MEPGO; Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization
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Membership Update
January 18, 2007
The Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization currently has 61 members. We currently have members from not only Maine but all across the country. Hard to believe we only had 27 members a short time ago. It's never too late to join MePGO. Check out our Membership page for details.
Stories For Newsletter Desperately Needed
January 18, 2007
The Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization Newletter is in desperate need of stories. We are looking for anything you have to offer, be it a quick paragraph on your 2006 season or tips for new growers. The Curcubit Courier belongs to all the members of MePGO. In order to produce frequent newsletters, content is needed to make it informative, useful and current. It is asked that all members consider writing an article, column or paragraph for inclusion in the next newsletter. Without your input, we cannot produce our bi-annual publication. Please Help!!
Next MePGO Meeting in chatroom on Feb. 25
January 18, 2007
The next meeting of the Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization will be held in the MePGO online chatroom on February 25, 2007 at 7pm. Topics of the meeting will be the annual election of Guidance Officers, establishment of committee's for 2007 club activities, discussion of the 2007 Cumberland Fair Weighoff Fund Drive, Review of meeting with Cumberland Fair staff on 2007 weighoff, vote on raising MePGO's membership level in the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth to $300 level as well as other issues. A full agenda will be posted on the website prior to the meeting. This is our most important meeting of the year and participation from members is vital.
It is suggested that members check out the chatroom well in advance of the meeting to ensure they can get in without problems. A few members have reported issues with accessing the chatroom due to security settings in their browser or not having the latest java plugin for their browser. Members using Microsoft Internet Explorer are reminded to ensure their web browser is java enabled with the latest Java plugin from Sun Microsystems. The plugin is available at at this link.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Feb. 25th.
Guidance Officer Nominations
January 18, 2007
Nominations are open for MePGO Guidance Officers with elections for 2007 terms being held on February 25, 2007 at the online MePGO meeting. If you would like to nominate someone or even yourself as a candidate for one of the 4 Guidance Officer positions, please email Bill Clark at stunner906@adelphia.net before February 11.
Guidance Officer positions are described as follows according to the Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization By-Laws:
The Guidance Coordinator shall be the voice for the organization and represent MePGO at all organization functions. The Guidance Coordinator shall prepare the agenda for meetings and be responsible for the smooth operation of organization functions.
The Associate Guidance Coordinator shall fill in for the Guidance Coordinator in the event of his or her absence or assist the Guidance Coordinator. The Associate Guidance Coordinator shall also coordinate the swapping of seeds with other clubs and individuals for organization functions and an annual seed giveaway.
The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of meetings, organizational mailings and promotional items.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for organization funds and shall report said funds at each meeting or upon request of any Guidance Officer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for establishing a bank account for the organization. The organization shall have the ability to write checks against said account for use in organizational business only. All checks written against said account shall be approved by all Guidance Officers prior to being written.
Should a Guidance Officer resign in the middle of a term, an organization meeting shall be held at the earliest possible date to fill the position by election. In the interim, the remaining Guidance Officers shall undertake the duties of the vacated position until the position is filled. If the Guidance Coordinator position is vacated, the Associate Guidance Coordinator shall assume duties of both the Guidance Coordinator and Associate Guidance Coordinator until the position is filled.
Kathy Truong has volunteered to replace Treasurer Ron Bechard who is stepping down this year. If no nominee's are received by the deadline date, the current individuals holding office will run unopposed in the upcoming election.
Meeting With Cumberland Fair - January 28, 2007
January 18, 2007
A meeting will be held between a MePGO delegation and officials of the Cumberland Fair on January 28, 2007 at the fairgrounds office on the Cumberland Fairgrounds to discuss plans for the 2007 Maine State Weighoff. Fund raising goals, logistics and presentation of new ideas will all be tabled in an effort to make this years weighoff bigger and better than ever. We will report here the outcome of this meeting in February.
Volunteers For Committee's Needed
January 18, 2007
A groups success is directly related the participation of the entire group. When everyone pitches in, not only does the success of group activities increase, but it becomes a group success which is what being part of a club is all about. In keeping with this ideal, volunteers are needed for a variety of club activities to be held in 2007. Some of the activities that need committee volunteers include the 2007 Maine State Weighoff, the 2007 seed swap, the annual plant giveaway at Pinkham's Plantation in Damariscotta and the plant giveaway at Togus, newsletter content, and website content. These organization activities require considerable effort in order to be successful. A minimum of 3 members are needed for each committee, however more than 3 will make the effort that much easier for all. As always, the Guidance Officers will be a part of each committee, overseeing the effort and providing assitance where needed. The Weighoff committee needs to be put in place by March 1 as early effort in the fund drive for the State Weighoff is crucial to securing prize funding. The other committee's need to be in place by March 15 so we can have plans in place well in advance of the activity dates.
Please consider volunteering for one of these committee positions as we move into our second year with the hope of making 2007 even more successful, rewarding and fun for the pumpkin growers of Maine. For more information on any of the activities listed above, please contact Bill Clark at stunner906@adelphia.net
MePGO Seed Giveaway
January 18, 2007
The Seed Giveaway Commitee is busy preparing to send out seeds to several other clubs in exchange for seeds from those clubs to distribute to out members. Seed packages will be distributed to our members sometime in March and will include not only top seeds from Maine growers but seeds from several other clubs around the country. You will receive your seed package in plenty of time for planting for this years season. Keep an eye on your mailbox!!
MePGO Messageboard
January 18, 2007
Just a reminder that the MainePumpkin Growers Organization has it's own messageboard, similar to what is found at BigPumpkins.com. Due to our members being spread out in our vast state, the messageboard is the best way to communicate between members and stay up to date with the latest happenings in MePGO. Some of the features include the ability to send Personal Messages to other members, email and forums to express your thoughts, seed searches and suggestions for the group. As of late, the board has been very quiet with only a few posts. The Guidance Officers use the board frequently to ask for suggestions or assistance from members and many times these requests go unread.
If your unsure how the board works, try referencing this document for some basic guidlines:
http://www.mainepumpkins.com/board/guide.html
If your still having trouble, email Bill at stunner906@adelphia.net
The messageboard is another tool to help us learn, grow and communicate withing the group. Please consider visiting the messageboard each time you visit the main website and post away. The more we communicate, the more successful we become.
Messageboard Spam
January 18, 2007
We have been experiencing a significant amount of spam being posted on our messageboard from outside sources. Please be aware that this is spam and without locking down the messageboard with logins, there is really no way to control it. Bill is doing the best he can to keep up with it, however the spam can only be deleted when he is home. The origin of this spam is worldwide, mostly automated and some of which is extremely inappropriate. We will continue to delete such posts as quickly as possible as well as deleting the poster from the board. To re-emphasize, our board is open to the public and sometimes the internet is not a friendly place. We will do our pest to delete these inappropriate posts as soon as they appear.
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