Club News

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Cin-Day Lucky Dawgs Browns Backers Meeting Minutes  

Cin-Day Lucky Dawgs Browns Backers Meeting Minutes

Date: August 26, 2012
Location: Lucky Dog Grille, Mason, Ohio
Present: Kurt Boveington, Bob Risheill, Deb Risheill, Rich Miller, Ginny Weale, Gerry Weale, Jill Eisenhart, Bryan Eisenhart, Barb Plack

Rich opened the meeting with a report on the treasury. We have enough funds in the bank to cover the opening day party if we base it upon last year’s budget. We still need a big push on dues coming down the home stretch. The Browns ticket sales have been slow. We’ve sold eight out of twenty tickets so far. Once those tickets are sold, those funds will help boost our balance.

Kurt went over the order & flow for opening day as well as for the other games throughout the season. We need plenty of volunteers to help at the check-in table and to monitor the buffet area. Ginny will hand out shirt order forms at check-in and we will be making several announcements for the shirts as well. We could also pass the shirt order form around via clipboard.

Raffle: Since we will be running two (2) raffles this year, it was decided to have a different person other than our raffle team (Bryan & Jill) run the Bernie Kosar raffle. In this manner, we can keep all proceeds separate and there will be less confusion. This again calls for more volunteers on opening day and throughout the season. The official drawing for the Bernie Kosar picture will be December 16^th.

Member of the week: All dues-paid members will be eligible to be member of the week. Since Rich has the official roster of dues paid members, he (with his three engineering degrees) will figure out a way to put all names in a bag, envelope, etc. We will pull from this each week.

Suburb of the week: Kurt has this all set up. The proclamation and letter are all ready to go. We will draw a “burb” each week, and the proclamation will be sent the following day. Deb will print out 16 proclamations to cover the season.

Ernie Green Day: Deb did a search on the internet for some additional items that can be used for the raffle that day. These items are “1964” related since Ernie Green was on the ’64 championship team. In addition to the # 48 jersey, we’d like to have a few other raffle items associated to that era.

Kids Safety Rally: The group discussed the costs vs. benefits for this function. It was decided to cancel this event. The costs, lack of dedicated resources, and the true benefits to the club were the deciding factors. We also have our plates full now with current plans and activities.

Kurt will do two more emails to the membership prior to opening day. Deb will update the website. Ginny will provide Deb with a shirt order form for the website. Bryan & Jill will get some pink tickets for the Bernie raffle. Rich will keep everyone up-to-date on our funds as dues come in over the next two weeks.

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Cin-Day Lucky Dawgs Browns Backers Meeting Minutes

 Date: August 12, 2012

Location: Lucky Dog Grille, Mason, Ohio

Present: Kurt Boveington, Bob Risheill, Deb Risheill, Rich Miller, Ginny Weale, Gerry Weale, Jill Eisenhart, Bryan Eisenhart, Gerry Deehan, Don Gross

Kurt opened the meeting with a summary of the minutes from the Club President’s meeting at Cleveland stadium on Thursday August 2^nd. These minutes were sent to all club presidents and Kurt forwarded them to our club officers. There were several ideas from these minutes for future considerations. Kurt also discussed an email he received from a firm representing Frostee Rucker and his interest in our Kids Safety Rally & the Browns at Bengals game on September 16^th. This seemed a little strange coming out of the blue plus the fact that Frostee is a current player. We also discussed an email from club member Mike Bell. Mike has a friend who knows Hanford Dixon and wanted to know if the club could afford to pay an appearance fee plus expenses for one of our events. Although we would love to have Hanford Dixon make an appearance at an event, the club decided to keep that on the back burner for future considerations. Rich commented that the current balance in our account is not enough to cover our opening day party. Kurt also commented that we need to concentrate on: increased membership, a successful opening day party, a successful “Ernie Green” day, and a successful Kids safety rally. Our plate is very full right now.

Dues & Treasury: Rich provided a treasury report and emphasized the need to push for 2012 dues. Kurt will send out a few more emails between now & opening day to push for dues.

