January 2024 Newsletter

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Well, another year has passed and thankfully most of us haven’t. Welcome to 2024 which is predicted to be one of the most turbulent and definitive years we Americans have witnessed in our lifetimes. Fortunately for us motorcyclists, as long as we can crawl onto our sleds and go for rides, we can 
weather it all.

Our 2023 Christmas party was a huge success! Thirty plus Drifters and guests arrived in their full holiday splendor at Chef Alfredo’s on south Bluff. Our room was nicely decorated and Drifters brought Christmas gift exchange packages all festively wrapped to put under the tree. Numbers were assigned to Drifters who brought a gift so they could come up and choose a gift when their number was called.
 
We skipped the white elephant gift exchange this year since we kind of wore out its welcome. Webmistress Dawn and treasurer Lynne surpassed all expectations organizing and carrying out the proceedings. All Drifters in attendance received a special gift wrapped present, a Drifter club name tag to put on their vest or jacket. A great idea as most Drifters didn’t have one and none of our new members did.

Special awards for best dressed male and female were given out. Mat Matlock and Marilyn Sarchett took the honors with several others coming in a close second. Honorable mention has to go to Katie and her classic Christmas sweater.

Thanks to Dawn and Lynne for all their hard work to make our Christmas party a success. Also to our club photographer, John Marshall, who took portrait photos of all attendees and also captured shots of the action.

A review of Drifters 2023 reveals some important steps forward. We’ve had some great people ride with us and decide to become Drifters. These new folks are already contributing to the fun of being Drifters. They have brought in some new motorcycle brands to make us a true eclectic group of riders. Now we have Harleys, ndians, Goldwings, Kawasakis, non wing Hondas, Yamahas, BMWs and even a Ducate. We have two wheelers and trikes, Harleys, Goldwing and Can Am. Hopefully soon Bill LaSalata will be getting a new Polaris Slingshot to replace the one he had.

2024 promises to be an even better Drifter riding year! Ride participation is up and a new enthusiasm abounds. Our new Head Road Captain, David Long, is planning and leading fun rides and some people are talking of setting up some overnights and even multi-day adventures.

Thanks to our 2023 club officers and volunteers! Steve Sarchett was our president for one and a half years and did a great job. Chris Bandley was vice president and worked to get our club dues brought up to modern standards. Our dues structure hadn’t been adjusted for over twenty years! Treasurer Lynne Piper has served as our treasurer since the beginning of our club and has been a terrific asset for our financial needs.

I don’t know what we would do without Webmistress Dawn Derenski. The  time, effort, and expertise she has donated to our club brings to mind the phrase, “Above and beyond the call of duty”. Our gorgeous Drifter website is totally her creation and many Drifters say the website was instrumental in convincing them to contact our club and eventually join us. Most of us are unaware of the hours of work she puts in behind the scene keeping the site up and running and current. I have been honored to serve as secretary/editor and work closely with Dawn so I know!

Don’t forget our most important Drifter activity of each new year, namely our January business meeting and pot luck dinner. At this meeting we review 2023 and plan for 2024. We collect our membership dues and elect our officers. This year the meeting will be Saturday January 27th at David and Tammy’s lovely home in Little Valley. Be sure to call treasurer Lynne at 435 691 5576 to arrange your pot luck item. Call early so as to get your first choice of what you want to bring. Soft drinks, water, napkins, and utensils furnished by the club. Chairs and tables will be needed, stand by. Social hour at 4 PM, Dinner at 5PM, and the business meeting at 6PM. Directions and details to follow.  

SEE YOU OUT THERE

INTERIM PRESIDENT / SECRETARY / EDITOR

MIKE


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