VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION

VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION

of the

CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY

KENOSHA -WAUKEGAN CHAPTER PICNIC

July 20, 2008

Submitted by Dan Sylvester, President – Kenosha-Waukegan Chapter

Once again it was a little after 10:00 am when we got to Area “C” at Van Patten Woods. Frank Metallo was on the scene setting up the shelter for Marcie DeRosch so she could welcome the attendee’s in the shade. We arranged the tables for eating, serving, and for the door and raffle prizes. Then, I had to make an unscheduled trip to a near-by Walmart to get some bug spray. It was a cloudy and damp morning as it had rained all night and the mosquitoes were out in force. We didn’t want them feasting on us while we were feasting ourselves. Upon my return, the sun came out, the breeze picked up and the critters didn’t seem as hungry. Maybe they just had their fill of Frank, Yvonne and me.

The guest were registered by Marcie as they arrived and then we shook ‘em down to buy raffle tickets. New comers this year were Single Track Operator and Ticket Agent Bob Stewart, and his wife Jan. Crew Caller/Timekeeper Diane Koppleman was also a new face. Conductor Curtis Judice and his wife Luisa were also first timers. We hope to see them back next year. It was tragically noted that John Deutsch was not with us this year as he was killed this past January while yarding his train at Waukegan. Dick Moesler donated two C&NW “400” step boxes he had made to the raffle. Thank you Dick, great job! In all, we had 23 members and 38 guests for a total of 61. General Secretary Treasurer Dewayne Steifvater was on hand and told us a few jokes. Former General Presidents, Bob Guhr and Rod Ewert were also in attendance. Rod sponsored a special raffle for “Wisconsin We Care” and we came up with $155.00 for our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. This money all goes to cover the postage for sending “Care Packages” to our troops in those combat zones.

At around 1:30 pm, Gordy Geil gave thanks for the food and we headed for the chow line. There was fried chicken and Italian sausage provided by the chapter along with the drinks. There were many excellent “Pot Luck” items brought by the attendees. No one left hungry.

After everyone had their fill, we got down to business. We put our jobs up for bid and there were no takers. The officers of the chapter remain the same. Yvonne and I had talked about how difficult it was getting to be for us to haul all of the stuff from our house to the park. Two vehicles packed to the roof. The coolers full of beverages can weigh up to 100 pounds. We asked the membership what they thought of changing the location of the picnic to our home in Waukegan. This way we could do away with the packing of vehicles and the $70.00 it cost to get the permit from the Forest Preserve. To our surprise, it was approved and the 2009 Kenosha/Waukegan Picnic will be in our back yard on Sunday, July 19. We have a 20’ x 20’ canopy for shelter from the sun but I think it was the indoor plumbing that sold the idea.

After the meeting, we drew tickets for the door and raffle prizes. After the raffle we invited folks to stay as long as they wished as the permit was good until sundown. We socialized, told lies, played a little music, and hopefully a good time was had by all. We hope to see you all again next year. Thanks for coming and an extra thanks to those who stuck around to help with the clean up.

Click here for the pictures. This will bring up the thumb nail views – click on any one of them to see the larger version. There is a navigation bar at the top and using that you can move from one picture to another to another. At the bottom, there is a link that will take you back to the main page of the web site. There are several unidentified people and if anyone knows them, please contact the webmaster. And, thanks to Yvonne Sylvester for her camera work!

Posted: 08/04/08