I wanted to organize an unscheduled event on May 3. There is a Toy and TRAIN (hear that Brian Hager? <G>) in Pennsville NJ which is in South Jersey so I know that would be a hike for you Brian. I plan to hit that show with some fliers.  Afterward (the show starts at 10 am and runs to 2 or 3 pm I believe) I was hoping that those interested could go and see IRON MAN at my favorite movie theater at the Lions Head near Em and my apartment and then hit either Pizza Hut nearby or a different restaurant. Emily is performing on May 2 at the Oasis Restaurant I believe but if that should change to May 3 I will let you all know.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Bob

First was our 2008 Calendar. We really took a good look at our events. You should check out our calendar, which is now up to date, but some of the highlights include the Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside Heights, the re-launch of our Miniature Golf Tournament and of course, our 20th Anniversary Party at the Sheraton in Eatontown NJ. For full details, visit our Calendar of Events . We think we’ve got a really good year planned, and it includes our regular events like our meetings, conventions and parties.

We also discussed how we can stay relevant in these changing times. Star Trek is no longer on the air, the face of Sci-Fi is changing and we need to change with it. We’re going to make some changes to our flyers, word things a little differently on our Web site and think about the types of events we’d like to recruit from. We also approved a plan for two years for the price of one membership for new members. We hope it provides a great incentive for those who want to join.

Going hand in hand with recruiting, we decided we’d like to keep our community service events, aim at a large recruiting event such as Sci-Fi Saturday at the Ocean County Library, and speak to the folks at the community center about moving our meetings to Saturday. Since our membership is geographically spread, we hope that having Saturday meetings might bring more of our members from other areas into the fold.

We also discussed open staff positions. We have a number of assistant chief positions open and waiting to be filled. These jobs are a great opportunity for someone to get involved right away in being a part of how the club runs and take responsibility for their part of the ship. Anyone interested, be it a member or prospective member, in these positions should contact the XO at xo@usschallenger.org .

Anyway, it’s going to be a great year for the club, and we think it’s only fitting that our 20th year be our best.

• The Challenger has decided to run a special membership incentive.  We're now allowing NEW members who join now to get two years for the price of one.  Members can join either in person or online by visiting http://join.usschallenger.org.  This special will only run for a limited time, so don't wait…join now!
• Plans for our anniversary party are complete.  For more information, please visit http://20years.usschallenger.org.  Members are also encouraged to make hotel reservations early.  For any other questions, see Capt. Jeff.
• The Challenger is also hosting it's Holiday party on December 2nd at 1:00pm at the Seaside Heights Community Center.  For more information, please click here.  C-Staff members call is 11:30am for setup and a quick meeting.
• The C-Staff reviewed the current ship roster and Starfleet roster.  General members are strongly encouraged to join 'Fleet and C-Staff members are required to do so.  For more information on joining Starfleet, speak to Adm. Bob or visit http://www.sfi.org.
• The Ship's Calendar is updated but more events will be added once the C-Staff has had it's reorganization meeting in January.
• Farpoint is approaching fast.  If you are interested in going to Hunt Valley, hotel reservations are filling up fast, so make those reservations today.
• Challenger will attend a screening of the TOS episode "The Menagerie" on the big screen in Piscataway NJ.  Jeff and Laura are taking point on this event, so see them for advance tickets, etc.
• The meeting also had a 'Fleet update and we encouraged everyone to vote in the CS election.  Ballots need to be recieved by the 15th of November.

That's all for the update.  We hope to see you at the holiday party!