A Publication of the Niles Noon Optimist Club
Meetings every Tuesday at Noon
Riverfront Cafe on Front Street in downtown Niles, MI
Zone 4, Michigan District
Editors: Michelle and Robb Morse

Call to Order: President Dave VanStrien

Invocation: Osceola Skinner

Brags:

Tom bragged on running 26 miles in the Chicago marathon in around 4 hours 36 minutes. Nancy also ran. They were on Chicago 2 News.

Tom in the white shirt, Nancy in the background:

Tom interviewed at the post-race party:

John Armitage bragged us farewell. He's off to Arizona and will see us in the spring.

Michelle Morse bragged that her mom's cancer is now operable. She is restarting chemotherapy treatments.

John Willis bragged on the good fish we had for lunch. He also bragged that the new website is now up at the normal web address, although it is still a work in progress. www.nilesoptimist.org Check it out. There is now an event calendar online!

Rob Clingaman bragged on the Brandywine football team going for and converting a 2-point conversion in triple overtime to take the victory.

Diane bragged that Andy Plym and Nancy have tied the knot.

John Armitage determined that there were a combined 197 years of marriage at his table. Congratulations and well wishes to John, O.C., Dennis, and Don (and their wives).

18 of 33 Charter Members attended the first regular meeting of the new Cassopolis Optimist Club, even though their venue was not finalized until the last minute. The Cassopolis Optimist Club meets Thursdays at 7am at the Cass County Council on Aging. Take M-60 East through Cassopolis to Decatur road. Left on Decatur, Council on Aging is the first building on the right. Join them for a continental breakfast for $4.

News of the Day:

Rob Clingaman brought us interesting news stories, including 4th grader Johnny Wilson swimming 1.4 miles from Alcatraz island to San Francisco to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Announcements:

There will be a New Member Orientation Monday, November 14th at 6:30pm at the Greater Niles Federal Credit Union. Dave invites everyone who has joined the club in the past two years to come and learn more about the club's activities and organization. Pizza and pop provided. This meeting immediately follows the regular club board meeting, which begins at 5:30pm and which everyone is also welcome to attend.

Race Timing: Saturday Oct 15th at 8am. Cystic Fibrosis Race for Life. United Federal Credit Union, 808 E. Front Street, Buchanan. Should be done around 10am.

Race Timing: Sunday Oct 16th 12:30pm Michigan time. Battell Center Pumpkin Run, Mishawaka. We are NOT setting up at the Battell Center. See event calendar for directions. South on Main, West on 1st 2-3 blocks, North on Hill 1 block. Parking to the left. Look for the Red optimist trailer. Event expected to last around two hours.

Niles Safe Trick or Treat: October 29th. Optimists will be handing out funbooks. See Liz if you'd like to participate.

We greeted new members Andy Sabat and JoAnne Krueger today.

We will be inducting new member Mark Ficks next week.

Niles and Dowagiac square off for the 102nd and final time on the football field this Friday.

Lyle's birthday is Thursday, though he stopped having those 30 years ago. Liz's birthday was Tuesday. Happy Birthday Lyle and Liz!

Happy Anniversary to Tom and Nancy this Friday!

Programs: No program this week, but everybody's got a program's worth of stuff to talk about, so see Dr. Todd and sign up!

50/50: $18, won by Michel, our International President

Curious the Monkey: Charles Zanayed brought us information about the first European explorer to pass through what would become Niles, La Salle. The Monkey now goes to Andy Sabat, who will bring us a one-minute (or less) interesting fact next week.

Shirt Orders: If anyone is interested in ordering polo shirts like those awarded at the optimist banquet, please see Tom. We will try to have a sign-up sheet at the meetings. The minimum order is 15 shirts, so we will take down names and contact people for payment if enough interest is generated to support an order. White polo shirts with the optimist logo are currently available from Tom for $10 each.