Fall lsdos 2015 newsletter

Lone Star Dutch Oven Society

Fall 2015

THE DUTCH OVEN LSDOS Officers

Membership Meeting The 2015 Membership meeting was held in Canton, Texas on July 25th. The temperature outside was hot enough to bake bread without charcoal, but the Civic Center offered air conditioned comfort for the weekend activities. Check out all the details in the draft minutes of the meeting that are included at the end of this newsletter.

President Robin Clute, Prairie Dog Chapter Trustee Tina Morris, Collin County Dutch Ovens Secretary Stephanie Vickery, Sam Houston Chapter Second Vice President Joe Huber, Traveling Dutch Oven Cookers First Vice President Sue Alexander, Chisholm Trail Chaparrals (not shown in photo)

No More Summer Membership Meeting Thanks to a change made to the By Laws, the 2016 Membership meeting will be held in the cooler months of the fall and not in the middle of the heat of summer.

Look for an announcement of the location coming soon.

Name Badges Look for an email with details on how to order a LSDOS name badge, coming soon.

Food, Fun, and Fellowship

Members Enjoy the First Big DOG The first LSDOS 'Big DOG' was held April 16 - 19, 2015 at the Canton Civic Center and RV Park. Thirty eight members camped or used local motels for the weekend. We enjoyed two fun cooking competitions - one pot main dish for the adults and a dessert prepared by the youth. The City of Canton Chamber of Commerce provided the judges for both competitions. Robin Clute coordinated the competitions with a wide variety of wonderful prizes. Current LSDOS members enjoyed this free event and everyone received a bag of charcoal for attending and all enjoyed picking up a door prize. Seven new member joined during the gathering.

There were four different demonstrations presented on Saturday.

The weather was treacherous! Extremely high winds made everyone duck for cover Friday and Saturday night. Several brave folks in tents endured the brunt of the storm in the concrete restrooms or found refuge with friends. We lost count of the number of awnings and tents that were mangled by the high winds. Oh, the joy of outdoor cooking! Dennis Clute and his musician friends entertained with bluegrass music after dinner on Saturday but had to make it an early night because of the approaching storms. Despite the high winds - a good weekend was reported by all.

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Mark Your Calendar - Upcoming LSDOS Events Sam Houston Chapter 7th Annual Big Fall DOG September 25 - 27, 2015 The Sam Houston Chapter invites you to join them at their Big Fall DOG (Southeast Texas Fall Gathering) at Salmon Lake Park at the Sunshine Lodge.

Salmon Lake Park has RV spots as well as tent camping and very nice cabins. If you want to rent a cabin, you will need to make reservations by calling the park office at (936) 687-2594. If you need a RV spot or like to tent camp, you will not need to make a reservation, just let someone in the Sam Houston Chapter know you are coming so we can be sure that there is a spot for you.

For those that will be there Thursday night we will be having hot dogs. Bring yours and come join us.

The Sam Houston Chapter will be hosting dinner Friday night for your pleasure so come visit and enjoy the fellowship of Dutch oven cookers. Dinner Friday night, September 25th will be at 6:30 pm, so come join us.

The schedule for the rest of the weekend will be as follows: Breakfast Saturday – 9:00 am Lunch Saturday – 4:00 pm Dinner we will gather to visit, snack, & play games, time will be decided by those gathering.

There will also probably be a bonfire somewhere.

Breakfast Sunday – 9:00 am

LSDOS Board of Directors Meeting January 16, 2016 at Salmon Lake, Grapeland TX The LSDOS Board of directors meeting will be held in the Sunshine Inn area. All members are welcome but only the board of directors (officers and chapter advisors) may vote. The associated DOG will be January 15-17 and we will have access to the heated and air conditioned Sunshine Inn. Full hook-up camping rates are $22 for 30 amps and $27 for 50 amps. Reservations are not required for camping. Early arrivals are welcome. Cabin reservations need to be made by calling Salmon Lake Park directly at 936-687-2594. See the Salmon Lake Park web site http://www.salmonlakepark.com for information about cabin rentals.

Second Annual BIG DOG April 15-17, 2016 at Salmon Lake, Grapeland TX Save the date! Rick Caldwell and the Sam Houston chapter invite you to join in this free event for LSDOS members and will be filled with food, fun, and fellowship. Check out the park’s amenities http:// www.salmonlakepark.com for information about cabin rentals.

