From HP President Jean Woltjer:
Spring is here! It won’t be long before the flowers are blooming and the snow will be a distant memory. It’s time to get those walking shoes out and start breathing in that fresh spring air. I’m looking forward to getting out on the trail again without having to think about ice underfoot.
We have sanctioned 14 walks again this year including 3 Year 'Round Events. About half of the events open on April 1 and by May 1 they will all be open. Check our website for specifics on each location http://www.ava.org/clubs/pathwalkers/ or contact the local Point of Contact for details on each walk. You can also get information on our blog at http://historicpathwalkers.blogspot.com/ or look for Historic Pathwalkers on Facebook. Our thanks go out to the volunteers who are willing to host the walk boxes each year. We continue to receive favorable comments from walkers who really appreciate the opportunity to walk in our communities.
The American Volkssport Association has made a major change in the quarterly participation reporting procedure. They are no longer using the five-part paper report but want the statistics reported electronically. This should simplify matters for all of us. Each club has been given a username and password. An officer of the club will now be responsible for sending in the information. To help facilitate that process we ask each of the Points Of Contact (person responsible for the box) to please send just the total number of walkers in each category, award, credit and free to Jean. All money and coupons should be sent to our treasurer, Alma Lucas.
Thanks to Pat Korloch our club has new 2010 club brochures available listing all our walks and starting locations. They will be put in the walk boxes and are available by contacting Jean.
The club did not order any 2010 Starting Points from the AVA this year. Their popularity has dwindled with the use of the internet and we usually end up with some left over. For anyone who wants one, they are available from AVA headquarters.
We have scheduled some group walks again this year and hope you can join us for these walks. They will all begin at the official starting point for each location. Please note that our Howell starting Point has changed to the Uptown Coffeehouse at 102 E Grand River Ave. Our June walk will be followed by our annual business meeting so the time for that walk has been set for 9:30 a.m.
March 20, Howell, 10:00 a.m. -- Uptown Coffeehouse
April 17, Lansing, 10:00 a.m. -- MI Historical Museum
May 22, South Haven, 10:00 a.m. -- Café Julia
June 12, Grand Rapids, 9:30 a.m. -- Big Boy
July (open for suggestions)
On May 1 the MOVES club in Middleville will host a walk on the Paul Henry Thornapple River trail. Here is a link for more details. This is a beautiful walk in the spring and a great birding opportunity as well.
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Judy Bowne on Feb 10. She along with her husband Bill were long time members of the Historic Pathwalkers and active participants in our activities until they retired and took to the road in their RV. Our sympathies go out to Bill and his family. We will miss Judy but are grateful for the opportunity to have known her.
