The August meeting was initially scheduled for Thursday, August 3. When the meeting announcement was distributed the weather forecast for the night of the meeting did not auger well for being able to hold it. But, since we had successfully gambled on the weather for the July meeting we decided to do the same for August. That turned out to be a big mistake.

At 6:00, the few people who had ventured down to the field were looking at the darkening sky and wondering just how long it would be before we would have beat a hasty retreat. Nonetheless, we decided to wait and see whether things might just clear up. By 6:30 just a couple more people had shown up. The weather vigil continued, but hope was fast fading. At 7:00, Tim was just about to say to the eight or ten brave souls who were there, “OK, let’s gather around and try to have a meeting.” As if on cue, the sky over Avon Mountain lit up with pretty nasty lightening, the wind picked up, and it started to pour. Needless to say, the hasty retreat that was earlier considered but put off began and the meeting was rescheduled for the following Thursday.

The forecast for Thursday, August 10, was almost a carbon copy of that which preceded the debacle on August 3. But, being the stout-hearted, determined (stubborn?) Yankees that we are, we decided to tempt fate once more. As it turned out, the evening of Thursday the 10th was nearly a repeat of the preceding Thursday. Since Tim was stuck in London (poor baby) and no other elected officer was in attendance (Oh, the shame of it!), Jerry Knoblauch took up the gavel and called a meeting to order at about 7:05. Under increasingly threatening skies, Jerry took a few minutes to introduce several visitors and then Shirley breathlessly arrived and gave her Treasurer’s Report. (The sky was getting darker.) Roger gave a field report and thanked members who had painted/repaired table tops, painted the gate, and done other maintenance tasks. (The sky was darker still and a faint rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.) Glen Drake reported the results of the terrifically successful Electric Fly-In that had taken place on July 29. (No one was paying attention to Glen, unfortunately; all were, rather, looking at the sky, sensing the first drops of light rain, scanning the horizon for lightening, and trying to remember exactly where they had parked their cars.) And, Chris DeConti reported on preparations for the IMAA Mini-Fest scheduled for Labor Day weekend and pleaded for additional volunteers.

And then, at about 7:20, it blew, it poured, there was thunder and lightening, Jerry declared the meeting adjourned, and the swift exodus started. Thus, ingloriously and unceremoniously, ended the August meeting. (It has, reliably and fortunately, been reported that no members were lost.) This could not possibly happen again in September, could it? Stay tuned.

Postscript: By any measure the Electric Fly-In has to be declared a great success. Glen Drake and Dave McElligott deserve kudos for doing one terrific job organizing the event and sincere thanks are due all those who volunteered in one capacity or another to make it possible.

THINK SAFETY – FLY SAFELY