VAN BUREN EAGLES #3996
  • Home
  • Events
  • Ticket Sales
  • Member Dues
  • Meetings & Groups
  • Member News
  • Hall Rental
  • Officers
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Ticket Sales Template
  • Ticket Sales

Veterans Day Presentation

11/14/2019

1 Comment

 
One of our veterans was recently presented with a meaningful gift, and we were there to witness it. Aerie member and Marine Joe Poston applied to Angel Bikes, Inc. a while ago to receive one of their recumbent bikes. The not-for-profit organization furnishes free of charge specially constructed bicycles for disabled military veterans. They awarded Joe the bike and sent it to the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.  Then, the Blue Water Chapter #180 of St. Clair, Macomb, and Lapeer counties, along with St. Clair Collision and Thorpe Printing had the bike detailed with Marine Corps logos for Joe.
 
What makes these bikes very special is that each one is dedicated to a veteran who died in service to our country. Joe’s bike was donated in memory of US Army PFC Moneeka Mayo who died on December 14, 2008. Moneeka was a Michigan resident, Rochester Adams High School and Michigan State University graduate, and served eight years in the reserves before entering active duty on July 30, 2008.
 
Joe, and his wife Paula, were overcome with emotion to receive his bike in memory of guardian angel Moneeka, and they, along with us, want to thank the following people for helping to make it possible: Carla Brodacki, national president of the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., and Joyce Fabian, third vice-president (both are members of Chapter #180), and Ursel and Dennis Mayo, Moneeka's parents (Ursel is a Gold Star mother of Chapter #180). We all thank Angel Bikes, Inc., too. Their generosity will always hold a special place in the hearts of Joe and his family and friends.
 
A special thank you to Joyce Fabian, too. She presented the bike to Joe after giving a very moving speech about the meaning of the term “got your six.” In the military, it means their members are looking out for one another or watching their back. Joyce also told us about Moneeka's “spirit of determination and strength" and reminded us that “she will forever be remembered as Joe rides and will have his six.” She closed by thanking Joe for his service and told him they “hope he enjoys this wonderful ride we call life.”
 
What a wonderful honor for Joe and the other veterans these organizations have helped. We have no doubt a whole new world will open up for Joe now, and his guardian angel, Moneeka Mayo, will be there with him along the way. She’s got his six.


1 Comment

Adult Halloween Party

10/28/2019

0 Comments

 
We had a very eclectic group of people at our recent Adult Halloween Party, including a priest, rich man, rag lady, and – ahem – a lady of the night. They were all in costume of course!

A big thank you to Dianne Cullen and Rozanne Ogger for chairing the event. It was a fun evening of laughter, music and dancing. We also want to thank their team of volunteers: Jim Fruit, Tim Ogger, Nancy
Fruit and Glenn Ramberg helped with set up; Walt and Joyce Rochowiak donated the pumpkins, corn stalks and table decorations; and Sue Delongchamp and David LaFramboise helped in the kitchen. Good job, everyone!

A big thank you also to Tequila Mockingbird for entertaining us with their music. This was the first time they played at our club and they did not disappoint. They had people on their feet dancing all evening.

The highlight of the evening was the costume judging though. Our members are very creative and we always look forward to seeing “who" or “what" comes through the door next. We'd like to thank Bob Moore, Glenn Ramberg and Cindy Komajda for volunteering to pick the top three winners. It was tough to choose from so many great entries, but 3rd place went to Dave & Gladys Walker, 2nd place to Joelene Brzezinski, and 1st place went to Lenny Wojtyna! Congratulations to all of winners!

We hope you enjoy these pictures from the evening that various members sent us. They show the fun we always have at Van Buren #3996 because of our awesome members.

0 Comments

Trunk or Treat

10/27/2019

0 Comments

 
The Auxiliary’s first Trunk or Treat event for the kids was a load of fun for everyone young and old. The children had fun wearing their costumes, decorating cookies, eating pizza, and collecting candy - of course! Three children won gift cards for best costume. Congratulations to them.  All of the costumes were awesome and it was hard to choose the top three.

The adults had fun decorating their cars. Out of 25 or so cars that handed out candy, approximately 12 of them were decorated with skulls, spider webs, pumpkins, etc. The kids had fun choosing the three best decorated cars. Janice Eaton took first place, Sue Delongchamp was second, and Donna Hall came in third. Congratulations to the winners and thank you everyone for participating.

