Cowboy hats, flannel shirts, varmints, jail, beer, and country music!  We wasted no time getting our redneck on at the Hoedown!  The highlight of the day was Taylor Tucky and the country songs they cranked out for five hours. They did an awesome job and people danced and sang along to all of their favorites.  A big thank you to the band for providing such an entertaining afternoon and evening.  Kudos, fellas. 
 
In addition to the music, we also had great food provided by our Van Buren Eagle Riders.  They grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and sausage all afternoon to go along with their cowboy beans. Good job, Riders.  We can always depend on you to step up and help.  Thank you. 
 
There were a few varmints that caused problems throughout the afternoon, but our sheriff Gayle Bellamy wasted no time rounding them up and throwing them in jail. We hope they learned their lesson! We'd like to thank Tom Fountain and Thom Price for building the jail for us, and also all the members who helped our sheriff.  They made great deputies!
 
It took months to plan and execute this event, and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of dozens and dozens of our members.  Committee Chair and PWP Gary Smith wants them to know that he appreciates their help and thanks them for stepping up.  He also thanks the businesses and organizations that sponsored our t-shirt and the people who bought tickets and attended the event.  It wouldn't have been a success without your participation. 
 
Finally, thank you to everyone who sent us pictures, including Inside Guard Lenny Wojtyna, who took more than 100 of them.  We are posting one batch of photos with this post and will follow up with a second Blog post with the remainder so keep an eye out for more!  Enjoy, everyone! 

Great food, great company, and the Yankee Air Show! The Family Picnic, on August 25, 2018,  couldn't have been any better. The Trustees provided the turkeys and beef brisket and cooked it for hours on the grill, and everyone else brought their favorite dish to pass.  No one went home hungry, that's for sure!
 
The Auxiliary made sure the kids had fun activities to keep them busy, including a new playscape they donated to the Aerie shortly before the picnic. Our members stepped up to make sure it was assembled in time, and the kids didn't waste anytime sliding, swinging and climbing on it. Our members also enjoyed watching the various planes flying overhead from the Yankee Air Show. 
 
We'd like to thank the Trustees for hosting the picnic, member Bob Boyer for providing two of the hugest turkeys we've ever seen, our Auxiliary for providing a fun afternoon for the kids, our members for bringing dishes to pass, and the many, many volunteers who stepped up to help. Your time and effort did not go unnoticed or appreciated.  Thank you!  
 
A thank you also goes out to Inside Guard Lenny Wojtyna who took most of the pictures posted here. He did a great job! Enjoy. 

R.E.A.C. went on a Pub Crawl for their July outing on Tuesday, July 17, 2018.  They started at the Bayou Grill for lunch, then Egan's Pub, next Johnny's on the Lake, and finished up at the Lakeview.  A fun time was had by all!  R.E.A.C. meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.  They plan a fun outing once a month.  They welcome new members, so join them at one of their meetings or outings to see what they are all about!