort to cut down on the glare coming into the Club and keep out some of the heat, we will soon be adding window tinting to all of the windows at the Club.

 

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Be sure to check our Calendar of Events page on the website as well as the bulletin boards at the Club for updated information on scheduled entertainment.

 

               Condolences

Our sympathies go out to Carol Keller on the passing of her brother, Eddie Keller. 

 

Reminders

 

2010 Cape Cod Irish Summerfest

The SOECC and the Parade Committee are hosting this event at the Melody Tent on Tuesday, July 27th from 3-10 pm.  All-day tickets are available at the Club.  A website has been created at www.capecodirishsummerfest.com for more updates.

 

Club Merchandise/Cookbooks

Summer is here and Golf shirts and very colorful T-shirts are in stock along with hats and fleece vests.  We also have over 250 Cookbooks left at a discounted price as well as window and membership card decals, which are available behind the bar. 

 

Function Hall Rentals

A Rental Agreement will need to be signed in order to reserve the Function Room.  A fee of $50 will be charged for all rentals in addition to a $50 security deposit to be collected upon signing.  The security deposit will be returned if the room is left in the same condition it was found.

 

GAA Matches

The Club is proud to be showing the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) matches live from Ireland each weekend.  Whether it be football or hurling, come down to support your County.  We’ll even explain the rules to you. The Premium Sports network mandates that we charge $20 admission at the door and typically there are matches on Saturday and Sunday at 9 and 11 am.  A full schedule is available at the Club and online at http://www.premiumsportsinc.com/schedule.html. Food will be available during the matches and the bar will be open at Noon until we receive approval from the Town to begin serving at 10 am.

 

General Membership Meeting

Our Fifty Fifth General Membership meeting will be held on Sunday, August 8th at 10:30 a.m.  All Members are encouraged to attend. 

 

Guests

The Guest Policy has been posted.  Please sign in your guests and acquaint them with the rules and regulations of the Club, including the cash-only policy and clearance of their table before they leave.

 

Membership Renewals

Membership renewals were due by July 1, 2010.  Members that have not renewed have had their numbers removed from the daily drawing and cards shut off.  Membership numbers that have not be renewed for two years will be re-distributed.  As always, Members can drop off cash or a check at the Club, use the Payments and Donations page on the website to renew via credit card or Pay Pal or send a check to the Club at P.O. Box 403, South Yarmouth, MA. 02664.