We’d like to thank Trustee Donna Hall for chairing the event, along with her volunteers: Linda Darr, Lisa Ochalek, Claudia Gutierrez, and Judy Hopke. Great job, ladies. This was the first time you’ve done Trunk or Treat and we heard you were concerned about how it would turn out, but we say it was a big success! The weather was even perfect. Did you arrange that?!

The Auxiliary also wanted us to thank Walt and Joyce Rochowiak for the beautiful mums and pumpkins they donated to the event and Claudia Gutierrez for donating the gift cards awarded to the best kid's costumes. Your generosity was appreciated.

Check out these pictures that various members sent us. They show the family fun we have at Van Buren #3996 because of our awesome members. Happy Halloween!

0 Comments

Fisher House Michigan Fundraiser

10/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Our Fisher House of Michigan Fundraiser was a big success. The numbers are still being crunched, but we can say that the total raised was over $6,000! People really stepped up for our veterans and their families and we are thankful for each and every one of them.

Worthy President John Watkins chose Fisher House Michigan as his charity this year, and he chaired the event, solicited most of the donations, recruited a team of volunteers, and kept everything running smoothly. Thank you, John. You worked tirelessly to bring everything together, while also working full-time at your regular job, and we appreciate your efforts.

John's team of volunteers included his wife, Toni Watkins, and Diane Moore, Nancy McFall, Nancy Fruit, Gary & Kathy Smith, Thom & Cynthia Price, Ginger Bruder, Tela Fountain, Barb Tomlinson, Rozanne Ogger, Dianne Cullen, Dave & Kerry Droste, Virginia Truran, Lenny Wojtyna, and our Trustees. There are dozens and dozens of details that need to be taken care of when we host an event and these were the people who took care of them. Take a bow, everyone. You did a great job.

We also want to thank Catering by Kevin in Canton for the delicious meal he provided and Wicked Hipsters for the great music. Their lead singer had a sore throat but still made sure the show went on, along with a little help from some friends. The audience never noticed and the tunes kept on coming.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Katherine Hay, Secretary for the Fisher House Michigan Board of Directors. We thank her for sharing her personal story of how she became involved with Fisher House, and for explaining how important Fisher Houses are for our veterans and their families. We noticed there weren't too many dry eyes in the house when she finished speaking. Our veterans were especially moved.

We also want to thank our Van Buren Eagle Riders #3996 for their very generous donation. Their President, John Neal, and member Joe Poston, presented a check for $700 to Katherine Hay and John Watkins on behalf of Fisher House Michigan.

Finally, we would like to thank all the businesses, individuals, and community groups who donated money or items for our raffles and auctions, and everyone who attended and spent money on raffle tickets and auctions. YOU made it possible for us to help Fisher House Michigan and our veterans and their families. Again, thank you.

0 Comments

Autumn Fest

10/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Our Autumn Fest was the perfect kickoff to the fall season. Mother Nature even sent some chilly weather our way that day! We owe it all to our Aerie Chaplain, Jim Wagner, who chaired the event. He and his team organized, shopped, cooked, and did the numerous things it takes to make things run smoothly for our enjoyment. Thank you, Jim. You did a great job!

We also want to thank Jim's team for their hard work: Keith & Ginger Bruder, Gary & Linda Hunt, Bob & Diane Moore, Gary & Kathy Smith, Virginia Truran, Barbara Tomlinson, Tela Fountain, Tim & Roz Ogger, Mike & Dianne Cullen, Tom & Cynthia Price, Claudia Gutierrez, Paula Pence-Poston, and Joanna Paton. Thank you, Walt & Joyce Rochowiak, for providing the mums to use as table decorations.  We’re fortunate to have members always willing to step up and help out.

We also want to thank the Guten Tag Band. They played songs that had people on their feet doing the polka, some songs had people dancing cheek-to-cheek, and some even had us singing along!
In addition to their wonderful music, Bill & Gloria Wilson, leaders of the band, also made a $100 donation to our Fisher House Charity Fundraiser we're hosting later this month. Thank you, Bill & Gloria, your incredibly generous donation is very much appreciated. 

