The annual Winter Potluck was
held on February 9 at the LDS Building in Palm Springs. Forty five OA members and
their families came for an evening of surprises, fellowship and fun. The
theme to this year's potluck was the grand opening of a 5 star
restaurant.
A setup crew arrived at early in the
afternoon to begin setting up all of the displays, theme props and
tables. When guests began arriving, they came in to a "lobby" where they
were greeted with a menu of the daily specials. All of the tables were
decorated with candles, restaurant menus, and other decorations you
might expect to see in a fine restaurant. Former Chapter Chief
Daniel Perry provided the early evening entertainment
by playing some light mood music on his guitar.
The evening's programs had a
rough start, but everything eventually came together. After the opening
flags, the audience was informed by Ian Isham (aka.
Chef Doneteelio Fonteshmo) that the kitchen was entirely out of food and
all that was left was the Chef's Surprise. Then, there was a loud noise
from the kitchen and the Chef's Surprise was chased by one of the cooks
across the room and out of the building. The audience was then asked to
cross off everything on the menu except the buffet which was actually
what they would all be eating anyway. A special thanks goes to
Johnathan Rakestraw and Jonathan Cambon for
providing a great and classic chase.
During dinner, Daniel
Perry served as the host for the US OA Show dinner
entertainment. He played Kountry Gentlemen from Family Force 5,
Johnathan Rakestraw played one piece at a time by Johnny Cash, and
Matthew Maloney performed some stand up comedy.
Everyone who served on the
ceremony team, camp promotion team, and served as an Elangomat were
recognized. The prestigious Chapter Service Award was given to
William Winn and Tyler Beltran. Tyler was
unable to attend the potluck, but was presented the Service Award a couple
of weeks later at the Feb. Agua Caliente Clan meeting.
The guest speaker for the
evening was James Black Mountain from the O'otam Nation
of Western Apache.
The evening's program was
concluded by holding a gourmet hot dog decorating contest. The Agua
Caliente First Vice-Chief, Ian Isham, and the
Chemehuevie First Vice-Chief, Jonathan Cambon, both
competed in the contest. After the judges completed the taste tests,
first prize was awarded to Ian Isham.
Special thanks goes to: Robert Routon,
Vickey Hermes, Darin Eldridge, and
Steve Cambon for helping to decorate the room; Connie
Perry for designing and providing the table decorations;
Jocy McManus for printing the evening programs and
awards certificates; and most importantly to everyone who attended that
helped bring a great spirit to a great evening.
It was a great evening for all
who attended and great memories for all to remember.
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