Captain’s Blog Goodbye Summer 2010, hello Autumn!
We are finishing up the summer season with Atomicon XXI on Aug. 29 and holding our end of summer picnic on our patch of sand dunes next to our adopted dune on 8th Avenue Ortley Beach following our September meeting on Labor Day weekend.
Where did the summer go? No big mystery there, it was busy.
We we were honored to learn “officially” during Shore Leave in July, that the USS Challenger was named Starfleet-Region 7 Chapter of the Year” which was a great honor for us. An honor we greatly appreciate.
This fall will hold many of the usual autumn festivals we frequent such as the Greek Festival in Toms River, the Lakewood Ren Faire and some of us will be walking for a good cause Juvenile Diabetes, along with our friends from the USS Avenger during the first weekend of October on the boardwalk of Seaside Heights.
Our annual Halloween party will return to the Seaside Heights Community Center, our home base on Saturday Oct. 30 which will allow us to branch out a bit from the confines of the bungalow. We will hold some contests and award some prizes this year bringing back those times of years gone by when the Challenger hosted the Region 7 Halloween party. The event will be open to chapters of the 7th Fleet.
Other plans include a possibly trip to Wild West City in North Jersey and that postponed trip to the Willingboro Flea Market. I know Zoolo World will bring back its big Toy and Collectible Show to Willingboro on Sat. Oct. 2 and I hope to make that.
Yes, the USS Challenger has been busy this year and part of that also includes the updating of our ship manual which is available to members through our website. Our Communications Chief Laura Victor has also updated the entire website and we are sporting a nifty new logo which reflects our spirit of fun and the Jersey Shore. Great work.
We love hearing from those checking out website and fans of ST and Sci Fi. Please let us know what you think of our site and your thoughts about our club.
Meanwhile, work continues on the Challenger’s biggest project ever, the Starfleet International Conference of 2011 which now has 70 people registered but we certainly want more. Check out http://www.ic2011.com and see what we have planned and other details.
First Officer Jeff Victor and I will be among those attending and coordinating the first ever Starfleet-Region 7 Command Summit. This special program which will be held on Sept. 25 at the Double Tree Hotel in Mt. Laurel, is designed to bring together those leaders of chapters around the region. We will be brain storming, learning from each other and making plans for future multi-chapter events. You don’t have to be a chapter chairman or vice chapter chairman to attend. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
That event will also have special significance for the USS Challenger as it will also be the occasion to note the commissioning of the USS Storm, the region’s newest chapter. The Challenger served as its support chapter and it is based nearby in Atlantic County.
That’s all for now. I hope you had a fantastic summer and will have a great autumn as well.
Admiral Bob Vosseller
CO USS Challenger
Vice Region Coordinator Region 7