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Robin Clute, President

Lone Star Dutch Oven Society

Fall 2015

Meet the LSDOS Board Robin Clute, President Dennis and I got started in the world of Dutch oven cooking in a big way. We knew absolutely nothing about it, but our friends, Leslie and Steve Lovett, needed volunteers to help out at the National DOG when it was held in Canton, TX in 2012. We had nothing better to do that weekend, so agreed to help. Boy was that an eye-opener! We left there with a cook table and a charcoal chimney, and we were on our way.

We've since traveled to three other National DOGs, the World Championships twice, and cooked in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Utah and all over Texas. We also cook monthly with the Prairie Dogs and Chisholm Trail Chaparrals as often as we can.

We've amassed a good selection of Dutch ovens since we began. We use all of them, but seem to gravitate to the 10" ones for desserts, the 12"s for main dishes, and the 14" and 16" for larger cuts of meats or breads. We don't really have a favorite oven or particular brand we favor.

It would be impossible to pick out just one favorite recipe. We keep a small notebook of "tried and true" recipes that have gotten favorable reviews from diners, but almost always try at least one new dish every time we cook. Dutch oven cooking has really forced us to get out of the cooking rut we were in and attempt new foods, methods, and dishes.

One of our favorite things about Dutch oven cooking is doing demos and cooking for the public. Introducing a neophyte to Dutch oven cooking is such fun! Seeing the awe and wonder on their faces when a unique or unexpected dish comes out of one of those black pots gives us such a thrill! It makes the trials and tribulations of cooking in freezing, rainy, windy or blast furnace conditions all worthwhile - although I still have to gripe about the heat.

Editor’s note: Here is a recipe that many Prairie Dogs requested from Robin after a recent DOG. It is easy to prepare and will disappear quickly!

7-Up Cake 1 box yellow cake mix 1 small box instant lemon pudding 1 1/2 c 7-up or Sprite 4 eggs 3/4 c oil 2 c powdered sugar 1 T lemon juice 1-2 T milk zest of one lemon Spray 12" DO with butter spray. Cut parchment circle for bottom of DO, and spray with more butter spray. Mix first 5 ingredients together in medium bowl until combined. Pour batter into DO. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, then check for doneness with toothpick.

Allow to cool, then remove from DO. Poke holes in cake with fork.

Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon

zest. Add milk gradually to get drizzling But the absolute very best thing about Dutch oven cooking for consistency. Drizzle/pour over cake. us is the friendships we have made over the years. We have found Dutch oven folks to be kind, friendly, and willing to share of their expertise, their recipes, and the occasional forgotten ingredient. These are people from all walks of life, from all over the US and Canada, who are bound

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together by their love of the big, black pot. We hope to make many more Dutch oven friends as the years go by!

Sue Alexander, 1st Vice President I'm married with 2 grown sons and two grandsons. I learned Dutch oven cooking when I was an adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America and cook on cast iron almost exclusively. I was born in Houston, TX but I have lived all across the United States since my Dad was in the Seabees. I currently live in Alvarado, TX with my fabulous husband of 38 years, Rick.

Joe Huber, 2nd Vice President Janet and I belonged to a family camping group (North Texas Camping Association) and were camping at Tyler State Park, when the ranger drove thru and said he was doing a dutch oven demo in the group circle. So we went to see the demo. The Tyler Dogwood Cookers were gathering the same weekend in the circle. After the demo, we walked around and talked with this very friendly group. They invited us to stay for lunch to sample their dishes. We did not stay because we had our two year old granddaughter with us and were all nerves with her around the hot pots and coals. Note: Eight years later this granddaughter, Madison Burge, won the Grand Champion Youth Division at the 2012 National Dutch Oven Gathering in Canton, Texas. The following month, friends were going back to cook with the Dogwood group and asked us to come along to observe. That's all it took - we have been cooking at Tyler just about every month since then.

My favorite recipe to make/bake in our camp Dutch Ovens is Baked Turkey - not smoked or fried. I love turkey!

The Ultimate Turkey Roaster is my favorite cast iron pot - great for turkey or ribs. When new folks ask about cooking in a camp Dutch oven, I remind them, “We all started by asking questions and observing. Start with the basic 12” dutch oven.” Janet and I enjoy cooking outside in the cast iron pots and enjoy the fellowship and fun of cooking with others. No matter where you go or what chapter you visit, you will always get a warm welcome. We have made a lot of friends at dutch oven gatherings, some of which we consider as extended family.

