Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society
of Pennsylvania, Inc.
Annual Christmas Dinner and Meeting
December 14, 2019
First
Vice President Jim Smedley called the meeting to order at 11:50 welcoming
everyone to our Annual Christmas Dinner.
(President Tom Walzcak did not make it today due to the threat of inclement
weather in Pittsburgh. He sent his best
wishes for a Merry Christmas to everyone.)
Jim reminded everyone of the bridge preservation fund donation and
described the various raffles of the day.
NEW
MEMBERS AND GUESTS: There were no new members or guests. However, Jim acknowledged those who traveled
a good distance to attend today’s dinner: Bill and Jenn Caswell from NH; Gene
Ross from VA; Arleen Bradley and her son and daughter-in-law from Pittsburgh,
PA; K.C. and Bob Griner from Shelocta in western PA; and Ted and Beth Smith
from the Annapolis, MD area.
TREASURER’S REPORT: We
have two new members from Cambridge MN, Dave and Cheryl Rogers, a gift from Bob’s
sister Mary. We have 297 members, 32
less than 1 year ago.
MEMBERS’ REPORTS:
Michael
Chorazy visited
several bridges over the Thanksgiving weekend.
In Sullivan County, PA he saw Sonestown which is closed again. Side boards were kicked out but he didn’t see
any structural damage. He also saw Hillsgrove
and Forksville which are both in great shape.
In Schoharie County, NY he saw Blenheim.
They did a fantastic job rehabilitating this one – phenomenal! In Sullivan County, NY he saw Halls Mill, one
of his favorite bridges. It is
completely closed. You can’t even walk
through it.
Joe
McCarthy updated
everyone on the progress of Dreibelbis.
He has all the wood in the yard at his shop. Monday they will formulate a plan for carving
and cutting it. They are planning to
hold an open house to let people come in and see what is going on, probably
near the beginning of February. Joe will
let Jim know when the open house is scheduled so Jim can distribute a notice to
members regarding it. There is a lot of
interest in seeing how the boards are fabricated. All wood will be treated lumber so the bridge
will appear Army green until it is painted.
Bill
and Jenn Caswell
visited Zimmerman and Rock on their way down from NH yesterday. Rock looks great but Zimmerman appears to
have a twist on one side.
Tim
and Connie McLaughlin completed
their mission to visit all 210 PA bridges during this our 60th
anniversary year. They saw 60 bridges in
November. They met lots of nice people
and gave out lots of rack cards during their year long quest. Connie is happy
to share the files she created documenting each bridge they saw if people are
interested.
OFFICERS’ REPORTS
President
Tom Walczak – No
report, not present.
First Vice
President, Jim Smedley
– No report.
The
deadline for PA Crossings Newsletter is February 2, 2020.
Second
Vice President, Ray Finkelstein
took a friend to visit Kreidersville. It
looks good except needs power washing on one side. He also saw Wehr’s which is blocked off at
the time because they were decorating it with lights for the holidays – looks
good! He mentioned that Manassas Guths
is still closed.
Third
Vice President, Steve Wolfhope
saw one covered bridge since the last meeting, Knox in Valley Forge which he
used on his Christmas cards this year.
He mentioned that Shaffer in Somerset County is closed due to the roof
collapsing. They plan a temporary fix to
shore up the roof.
Fourth
Vice President, Robert Griner
and K.C. joined Tim and Connie McLaughlin last weekend to finish up their
yearlong task of seeing their last bridges of PA. They visited 5 counties. Bob says it was definitely ‘an experience’. They visited Harmon and Trusal in Indiana
County. Harman was decorated for
Christmas with the bridge outlined entirely with lights. They also saw McGee’s Mill which is in good
shape.
Recording
Secretary, Gloria Smedley
- no report.
Corresponding
Secretary / Program Chair Pamela A. Heisey - no report.
Treasurer Bob
Kuether thanked all
who helped out at the Christmas Show and Christmas at the Twins.
Historian Fred J. Moll often visits the Dreibelbis site to
check on progress. They are working
slowly on the abutments, partly due to bad weather lately.
REPORTS OF ILLNESSES OR
DEATHS:
OLD BUSINESS – Gloria Smedley thanked all who
participated in the Jewelry Fundraiser earlier this month. It brought in $168 for our society. Jim has posted the revised bylaws on our
website. He will provide a hardcopy to
anyone who wants one. He still has a few
of the National Parks Service’s new book for those who didn’t get one. Jim reminded everyone of the changes in our
schedule for next year:
Jim
announced that we only have a few 2020 calendars left!
NEW BUSINESS – Jim Smedley updated everyone on our
plans for the 2020 Safari to Southeast Ohio.
He and Gloria made a trip down to run the routes and find a hotel. The hotel seems perfect, decorated inside
with a covered bridge mural and pictures around, and only $67 per night. The plans include seeing 7 bridges on
Saturday, 6 on Sunday and 5 on Monday.
Jim provided flyers with additional information on the safari for those
who are interested.
Gloria
Smedley announced a membership wide 50/50 raffle to be conducted between
February and May. Raffle tickets will be
$1 each. Gloria will coordinate mailing
tickets to all members, except those who are usually able to attend our meetings,
in February. Tickets will be available
at our meetings in March through May with the drawing to be conducted at our
Anniversary Dinner in May.
Clyde
Scheib announced that the Luminaries at Kennedy Bridge will be held on December
20-21 at dusk. Clyde and Alda Scheib are
basically consultants to this event with lots of help from volunteers and
donations of candles and supplies by individuals.
Jim
Smedley acknowledged Clyde by announcing a new book recently published by Clyde
“West Seven Stars and Beyond: Preserving Local History”. The book is about local history of the area
Clyde lives with mention of the Kennedy Bridge.
It is available on Amazon.
COVERED BRIDGE ITEMS: Tina Chandler mentioned a picture at Big Lots
for $30 showing the interior of a bridge.
Ray got a calendar from his local hardware store and found a covered
bridge in it.
APPROVAL
OF MINUTES: Minutes were approved as presented.
NEXT MEETING: Our Next Meeting will be held on Sunday,
March 1, 2020 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The program will be “Cruising from Amsterdam to Budapest” by Ray
Finkelstein.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was
adjourned at 1:45 p.m. Various raffles
with prizes were conducted.
Respectfully
Submitted by Recording Secretary, Gloria Smedley
December
27, 2019