Saturday, November 26, 2005

Region 1 Post-Thanksgiving Update and Antacid

Region 1
Post-Thanksgiving Update and Antacid


Greetings everyone,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and found the strength to push yourselves away from the table before your belly busted!! We had a nice day with 13 friends and family gathered around the table. First off, I need to apologize for the timing of this update. I had been hoping to have it in your hands two weeks ago, but am having problems with my home computer, and most still need to be resolved. Now, on to the update.

The first topic I’d like to cover is the Region 1 Mini-business meetings that were held this past fall. I’d really like to thank IPMS Syracuse and Bay Colony for allowing me the opportunity to host these get together’s at their events. Both were well attended, and provided a forum for me to spread the latest news, and hear what’s going on in and around the region. I’d also like to thank the many chapter reps that took time from their day to attend. It was really nice to see some faces I don’t normally see at the meeting at Noreastcon, and my plan is to continue these in the future. We covered quite a bit of ground during both meetings, and I’ll recap what we talked about.

The rechartering materials have been sent out to all chapters, and the emphasis this year is to get everything back to our DLC Jack Kennedy correctly in as short a time as practical. We’ll be seeing a change in leadership in IPMS, with Jack taking over the Presidency from Dave Morrisette, and my counterpart in Region 6 Dick Montgomery, assuming the duties of DLC. In order to make a smooth transition, all chapters are being urged to get their rechartering materials back quickly. As always, if your chapter hasn’t received the materials, or your having any difficulty please contact me right away so we can work to get you rechartered.

As I mentioned, the leadership in the Society is about to undergo change. Besides the change with Jack and Dick, John Noack will retain the position of 1st Vice President, and Ron Bell will also be staying as 2nd VP. New additions to the E Board will see John (JD) Corley in as Secretary, and Jim Woody in the Historian slot. Both are new to the board, and given their commitments to IPMS should be great additions to the board. All board members are fine gentlemen, and I look forward to working with all of them.

We can also expect to see numerous proposed amendments to the IPMS Constitution and By Laws in the coming year. Many will be “housekeeping” measures to update language, but some will undoubtedly serve to affect the membership as a whole. All proposals will be posted on the IPMS web site when properly reviewed by the appropriate committee, then will be voted upon in the coming year. I can’t comment on what proposals have been received as I haven’t seen them all, but will urge all IPMS members to vote on them during the voting period. The future of our Society rests on them.

Future Noreastcon’s were discussed briefly. The 06 version will see us in Marlboro Mass with our hosts IPMS Wings and Wheels, Granite State, Bay Colony, and Patriot chapters. John Nickerson gave us an update at the Baycon Meeting. The web site for the 06 event is now active, and you can get all your Noreastcon info at www.ipmsnoreastcon2006.com Planning for our great event is continuing, and John said we can expect another fine event. I’d also like to begin my yearly pleas for sponsorships at the show. Check the web site for information regarding how to sponsor. Future Noreastcon’s are in the planning stages, with 07, 08 and 09 being considered by potential hosts. I hope to be able to make an announcement for the 07 event in the not to distant future. I’ve been working with a group to put a bid together, and while I won’t mention the who, what, or where, just yet, I’ll whet everyone’s appetite by saying if everything works out, we’ll be in an area I don’t recall ever visiting for the Regional, and our hosts are working on a dynamite event. More details will follow, so stay tuned…

Back on the National front, IPMS 1st VP John Noack is working really hard on the Reviewers Corps project. John really beat the bushes at this years nationals in Atlanta lining up new manufactures that are willing to participate in this great program. If you haven’t heard of the Reviewers Corps, a brief explanation is it’s a program where IPMS members are given the opportunity to receive and review some of the best new modeling products on the market. If anyone is interested in participating as a reviewer, contact John at jnoack@ipmsusa.org for the entire scoop. It’s a very cool program. I’ve been a Corps member for a few years, and have had the opportunity to review some wonderful products. Current IPMS President Dave will assist John in this area after his term as President is over. Dave will bring a level of expertise to the program that is most welcome and will certainly benefit the Society greatly.

I also mentioned that all chapters should consider nominations for our annual awards Region 1 Chapter of the Year, and Person of the Year. The deadline for submitting nominations for 05 will be 1 March 2006, and will be presented at Noreastcon, as always. We have fantastic chapters and individuals here in Region 1, and each chapter should consider submitting something for each award. While I hear what some are saying about not wanting to toot their own horns, I have to ask, who’s going to do it if not yourselves? I’ll need each nomination in writing by the 1 March date for consideration. Some regions have gone to a point system for determining Chapter of the Year, and I’ve been really hesitant to use such a system, as I prefer to receive nominations from the floor, so please make an attempt to get one in to me.

At Baycon, a member came to me and offered a suggestion to help promote the hobby, and the local chapter that needs to be passed along. It’s such a cool idea, and I’m sorry I forgot who mentioned it to me so I can’t give the credit that’s due to the person who mentioned it. I hope whoever it was will contact me with their mane, and I’ll pass it along to y’all. Anyway, we all go to places that have a waiting room. Doctor’s offices, auto repair establishments and the like are all good candidates to name a few. When you find the need to wait, bring a modeling magazine with you to read, then when you leave, leave the magazine there for others to read and expose them to our hobby. One other thing that can be dome is to leave a short blurb, along with contact information on your chapter.. in the magazine. There may be others that want to get involved with the hobby and your chapter who may not know what we as a Society have to offer. This is an excellent way to spread the word, and of course I’d recommend the Journal as the publication to leave, but of course I’m a bit biased in that regard!!

We talked a little about a new Region that is being proposed in the mid part of the country. Portions of regions 5, 6 and possibly 3 will make up what is being called Region 12. The alignment of all regions and chapters will be addressed after the new year is underway. I don’t foresee any major changes to our region at this time, but all will be looked at.

One topic for conversation that could be controversial is the scheduling of our shows. When we look at the calendar of events for Region1, we see clumps of shows clustered around certain times of the year, and long stretches of time with no events at all. I’m asking all chapters that host an event to look at the overall schedule, and consider possibly moving their event to give us a schedule that gives space to other events, doesn’t have more than one event on a particular weekend, spreads out our events over a longer period of time. At this point, any weekend that has two events do not effect one another due to distances involved, so that isn’t an issue. And while I understand the reasoning behind when our events have been held in the past, and the determining factors of weather, vacations and traditional dates for events, I feel we need to do a better job in spacing the events out. It this time, I’m asking for a voluntary look by all chapters, and I will not disapprove any event that doesn’t comply with this request. I’m just asking everyone to look at what I’m talking about, and see if another date will suit their needs as well as the dates currently in use. Like I said, this could prove to be quite controversial, and I hope like anything it doesn’t become so.

That just about covers both meetings. As I said before, I’m planning to make these regular features in our Region. I feel it’s very important to keep good lines of communication open between the chapters and myself, as my job is based on communication between the chapters and individuals that make up our region and the national board. Besides, I really like getting together with everyone to say hey, find out what’s happening, and pass along the latest greatest news. I had planned to add the schedule of approved events to this update, but given the fact I’ve gotten long winded again, (Sorry!!) I’ll forgo that until the next update.

So until next time, please enjoy the upcoming holidays, and while you’re at it, keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. They’re doing an exceptional job under the most difficult of circumstances. And as always, please share this with the officers and members of your chapter.

Semper Fi
Doug Hamilton
RC-1

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