Stephanie Vickery, Secretary As a native of South Carolina, I grew up with cast iron cooking – but indoors.

We became fascinated with camp Dutch oven cooking watching programs on RFD-TV and signed up for a 2-day cooking clinic with Cee Dub in 2007. We ordered all the cast iron pots we thought we would ever need and started trying some of the recipes.

The first DOG we ever attended was the Gale Merriwether Memorial DOG at Salmon Lake Park in late 2008 and we have enjoyed cooking with the Sam

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Houston Chapter of LSDOS ever since. It was a cold and windy day but our chicken and sausage jambalaya turned out great and that has been one of our favorites to this day. At that first DOG we learned what a wonderful group of people Dutch oven cooks are, always willing to help. We were true beginners and Sam Houston members even showed us how to clean our Dutch oven and get it ready to store.

Every time we meet people new to Dutch oven cooking we just pass along what we learned as neophytes, that you can cook anything in a Dutch oven that you would cook in your oven at home. And don’t be afraid to ask questions or to experiment.

We don’t use our cast iron much at home but love to load up all of our equipment in the car or RV and cook at the various DOGS we go to. It’s wonderful fellowship and also satisfying to preserve the old way of cooking off the grid. And these skills have come in handy during hurricane season. I must admit that my favorite cam Dutch ovens these days are my GSI aluminum ones because of the back-saving light weight and easy cleanup. But the cast iron pots always cook best.

Tina Morris, Trustee Terry and I are fairly new to Dutch oven cooking. Terry learned about cooking in Dutch ovens when he was a boy scout, but we started cooking together about three years ago when when we were camping with friends. They cooked up such great meals in their camp Dutch ovens, we decided to try it out.

Soon after that, we attended the 2013 National DOG at DeGray Lake State Park in Arkansas and were hooked. I’ll never forget seeing the Cheesecake Demonstration and thinking “How did he do that?” We learned how! We soon purchased a 12-inch deep Dutch oven just so we could bake a cheesecake and we have baked a lot of them. We’ve impressed our friends when we pull a cheesecake out of our camp oven, bake over charcoal. They are amazed and say “You REALLY baked a cheesecake in that cast iron pot?” We smile and nod our heads!

We love to cook all sorts of recipes in our big black pots and love to make sausage gravy and cobblers. Our favorite recipe is Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna.

When folks who are interested in learning how to cook in camp Dutch ovens ask us for suggestions, we encourage them to come to a DOG (Dutch Oven Gathering) and walk around to see how all the different Member Spotlight cooks have set up their outdoor kitchens, ask questions, We want to hear about members who check out the different types of equipment, and then eat a are cooking great recipes or doing good meal with us. The experience of attending a DOG is a something special for LSDOS. Send great way to figure out where to start and what to do. If us your story (150 words) with a folks ask us what type of Dutch oven to get, we recommend photo and we will try to include it in a 12-inch regular since it is a good size to cook lots of the next newsletter! different types of recipes.

Send to lalovett@swbell.net

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We love to hear from you! Send in your reports with information about activities, interesting events, and photos.

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Chapter Updates Little House Chapter John Frerichs The Little House Cookers Chapter has had a great summer of cooking so far this year. We started off the summer by having a Mother’s Day DOG in Cannon Falls Minnesota at Lake Byllesby Regional Park. We had a good group there to cook for the day with 10 of us there. We also were able to welcome Ken and Ellen DeVlbiss to the group who joined us for the day. The weather was perfect and the dishes prepared were awesome as always!

Our next DOG was on June 12th at Oxbow Park near Byron, Minnesota. Had a few sprinkles but most of the day was great. Again we had 10 of us there cooking and we had a couple guest join us for the meal. As per the norm for most of our DOG's we had a about three times more food made than we were able to eat, but had to sample everything!. We enjoyed Pizza Casserole, Corny Mac and Cheese, Dump Cake, Beef Stew, Banana Cornbread, Corned Beef with Potatoes and Carrots, Meatball Bubble Up Hot dish, Baked Beans, Apple Dump Cake, Caramelized Peach and Whole Wheat White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Pie, and Cheesy Potatoes with Meatballs.

