The January 28, 2006 general meeting of MAAHA was called to order by President Julie Rosenthal at the home of Wendy Nixon in Pilesgrove, NJ. Members present were: Dawn Pontz, Gretchen Chapman, Julie Rosenthal, Chris Trout, Cheryl Santore, Karen Viereck, Wendy Nixon and Jan Finseth.
The minutes of the December 17th meeting were read. It was noted that the cost of tickets for the banquet needed to be changed from $35 to $30 per person. With that change, the minutes were approved by a motion from Dawn and a second by Chris.
Treasurer’s Report – Dawn presented the Treasurer’s Report showing $5,236.42 in the two Hudson United Bank CD Accounts and a balance of $3,346.70 in the Commerce Bank checking account. A copy of the Treasurer’s Report is attached to these minutes.
Old Business:
2005 High Score – No report. 2005 awards will be presented at the Annual Banquet on March 3rd.
Annual Banquet – Wendy reiterated that the banquet will be held on Friday, March 3rd, at Masso’s Red Pine Inn, Glassboro, NJ. Cocktails and appetizers at 7 pm, and dinner will be served around 8 pm. The presentation of Hi-Score Awards and the Chinese Auction will follow dinner. Menu selections were made. Tickets will be the same as last year, $30 per person. The reservation form is available on the website, www.maaha.org, and also have been mailed to all members. Please note that all tickets must be paid for in advance as we will need to obtain an accurate count of those having dinner. Wendy had on display many of the items donated to the Chinese Auction which included artwork, books/tapes, and tack.
Membership – No report.
Newsletter – Julie reported that the Winter 2005 Newsletter has been sent out. She also requested more contributions from members. Birth announcements, new horses, events for the calendar, show info/results, clinics, etc.
Horse Placement Project - Julie reported that the mare with Cushing’s that was offered for lease has found a new home.
Mary Jane Hendrickson Memorial – Wendy is checking into a park bench at the NJ Horse Park. It was suggested that the painting be sold on ebay and the proceeds used for a memorial at the Horse Park.
Audit & By-Law review – Dawn reported that Nicki Worrell (our volunteer auditor) has all the information and is currently working on the audit. .
4H Demo – The dates for this year are July 27-30. Mark your calendars now. Any demonstration we may do, would probably be on the Saturday during the lunch break. We still need to get a banner made for the booth. Anyone wishing to participate, contact Julie at 856-423-1474.
Officers for 2006 – Karen Viereck has kindly offered to take over the position of MAAHA Secretary. Thank you Karen.
New Business:
2006 Meeting Schedule - Following is a tentative schedule for meetings in 2006:
March 3 – No meeting. Banquet and High Score Awards Presentation at Masso’s , Glassboro, NJ
March 4 – Long Line Demonstration by Richard O’Toole, held at Dorsett Farms, Swedesboro, NJ, noon to 3 pm. Audit fee $20. Call Dawn Pontz for more information 609-561-0860
April 1 – meeting at Wendy Nixon’s, Pilesgrove, NJ
May 6 – meeting at Dawn Pontz’s, Waterford Works, NJ
June 3 – meeting at Julie Rosenthal’s, Clarksboro, NJ
July 29 – Gloucester Country 4-H Fair, Mullica Hill, NJ. Demonstration.
August 26 – meeting – location to be determined
October 7 – meeting – location to be determined
November 4 – meeting – location to be determined
December 9 – meeting – location to be determined
Clinics – Dawn is working on a western pleasure clinic, possibly in April, held by Richard O’Toole. Contact Dawn if you are interested in participating or attending.
New Horse Park in NJ – Karen reported that the long-discussed park is definitely happening. The Delaware River Equine Agricultural Museum (DREAM) Park is expected to start construction in March/April 2006 and Phase I is scheduled for completion by September 2007. The new park is located between Route 130 and the Delaware River just off the Commodore Barry Bridge. The facilities will include indoor and outdoor arenas, stalls, trails, camp grounds, a dog park, community gardens, and a community center.
Our next get together is the Banquet on March 3rd, and the next meeting will be Saturday, April 1st at 7 pm, at the home of Wendy Nixon in Pilesgrove NJ. Call Wendy at 856-769-0076 for directions.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm by a motion from Dawn and a second by Karen.
Respectively submitted
Jan Finseth
Secretary