Other events that have occurred in recent weeks included Halloween gatherings, conventions and Ren Faires. It certainly has been a busy fall.

We are also approaching the last few days before it is known who won the Starfleet election. I wish to congratulate both teams for running clean, constructive campaigns. This election, unlike some in the past, stuck to the issues, brought up discussions and brought out some great ideas. Good work guys. Both teams actually made the campaign season enjoyable and interesting.

Whoever wins and whoever loses, you both have much to be proud of in the way you communicated your ideas.

R7 Command recently congratulated the USS Storm based in Atlantic City which became official earlier this month. We know this group has some exciting plans for the future and have worked hard during its organization stage. Sadly, we must note that while we gained one chapter, the USS Starlord based in Aberdeen N.J. has decommissioned. Starlord was around for at least 10 years and we wish their members well.

The year is winding down and we are approaching the holiday season. The USS Challenger is once again hosting its Holiday party/Cookie Swap, this year on a Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Seaside Heights Community Center. All are welcome. We will be collecting $10 for pizza (for those that want to eat pizza) to go along with all those cookies and milk. Other holiday festivities will be part of the fun.See the more detailed post from Commodore Jeff Victor, XO of the USS Challenger.

I’m sure chapters across the 7th Fleet are planning their own festive gatherings as well. Please share photos and writeups with Starbase 7 so they can be included on the R7 website.

IC2011 is plugging along well with many program ideas now being finalized as we round up panelists for some of the programs. Feel free to check out our Facebook site, our website and by all means, register early. Registration or IC merchandise makes for great holiday gifts.

The Kilometer of Pennies program has been restored and each chapter is asked to particpate, collecting your spare change during the year and bringing the total to Shore Leave (or sending it in via mail by check) if your chapter won’t be present at Shore Leave 2011.

The chapter that has the biggest total of copper coins (no we aren’t counting pennies at Shore Leave) will be awarded a prize (yet to be determined).

Any questions on this program that will benefit the R7 coffers, contact Wayne or I.

In closing, I wish to extend an early Thanksgiving wish to all of you. While the economy may be crummy, health issues facing some of us, and other less pleasant changes facing us, there are many things we should be thankful for and remember.

As for the 7th Fleet, we remain active with events (many of which are multi chapter events) and remain having fun and that of course, is our prime directive. I don’t think 2010 was a bad year for Starfleet or Region 7 and I think 2011 will be even better. Keep those MSRs coming in on time and as always, should you have an idea, complaint, project proposal or question for SF R7 Command. Wayne, Jeff and the rest of us are not hard to find. We are all just an e-mail or phone call away.

– Admiral Bob Vosseller

The turnout was not as high as some years but the Halloween spirit was plentiful with an abundance of Halloween decorated desserts, music in the background featuring everything from Monster Mash to Meatloaf’s Time Warp.The party included guests from the USS Avenger and the USS Sovereign. Admiral Bob Vosseller (your’s truly) got into a situation as “The Situation” from Jersey Shore complete with foam 6 pack abs.

Challenger XO Jeff Victor traded in a SF uniform for a new Battlestar Galactica uniform. The only thing he was missing was the XO flask. Todd Brugmans was a silly superhero while Annie Slonski was a lady pirate.Challenger finance officer Julie Victor was appropriately garbed in a costume with paper money plastered to her and dollar sign frame glasses.

Challenger Pat Comune who heads the chapter’s Marine Strike Group donned a kilt for the occasion.Kevin Victor wore a bright green Frankenstein’s monster shirt with what appeared to be Dracula’s pajama bottoms. He looked comfortable.Conversations ranged from the status of sci fi shows like Fringe, V, and The Event to current horror films like “Paranormal Activity 2”

There were plenty of laughs to be heard and even a few comments on Election Day which was just days away.The party lasted from 7 pm to the witching hour of midnight. No one really wanted to leave but many of us had busy plans for Halloween day itself.

I was one of those people and hit Atomicon XXII a comic book show that featured Tom Palmer, long time Marvel Comics artist and colorist whose work is well known on The X-Men and Tomb of Dracula. Tom rarely makes comic book show appearances but he was very friendly. He said he enjoyed working most on Marvel’s Star Wars title for years. A group of people came in dressed as DC comics superheroes including the original Sandman with gas gun, The Question, Red Tornado and Zatanna.

I donned my Captain Corn Fusion costume fresh from my appearance at Zooloween, a collectible show that also held a costume contest earlier in the month. I knew there was no way I was going to get a prize this time but that was okay, it was just fun to be in costume for a short time at the show. I raided the organizer of the show’s 25 cent book box bringing home a horde of Aquaman, Sub-Mariner, Spider-man, Captain America, Morbius the Living Vampire, The Shadow, Superman, JLA and numerous other titles.

Visiting my long time friend and Challenger’s Chief Medical Officer David Singleton’s home, I even ended up tagging along for a few blocks trick or treating discovering that some folks were giving away healthy treats like cheese and crackers, juice drinks, Welch’s fruit snacks and Rick Krispies treats. A far cry from what I recall getting when I went out as a kid to trick or treat. All in all a pretty spooktacular time as the season of fright concluded.

Check out the photos!

We’ll be doing some dune grass planting soon and we can probably mix that with a social event like dinner and a movie. I’ll be checking out the supplies of dune grass from the Toms River Rec Dept. that supplies it for the dune program this weekend.

Beyond the club business we also got caught up with some of the new and returning TV shows that we are all fond of and in some cases, fear loosing.

I want to close this post by wishing a certain ship’s counselor a very happy birthday in advance. Emily Vosseller will observe a birthday on Thursday. A big happy birthday wish goes out to her a few days early.

Our next regular meeting will be held on November 7 at the Seaside Heights Community Center.

Take care all, have a great week.
Adm. Bob Vosseller
CO USS Challenger NCC-1676-D