On the July 4th weekend we got together at Pihl’s Park, near Wells, Minnesota. It was a small group since it was a holiday weekend, but still had lots of fun camping and getting together with friends.

During the weekend we took turns making the meals for each other and then for the DOG on the 4th we all cooked. There were five of us there to enjoy the meal and we had six dishes on the table, so again there was no shortage of great food to enjoy.

August 8th found us doing a Dutch Oven Demo and DOG at the Annual Days of Yesteryear Festival in Rochester, MN at the Olmsted County Historical Site. This year was the 5th or 6th year that we have been invited to be a part of it and as always it was a great time. We cooked and made samples during the day. Visited with lots of people and was able to share our love of Dutch oven cooking with quite a few people. Then towards the end of the day we started cooking for our DOG and enjoyed many great dishes.

Our Next scheduled DOG will be on September 12th at Frontenac State Park and should be another great weekend of cooking and getting together with friends.

Here’s a favorite recipe from the Little House Chapter: Dutch Oven Country Potatoes 2 pound bag frozen hash browns 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream Food, Fun, and Fellowship

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½ cup melted butter 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Salt, pepper, onion Mix ingredients and put in a 12 inch dutch oven. Top with 2 cups of crushed cornflakes and ½ cup melted butter. Bake 1 hour with 9 coals on the bottom and about 16-17 coals on the top.

Words from Wildflower Kerry Poggemiller It’s been a very long time since we’ve submitted an article for the newsletter, but rest assured Wildflower Chapter is still among the living. I had to check our history of events this year and we’ve actually been busier than I recalled.

A group of friends, relatives and chapter member met at the home of Jeff and Delcie Miller for the celebration of Jeff’s birthday in May. Theme for the day was Camouflage. We got some interesting dishes which incorporated colors resembling “camo”. Jeff and Delcie have a beautiful patio with plenty of space for all our cooks to practice their craft. It was a fun day celebrating. Thanks Jeff and Delcie.

In June a few of us taught Dutch oven cooking to some very interested women for Women in the Outdoors near Buckholts, Texas. The group meets at this location every June to learn new skills for outdoor living. We are always well received and it’s a fun day. Another annual June event Wildflower participates in is the Williamson County Amateur Radio Club’s Field Day event. Basically, we just cook a meal for about 50 radio enthusiasts during their yearly contesting event. We luckily were under a pavilion and able to cook through a downpour of rain and a few scary lightning strikes. It always amazes me how the simplest dishes “wow” those not familiar with cooking in black pots.

Our gnome is happy to be under cover.

For July and August Wildflower lets someone else cook. It’s too hot outside for even the black pots! We celebrated Dan Poggemiller’s birthday and retirement at Logan’s Roadhouse for the July gathering. It’s great to be able to gather around a table in a cool room and be served our dinner. Elgin’s Southside Market will be serving us on August 29th. Join us, won’t you? Gathering time is 11:30 am.

Sam Houston Chapter August DOG August 22, 2015 9:00 am visiting -- eating at 1:00 pm Come one; come all to the eighth DOG of 2015 for the Sam Houston Chapter.

Our July DOG which was held in conjunction with the LSDOS Membership meeting in Canton, Texas at the flea market site was a lot of fun. It was good seeing other Dutch oven cooker which we do not see at our monthly DOGs. We also held a DOG that weekend in Willis at a regular meeting site which was hosted by Clyde Hill, Rich Scholer, Ray and Rachel Villasenor. I understand that that DOG was a huge success also. We missed you if you were not there able to join us at either place. Hope you have made plans to join us for our August DOG. Come out and join in the FUN, FOOD and FELLOWSHIP. See you for the August DOG on Saturday the 22nd. We will be camping that weekend, so if you wish to join us on Friday we would love to have to see you then. If you cannot do that, then come join us on

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Saturday. We are planning to eat about 1:00, but come out ahead of time to visit and join in the fellowship. We have several things that we need to discuss about our Regional DOG. So do plan on coming so that we can have your input into this great event. Remember that this is a summer DOG and we do things the cooler way, so if you do not want to cook in your black pot, just bring something cool to eat and come out to join in the fun with us.

Information for our visitors we meet at the American Legion Post #618 in Willis, Texas. This post is located on FM 1097 about 2 miles east of I-45 (you will dog-leg one block at the light at FM 75). We meet in the camping area behind the building. Please bring chairs and whatever you wish to drink, paper goods are provided. Come, look, eat, and visit with us, we love visitors.