Opening Day Party: Kurt discussed the Order & Flow of the opening day party as well as the general order & flow with all games. Kurt will publish a suggested Order & Flow along with assignments for opening day.

- It was suggested to make the tailgate party start at noon, instead of 11am. 11am was too early for a start time.

- Member of the Week: All paid members’ names can be put into a file and a name drawn each week. That person will draw the winning raffle tickets, have their picture taken for the website, etc. It was suggested that the member of the week also gets one free raffle ticket, and/or a free appetizer from the Lucky Dog.

- Trivia: Same as last year. Kurt will also introduce “Name that Year” trivia this year. (Not discussed at the meeting.)

- Suburb of the Week: This year, we will only draw one & send the letter & proclamation to the mayor. Kurt will handle this. (Not discussed at the meeting.)

- Dawg-meet-dawg world: Same as last year. (Not discussed at the meeting.)

Browns Tickets: Kurt gave the status of tickets sold to date. We feel confident that the remaining tickets will sell between now and October 14^th.

Shirts: Ginny gave a report on the shirts. We finally have our Logo in the right format for printing. Ginny presented the color options as well as the type of shirts – T-shirt, Golf shirt, & Hoodie. There was discussion regarding the Hoodie vs. a regular sweatshirt. Purchases of the shirts will be cash-up-front from the members. We will push through emails and announcements to get all orders in by the 3^rd week of the season, so there will be plenty of lead time for printing and distribution. There is a quantity level we need in order to achieve a price break. Everyone felt that we should be able to reach the quantity level. Ginny will provide an order form to Kurt to attach in future emails.

Kids Safety Rally: Deb showed some preliminary designs for the 2012 flyer. Gerry Deehan said that he has been communicating with the firm which will provide the fingerprinting/ID service. He said he will have this nailed down soon. Since Barb was not present, Deb will email Barb to get the latest status on holdover supplies from last year – safety tip sheets, bags, etc. Deb also met with James to check into kids Karaoke and kid’s meals provided by The Lucky Dog. Kurt emphasized the need to personally invite friends & neighbors.  

Raffle/Bernie Kosar Picture/Ernie Green Appearance: Ernie Green has committed to appear at our club on October 7^th. Kurt will contact the Brown’s office to verify Ernie Green’s expectations for the day. Deb & Bob purchased the # 48 jersey to be used as the grand prize for that day as well as the coke bottle cap. Other items were decided & discussed:

- The Oct 7th date would be a tribute to Mr. Green and the proceeds from our regular raffle on that day would go to Breast Cancer (Mr. Green is a Breast Cancer activist)

- We would also be selling special raffle tickets for the Bernie Kosar picture starting on game one and continuing throughout the year. The actual drawing for this raffle will be later in the year (one of the December games - TBD). Some of the proceeds from this special raffle will also go to Breast Cancer as well.

- We can also have a fish bowl starting on week one for anyone to contribute $ for Breast Cancer. The proceeds from this fish bowl can be added to the Bernie Kosar picture raffle in December.
- Bob, Deb, Bryan, & Jill will also check into some “1964 Championship” theme prizes for that day’s raffle.

- Ernie Green will be inducted as a “Browns Legend” on September 23^rd. Kurt will check with the Browns office to see if there will be any pictures or mementos from that day.

(FYI: Ernie Green, RB, 1962 – 1968, two-time pro-bowl, member of the 1964 Championship team, played alongside of both Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, both Hall-of-Famers)

Raffle Team: Kurt suggested to Bryan & Jill to start to lay out a plan for the season. Also, with some Great Lakes items provided by James, we may have a good part of the season accounted for. We also need to take some pictures of raffle items for the web site.

Web Site: Deb will be updating the web site for the season. She asked for everyone to provide feedback as she makes these updates.

Dawg Tags: The artwork is complete; these will be ready to go for the season.

Golf Outing – August 11^th: We had twelve (12) people golf in yesterday’s outing. It was suggested to golf again on our bye week. The results:

- Lowest score: Mike Bell

- Longest drive: Russ Taylor

- Closest to the pin: Jon Miller

Next Meeting:  The next officer’s meeting will be August 26^th at 1pm, at the Lucky Dog. 