In addition to the music, we had German beer & wine tastings and a tasty German styled dinner. The wonderful array of cupcakes we all enjoyed for dessert were made by Linda Hunt. She’s our baker extraordinaire! Thanks, Linda.

We hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves as much as we did, and we also thank you for buying a ticket and supporting our club.

Finally, thank you to Lenny Wojtyna and Diane Moore for sharing these pictures from the evening. Enjoy looking at them.

0 Comments

An Evening in Camelot

9/13/2019

1 Comment

 
"Dilly Dilly!" What a fun evening we had at our Camelot event. There was plenty of laughter, good food, and raising of our glasses! King Arthur approved, and so did we!

A big thank you to Kay Pickup for her hard work chairing the event and organizing a great team of volunteers. Special thanks also go out to Ginger Bruder for her research and writing of the narrative. We all learned that the medieval characters of Camelot were a bawdy, interesting group, especially King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table!

We'd like to thank our cast for volunteering their time (and money for costumes) to play the following characters:

King Arthur - Steve Zemper
Merlin – Lenny Wojtyna
Friar – Pat Pickup
Sir Dagonet – Mike Cullen
Sir Lancelot – Bob Moore
Sir Percival – Gary Smith
Sir Galahad – Kevin Murray
Sir Bors the Younger – John Quackenbush
Sir Kay – Tim Ogger
Sir Geraint – Walt Rochowiak
Sir Mordred – Ryan Wojtyna
Queen Guinevere – Michelle Gueli
Morgan le Fay – Rosanne Ogger
Lady of the Lake – Jeannette Quackenbush
Elaine of Corbenic – Marie Keehl
Isolt- Joyce Rochowiak
Elaine of Astolat – Janice Eaton
Morgause - Sue Banners
Lynette – Dianne Cullen
And thanks also to our humble narrator, Dave Parrott.

Great job, everyone! Take a bow.

Following the marriage of King Arthur and Guinevere, we all celebrated with a wedding feast that might have been typical of that era – fowl, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and bread. We thank Nancy Fruit, Cindy Peterson, Sue Delongchamp, and Nancy McFall for helping to shop and prepare the feast. The King proclaimed that it was delicious!

Finally, we want to thank the Sherwin-Williams store in Canton for donating the paint sticks we used as swords, Diane Moore for making our tickets and flyers and handling our media outreach, and also everyone who bought a ticket and supported our club. We appreciate your participation.

“Dilly Dilly!”

1 Comment

Hoedown 2019

8/22/2019

1 Comment

 
We all enjoyed being “rednecks" at our recent Hoedown; all it took was some music by two awesome bands, a little hooch, some dancing, a nice crowd of people, and a lot of work by our volunteers.

It wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of Mike Cullen and his team, including many of our officers and members. Thank you, Mike. We’d also like to thank Pat & Kay Pickup, Jeff Gueli, John Watkins, Jim Wagner, Tim & Roz Ogger, Bob & Diane Moore, Nancy Fruit, Sue Delongchamp and her family, Gary & Kathy Smith, Steve Zimmer, Jim McGuire, Keith & Ginger Bruder, Tom & Cynthia Price, Barb Tomlinson, Virginia Truran, Tela Fountain, and anyone else we might have missed. They all worked hard to make the event run as smoothly as possible.

The highlight of the day was our entertainment, of course, and we were not disappointed. The Southern Heat and Taylor Tucky bands have played for us before, so we knew they would give us a good show. Both bands played a great selection of dance and slow songs, and they included some of our favorites. Southern Heat wowed us with their country version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and Taylor Tucky played some tunes from their new CD, “Where There's Smoke.” Our favorite song is “Come Get Your Redneck,” which includes the line “jamming for the Eagles.” We love it! We love both bands, too. Thank you for sharing your talents and music with us.

We also want to thank everyone who bought a ticket and supported us. It was a very hot day, and we were outside, but no one let that stop them from having fun.

Finally, we want to thank Lenny Wojtyna and a couple other people who took pictures for us. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

1 Comment

Family Picnic 2019

8/12/2019

0 Comments

 
Our annual Family Picnic was a great, relaxing way to spend time with one another and have some fun too. Families enjoyed a bounce house and games for the kids, a smorgasbord of food, and adult beverages. The weather was perfect, too. What more does a picnic need, right?