Our other DOG dates for 2015 are September 27th (Sam Houston Chapter Big Fall DOG which we host at Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland, TX). This is a camping weekend there, some of us will be there as early as Thursday, [remember if you need a cabin to call them and make your reservation, we have the Sunshine Lodge which is a nice air-conditioned building to meet in], October 25th, November 22nd and December 13th. Mark your calendars with these dates so that you will be able to join in the FUN, FOOD and FELLOWSHIP that we always have.

SEE YOU August 22nd -- 9:00 AM – AMERICAN LEGION LODGE # 618 FM 1097 – WILLIS, TEXAS Contact: Mary Merriwether – 281-292-3960 – marymeri@att.net if you have any questions

Old San Patricio Black Pot Cookers Chapter Mathis, Texas 78368 sanpatricioblackpotcookers@gtek.biz Facebook Old San Patricio Black Pot Cookers https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldsanpatblackpotcookers/ Hello all, 2015 has been a tough year for the Black Potters, the first of the year South Texas was blessed with a lot of rain. The two annual events that we hold demonstrations were interrupted by the rain. We needed the rain, but sure missed visiting with all of the folks who would attend these two gatherings. That’s ok, 2016 is right around the corner. We will give it a try again.

In memoriam, June of 2015 was really rough; we lost our Chapters Co-Advisor, David Urrea. David was a core member of the Black Potters; he was a passionate black pot cooker and one of the BEST! Just a few days later we received word from one of our new members, Sarah that Bill had passed away. The death of these two beautiful people is an enormous loss, not only to the Black Potters, but also too many others, they both were so loved. RIP David and Bill, you will be always in our hearts and thoughts.

June’s DOG was held at the Old San Patricio Museum, had a great turn out, a heavy shower came around at the end of the day, we managed to get cover under the porch of the museum. Due to the extremely high Texas temperatures July’s gathering was held at a member’s home where we cooked under large shade trees and swam in the Nueces River. A great time was had.

The plan for August… well lets think about this a moment, do we want to cook over an open fire when the outside temp. is 105 degrees, with a heat index of 115 or would we rather play cards in a nice air conditioned room with lots of snacks to munch on? OMG, that’s a no brainer!! UNTIL NEXT TIME Many, many blessings to you all. FOOD, FUN AND FELLOWSHIP, STAY COOL!!

We are on Facebook and want to connect with you! https://www.facebook.com/groups/LSDOS/ Food, Fun, and Fellowship

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Toledo Bend Chapter Center, TX Chapter Advisor Carolyn Chandler Toledo Bend Chapter meets every 3rd Saturday of the month (excluding June, July and August). We meet at Boles Field Pavilion just out of Shelbyville a little ways. Visitors from other chapters are always welcome.

March DOG: We had 9 cookers present today. There were over 20 present to enjoy the meal. We are so glad that James and Cindy Dotson cooked with us today and have joined our group.

The weather was rain and damp at 60 degrees, but that did not stop our group from enjoying the fellowship and food.

April DOG: Seems like we are having rain each month we meet. The group was small, but the ones who came out cooked,ate and had a great time visiting after the meal.

May DOG: Seems like the weather just will not cooperate on our DOG this Spring. Another small group again, but the ones that attend, really have a good time. Seems like our members are having lots of other commitments that are falling on our monthly meeting. We miss everyone and hope the fall brings us all together again. We will see you in September.

Prairie Dog Chapter Leslie and Steve Lovett, Chapter Advisors The heavy rains that lifted Texas out of the horrible drought made life miserable for the Prairie Dogs, although no one truly complained. At our May meeting, we agreed to hold two “social� events over the hot summer months instead of cooking over hot charcoal. Betsy Loveless volunteered to organize an Ice Cream Social in June (thank you Betsy!), but despite her best efforts, we were disappointed and unable to find a location to gather. We normally gather at Cedar Hill State Park, but the entire park was flooded by the historic spring rain fall as were many other picnic areas and parks across Texas. Our July event was also a social event planned to have little to no cooking, thanks to the generous invitation by Mary Lou and Eloise Braun. They invited us to swim in their pool and eat hot dogs and hamburgers and enjoy a very cool DOG. Sadly, everyone was busy with summer activities and so the gathering was canceled.