(Editorial Comment: A BIG Thank-you to all officers & committee members for donating their time & energy to the Cin-Day Lucky Dawgs. There’s a lot of work involved in making our club a fun & exciting venue for following our Browns. Thank you for all your help).

The meeting adjourned without Kurt reciting the starting line-up of the 1964 Browns. Everyone was relieved.

Date: March 18, 2012

Location: Lucky Dog Grille, Mason, Ohio

Present: Kurt Boveington, Bryan Eisenhart, Jill Eisenhart, Bob Risheill, Deb Risheill, Rich Miller, Barb Plack, Gerry Deehan, Doug Pressler  

Kurt opened the meeting with a few administrative items. Our club renewal paperwork has been filed which is now required annually. Kurt also passed out the policy on the Cleveland Browns trademarks & logos. The club bylaws have been updated based upon the changes discussed at the last meeting. Rich would like the Fiscal year to be changed to March 1^st to February 28^th/29th.  

Draft Day Party / Meeting, April 28th: We will hold a draft day party same as last year. There will be two incentives / raffles: Any member, who pays their dues on or before April 28^th and attends the April 28^th party, will have their name entered into a special raffle to win the grand prize (to be determined). You won’t have to be present for the drawing (in case you have to leave early). We will also have a regular raffle ($1 tickets) just like our game-day raffle. Kurt will check with James on donating some Lucky Dog prizes (gift cert., etc.) We will start at 1pm on April 28^th, same as last year. Kurt will start a series of emails between now and the party emphasizing the push for dues.  

Browns Tickets: Brian reported on his findings to date. Since the actual 2012 schedule has not been released yet, no decisions can be made. Brian is hoping he will have the ticket package prior to the April 28^th Draft day party so that we can start to review the various options. We like to make our decisions in a timely manner so that we can get the best seats available. We are also looking into the Browns at Bengals game – and possibly tailgate with other clubs that weekend. Brian also mentioned an acquaintance he met who has season tickets. The acquaintance would be willing to donate some tickets at cost for some of our weekly raffles.    

Kids Safety Rally: The scheduled date will be Saturday, October 27^th. It was suggested that we lengthen the time frame to Noon to 4pm instead of 2 to 4pm. Deb has already communicated with Randi and will keep us posted on her status and other options if needed. Kurt discussed ways that we can better market & position the program toward parents & teachers. Gerry will assure that we have a company / option for the kids fingerprinting. It was suggested that Barb contact all the volunteers from last year to see if everyone is still on board. Deb prepared a rough draft of some raffle tickets that can be used for the safety rally as well. Some discussion followed on tactics with the raffle tickets – kickbacks to local schools, and the local city codes on having a raffle of this nature. We have a ways to go prior to the event, but we need to keep the momentum from the start.   

Golf Outings: Bob suggested that we contact other BB Clubs in SW Ohio to gauge some interest. Kurt will provide Bob with the contact names & email addresses. Kurt will also mention this in his future emails to see how many of our own members are interested.  

Shirts: Don Melillo was looking into this. Doug had provided Don with another source for shirts. Since Don was not in attendance, we will need to contact him to get the latest scoop.  

Marketing Materials & Dawg Tags: We need to replenish all of our Marketing materials. Deb will proceed with this. We discussed some added points for the brochures – “Top five BB club world-wide”, etc. Deb has also researched the Dawg Tags. Color options, year, etc. were discussed. Deb will pursue these avenues.