We’d like to thank our Trustees for hosting the event. They provided the beef, turkey and sausage, as well as a keg of beer, and Walt Rochowiak and his crew did the grilling. Great job, fellas! A big thank you to everyone who brought a dish to pass, too. The variety of food was wonderful and no one went away hungry.

We also want to thank our Auxiliary members for providing games to keep our little ones entertained. We’re fortunate to have a club that works together to help one another and provide entertainment for our members.

Finally, we’d like to thank Lenny Wojtyna for providing us with pictures from the afternoon. We hope you enjoy them.

0 Comments

Wine Tasting Party

7/20/2019

1 Comment

 
W.C. Fields once said, “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” And some of us like to do both!
 
There was no shortage of wine aficionados at our recent wine tasting party where we got to choose between six varieties of white and red wines. It was a nice way to sample wines we never had before without breaking the budget. The cheese and crackers were a nice touch too, and helped us cleanse our palate in between sips.
 
We’d like to thank Barb Tomlinson for chairing this event. Take a bow, Barb! Everyone enjoyed tasting the wines and comparing opinions about them with their friends.  We’d also like to thank Diane Wojtyna, Joanne Paton, Michelle Nowak, Ryan Wojtyna, Nancy Fruit, Sue Delongchamp, Diane Moore, our Trustees, and Tony D'Onofrio for their help, along with anyone else that helped behind the scenes. Everyone loved the grape cluster balloons and table decorations. Kudos to whomever made them.
 
We also want to thank everyone who attended; there were several new faces in the room. We really appreciate having you join us and hope you had a good time. Please consider visiting us again soon.
 
Finally, we would like to thank Lenny Wojtyna for taking so many great pictures. He has become our resident paparazzi and we know we can depend on him being there to take pictures for us! We hope everyone enjoys them as much as we do.


1 Comment

Joint Installation of Officers 2019

5/30/2019

0 Comments

 
Our new 2019/2020 Aerie and Auxiliary officers were installed on May 29, 2019 followed by a light dinner. Congratulations to all of them! We’re thankful for their willingness to step up and serve our club and we’re looking forward to working with them over the next year.

Say hello to your new officers and get to know them:

Aerie:
Past Worthy President: Walt Rochowiak
Worthy President: John Watkins
Vice President: Michelle Gueli
Secretary: Jeff Gueli
Treasurer: Paula Pence-Poston
Chaplain: Jim Wagner
Conductor: Darrol Mackay
Inside Guard: Lenny Wojtyna
Outside Guard: Pat Pickup
Trustees:
Jeff Gueli
Kay Pickup
Tim Ogger
Walt Rochowiak
Jim Shrove

Auxiliary:
Jr. Past Madam President: Toni Watkins
Madam President: Lisa Ochalek
Madam Vice President: Donna Hall
Madam Secretary: Debbie Gagneau
Madam Treasurer: Janice Eaton
Madam Chaplain: Sue Banners
Madam Conductor: Joyce Rochowiak
Madam Inside Guard: Nancy Miller
Madam Trustee: Linda Darr

We hope you enjoy these pictures from the installation. 

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Van Buren Eagles #3996

    We are a community, volunteer based social club.

    Archives

    August 2022
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    Aerie Business
    Building Improvements
    Charity Work
    Dinners/Entertainment
    Eagle Riders
    Events
    Honor Quilters
    J.O.E.s
    R.E.A.C.

    RSS Feed

We Would Love to Have You Visit the Aerie or Join the Eagles!


Hours:

Sun-Thur:   Noon to 11 pm    Grill closes 10pm
Friday:         Noon - 12:00 am    Grill closes 10 pm
Saturday:   Noon - 12:00 am   Grill closes 10 pm

Closing depends on business

Telephone:

734-699-8836

Email:

FOEA3996@yahoo.com

​
Comments or questions about the website?  Contact the webmaster, Barb Tomlinson, at foea3996@yahoo.com
​
  • Home
  • Events
  • Ticket Sales
  • Member Dues
  • Meetings & Groups
  • Member News
  • Hall Rental
  • Officers
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Ticket Sales Template
  • Ticket Sales