The Prairie Dogs gather to share food, fun, and fellowship on the second Saturday of the month. Since we do not know when Cedar Hill State Park will reopen, we will gather at Raccoon Run in River Legacy Park on Saturday September 12th. TST (Target Serving Time) is 12:30. We are scheduled to meet October 10th at Randol Mill Park in Arlington unless we hear that Cedar Hill State Park reopens.

If you are on Facebook, check out our group page! https://www.facebook.com/groups/399901630085067/ Food, Fun, and Fellowship

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Lone Star Dutch Oven Society General Membership Mee9ng Canton Civic Center, Canton, TX July 25, 2015 President Robin Clute, announced that a quorum of the current 2015 membership has been verified as being in a?endance. Eighteen were required. Twenty-­‐five were present.

President Robin Clute called the meeFng to order at 2:02 p.m. and welcomed all present. She then introduced the other LSDOS officers and their chapter affiliaFon: President, Robin Clute Prairie Dog First Vice President, Sue Alexander Chisholm Trail Chaparrals Second Vice President, Joe Huber Traveling Dutch Oven Cookers Secretary, Stephanie Vickery Sam Houston Trustee, Tina Morris Collin County Dutch Ovens Minutes Stephanie Vickery presented the Minutes from the July 19, 2014, General Membership MeeFng, printed in the handout, for approval. Greg Petrey moved that the minutes be approved as wri?en. Bill Ryan seconded the moFon and the moFon passed unanimously. Reference was also made to the minutes from the January 17, 2015, Board of Directors MeeFng which were included in the handout for informaFon and review.

Financial Report Greg Petrey presented the Statement of Revenue and Expenses for the six month period ending June 30, 2015. Year-­‐to-­‐Date income is $4,034.96, or 55% of the annual budget. Year-­‐to-­‐Date expenses are $3,146.63, or 30% of the annual budget. Greg is in the process of transferring all the financial records and responsibiliFes over to our new Trustee Tina Morris. A_er 9 years as Trustee, this will be Gregs last financial report.

Membership Joe Huber reported that there were 175 paid members prior to the meeFng plus 4 new memberships here at the meeFng. 103 members from 2014 have not yet renewed their memberships for 2015. There are 27 acFve chapters and 10 inacFve chapters. An inacFve chapter is one with less than 3 paid members or with no chapter adviser.

Brian Schmidt asked if members could pay dues two or three years in advance. Greg Petrey answered no, based on the addiFonal accounFng burden it would place on the financial record-­‐keeping with our current manual process.

Website Greg Petrey presented the 2014 LSDOS website report and noted that traffic was down nearly 11% but the website is sFll very acFve. The top five countries accessing our website are Romania, USA, Russia, Germany, and Ukraine. Greg recommended a complete redesign of the website, conFnued diligent management of the site including aggressive pursuit of spammers and hackers, and constant research of the best method to post and retrieve the newsle?er.

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Robin announced that Victoria Nichols of the Prairie Dog Chapter will be transiFoning into the webmaster responsibility and will be looking at redesigning the website.

NewsleIer Leslie Love? apologized for not gecng the newsle?ers out. One newsle?er was completed the end of January 2015 but was not distributed unFl April 3, 2015. The next newsle?er will be out soon. Joe Huber urged chapter advisers to send news to Leslie for inclusion in the newsle?er.

2015 LSDOS BIG DOG Joe Huber reported that the first annual LSDOS BIG DOG was held at the Canton Civic Center April 17-­‐19, 2015. There were 38 campers including 6 tents, plus 5 staying in area hotels and some day visitors. Less than $900 from the $1,000 budget was spent with $108 having been returned to LSDOS. 49 members a?ended and received door prizes. There were 4 Dutch oven demos and all received posiFve comments. Goodie Bags consisFng of a bag of charcoal were presented to each member in a?endance. Seven new or renewed memberships took place at the event. In lessons learned, Joe said there was a communicaFon failure in that he relied on FaceBook and a lot of our members do not do FaceBook. He recommends using the website too.

Robin stated that from her point of view as a parFcipant the event was a huge success.

2015 Na9onal DOG Greg Petrey reported that for various logisFcal reasons the LSDOS booth was not set up at the NaFonal DOG held June 19-­‐21, 2015, at Bryce Canyon in Utah. The scenery was beauFful. Rhonda Cobb won third place in the breakfast compeFFon. 2016 LSDOS BIG DOG Rick Caldwell reported that the LSDOS BIG DOG will be held April 15-­‐17, 2016, at Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland, TX. There is already a line item in the budget approved by the Board for the Annual BIG DOG. Greg moved that $1,000 be granted for the 2016 BIG DOG. Rhonda Cobb seconded the moFon, and the moFon was approved unanimously.