February 12, 2012 Cin-Day Lucky Dawgs Browns Backers Meeting Minutes

Carl Sandburg penned, "Life is like an onion, many layers and just enough flavor to keep it interesting, you peel it off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep." This is also true of any good organization. (and the weeping certainly fits last seasons’ football games. )

On with the meeting info

Location: Lucky Dog Grille, Mason, Ohio

In Attendance: Kurt Boveington, Bryan Eisenhart, Jill Eisenhart, Bob Risheill, Deb Risheill, Rich Miller, Don Melillo, Barb Plack, Mike Bell, Ginny Weale, Gerry Weale, Gerry Deehan, Tom Deehan

Kurt opened the meeting with a brief “State of the Onion” message. We had a very good year despite the struggles the Browns had on the field. He discussed the current status as one of the final five in the Club of the Year. Voting by all club presidents on the final five will be completed by 2/17. Kurt also discussed our “Code of Conduct” written last year. In a meeting with James, he stated there were no significant incidences or issues this past season. There was also some discussion & feedback on the year-end party. Approximately, 60 people attended. Everyone really liked the format of just having a spread of appetizers and running a club tab on all beverages. We may try this approach for the opening day party as well.  

Finances/Treasury: Rich gave the Treasury report. We ended the year slightly under the previous year’s balance; however, we are carrying forward about $ 557 of raffle prizes that Jill & Bryan were able to secure with some year-end clearance sales. Also, we invested a considerable amount of money into the club this year – website, Lucky Dawg table, marketing flyers, membership brochures, etc. The safety rally, charitable donations, and Christmas gifts ($15 gift cards to the Lucky Dog staff) were also new expenses this year. The raffle sales & dues increased enough to cover the new expenses and investments in the club.  We will be gifting a Browns baby outfit to our own celebrity member WLWT's Randi Rico!

Raffle Status & Inventory: Bryan & Jill gave a report on our Raffle. As mentioned above, we have a good supply of prizes to start off the year. The group discussed having 3 or 4 “Large” Grand Prizes that can be scheduled for particular games & marketed through our website. It was decided to keep the picking order the same as opposed to allowing the ticket holder to choose their prize. Bryan & Jill had plenty of help throughout the year from officers and other members. It also helped to have many donations to the raffle as well. Kurt emphasized that it is ok to have many people helping in the purchase of prizes as long as it is controlled & communicated through Bryan & Jill so that spending doesn’t get out of hand. Kurt also mentioned that a change to the By-Laws is in order. It states that any member cannot win the Grand Prize more than once in a season. This has never been enforced and should be changed as some of our members buy a large number of tickets every week and should not suffer a penalty for such great support.  

Website Status: Deb gave a report on the web site. She recently updated the home page. Everything is good-to-go for the year. She expressed concerns that we may not be getting enough hits to the site. We try to emphasize with every email to go to the website & “Like” us on Facebook. She would welcome any other members with technical expertise to assist with the website. If you are interested in becoming a co-webmaster please email her at webmaster@cin-dayluckydawgs.com  Another suggestion for 2012 is to take everyone’s picture at the opening day party and put them on the website. We could also draw from these for our Member of the Week.  

Browns Game Tickets: Most everyone (including other BB clubs) were not real happy with the seat selections provided by the Cleveland Browns. It was emphasized that we need to get our order in immediately when the tickets go on sale to get the “first choice” tickets. Last year, we waited until the final hour to place our order. (The lockout was also a factor). Kurt listed several options or combination of options including the Browns at Bengals. Bryan agreed to take this on and research all options and present these to the club.  

Kids Safety Rally: The scheduled date will be Saturday, October 27^th. We would like to have the same participants on board as last year and welcome all  of our members to help in anyway that they can offer. After last year’s rally, Randi from channel 5 agreed to continue, but due to her recent announcement (she’s expecting) there is a chance that she may not be available. We could ask for another person from channel 5 or check into other avenues. Deb will send a letter to Randi. Gerry is no longer with Guardian but said he could possibly secure the Kids ID services through his connections. Kurt emphasized that it boils down to planning. If every club member could extend a personal invitation and recruit one family, the rally will be a success. This process can begin now. We also have ties to Mason Schools within our club. We need to get some ties to Lakota schools through our club as well. Another idea suggested, is to give a free raffle ticket to all attendees and raffle off some prizes or gifts Cincinnati (even Bengal) related. You would not have to be present to win – we would use tickets that you can write in your contact information – name, phone, email, etc.   

Golf Outings: We will plan 2 or 3 outings and possibly one with another BB club. Bob agreed to work on this. Mike has connections with various clubs in the area and can assist as well. Two of our members (Larry & Charlotte) live in the Walden Ponds golf community where we held our first outing. They could help coordinate an outing there as well.  Have some ideas for Bob? ...Let him know! rrisheill@cinci.rr.com

Marketing / Membership/ New Business/ Ideas/Miscellaneous: We need to replenish all of our Marketing materials. The business cards have worked out well and many of our members are handing them out. The group discussed how we do trivia, the “Burb” bag and other game day activities. Kurt suggested using the “Burb” bag to pull a Cleveland Suburb, and then mail the Mayor of the city a “Proclamation”. Kurt had an example proclamation already written (what a surprise). Deb and Kurt will work out the formatting issues for the Proclamation certificate.  

Shirts: We haven’t done shirts for a couple years but everyone is asking for them. Several styles were discussed. Don Melillo said he could coordinate this. If you are able to assist Don in this effort please contact Kurt via email kurtwb@msn.com . Your shirt ideas are also welcome so feel free to pass those ideas along as well. It was decided was that all shirts would have to be ordered and paid for in advance as not to tie up club monies for an extended period of time.

We discussed the wrist bands vs. dog tags. Most would prefer the dog tags. Deb said she would check into the sources used for past dog tags.  

The next officers meeting will be in mid-March. Kurt will schedule the date. 

Saturday, April 28^th, we will hold our Annual Draft day meeting & party at the Lucky Dog. 
Everyone should circle that date on your calendars. More details to follow.  

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OH YEAH!!

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The Year end party was a great success! Thank you for all who we able to attend.

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Some of the Bye Week Cin-Day Duffers Club

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Thanks to all our Very Generous Members who helped to raise funds for 

Ethan's Endeavor

Raising awareness for Prune Belly Syndrome

If you missed the fishbowl or did not get in on the raffle and still want to support the cause you can 

visit:

http://givemn.razoo.com/story/ethanjmetzger

or

www.prunebelly.org

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Many Thanks to WLWT's Power of 5 Randi Rico, The Mason Fire Department, Safety Dawg, Gerry Deehan and his staff from Guardian Protection Services, and of course James and the Lucky Dog Grille for making our Kid's Safety Rally a lot of fun for the children, Parents (and dogs) who attended the 2 hour event on October 30!!

Who knew Randi Rico could drive a Fire Engine?!?

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Thanks to Gerry Deehan for providing the Childrens ID's 

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Our Newest Cin-Day Lucky Dawg!

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WOW it's Safety Dawg !!

Your 2011/2012 officers and other volunteers: 

• President is Kurt Boveington - kurtwb@msn.com
• Vice President is Bryan Eisenhart - b_eisenhart2@yahoo.com
• Treasurer is Rich Miller - prestressed_engineer@yahoo.com
• Secretary is Jill Eisenhart - b_eisenhart2@yahoo.com
• Raffle Team is Jill Eisenhart (obtains merchandise), Rich Miller (collects raffle $), MC varies among volunteers
• Bylaws Committee: All of the above named persons plus Don Melillo, Barb Plack, Don Gross, and Bob Risheill
• Website - Debbie Risheill

A SPECIAL NOTE OF THANKS

It should be said that we would be nothing if not for the efforts of our former president Frank and his officers Dan and Alex

The club which they built from scratch is now a living, breathing, wonderful club that now dominates all northern cincinnati backers clubs of any team! Franks efforts to take us from a meet and watch gathering of people to a recognized Cleveland Browns offical backers club were immeasurable and we must say how much we appreciate all his hard work. The fact that he then found James and the Lucky Dog to further the true club atmosphere is a major plus for our club for years to come. Few backers clubs have the facility behind them as much as we do and we send a special thanks out to James as well.

WEBSITE NEWS

When I get it you get it is my plan for the website this year. This should make the website a fun and informative place for you to visit on a daily or weekly basis.

Created and maintained by Debbie Risheill 3/11/2011 Cin-Day Luck Dawgs all rights reserved