2015 Chapter Incen9ves Greg Petrey stated that there is a double approval process for chapter incenFves. The board approves a budget based on recommended incenFves returned to the chapters and the membership votes on it. Greg moved that 100% of the 2015 dues payments be given back to the chapters. Bill Ryan seconded the moFon and the moFon passed unanimously.

2016 Na9onal DOG Rhonda Cobb reported that the 2016 NaFonal DOG will be held in Loudonville, Ohio, June 24-­‐26, 2016. This is in the heart of Amish country. They do have an enclosed building. They are expecFng us to set up a LSDOS booth. Leslie Love? moved that we allocate $1,000 for the 2016 NaFonal DOG with $500 going to the host and $500 for merchandise which Rhonda Cobb will have made with the LSDOS logo. Dennis Clute seconded the moFon. The moFon passed unanimously.

By-­‐Laws Food, Fun, and Fellowship

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The By-­‐Laws review commi?ee, appointed at the January 17, 2015, Board of Directors meeFng, consisted of Joe and Janet Huber, Rhonda Cobb, Andre Houser, and Stephanie Vickery. Andre proposed a change to ArFcle IV (Board of Directors and Officers) which would make it more clear that only one person may serve as an officer from any one chapter at a Fme. The change involves the third paragraph of ArFcle IV. As wri?en in the 2013 By-­‐laws: “Only one nominaFon per chapter will be made for each of the five elected offices.”

Proposed: “No more than one member from any chapter may serve as an officer at any one Fme.” (The membership meeFng handout had omi?ed the word “more” in the proposed wording.)

Rick Caldwell moved that the proposed By-­‐laws change for ArFcle IV, third paragraph, be corrected to insert “more” a_er the word “No.” Rhonda Cobb seconded the moFon and all voted in favor to accept the correcFon. Rhonda then moved to accept the proposed By-­‐laws change, as corrected. Mary Merriwether seconded the moFon and all approved. The moFon carried and the proposed change was accepted.

Rich Bails asked what are the dates for the 2016 Board of Directors and General Membership meeFngs and asked if we could move the membership meeFng out of the summer months. The By-­‐laws require that the Board of Directors meeFng be held in January. The date of the General Membership meeFng is driven by the requirement to have the elecFon balloFng cease by October 15 in elecFon years (which would next occur in 2016.) There was discussion about the desirability of moving the General Membership meeFng to cooler months rather than having it in the heat of the summer. Since nominaFons for officers are made at the General Membership meeFng, there must be sufficient Fme following the meeFng to send out ballots by mail or electronically and have them returned by the deadline imposed by the By-­‐Laws.

Kenny Garre? moved that the By-­‐laws, ArFcle VI, ElecFons, paragraph 1, sentences 5 and 6 which currently state a date of October 15, be amended to read as follows: “Each mail-­‐in vote must be returned by mail via an individual U. S. Postal Services First Class stamped envelope and postmarked by November 15. Electronic balloFng will also cease on November 15.”

Leslie Love? seconded the moFon. All voted in favor. The moFon carried and this By-­‐laws amendment was accepted.

The quesFon was asked as to how difficult it would be to set up electronic balloFng. Greg stated that it could be set up overnight.

2016 Board of Directors and Membership Mee9ng dates The Board of Directors meeFng is typically held on the holiday weekend in January which would be January 16, 2016. Stephanie Vickery volunteered to check availability of Salmon Lake Park immediately following the current meeFng. [The availability of the Sunshine Inn area of Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland, TX, was confirmed immediately a_er the meeFng. The Board of Directors MeeFng is scheduled for January 16, 2016, with the associated DOG occurring January 15-­‐17, 2016. Camping costs are $22 for 30 amps and $27 for 50 amps. The building is free with 10 units camping. Cabin rental rates are available on their website.]

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Lone Star Dutch Oven Society

Fall 2015

Leslie Love? volunteered to find somebody to find a place and date for the 2016 General Membership MeeFng somewhere other than north Texas.

Announcements Robin reported that Bob Haber, the new campground manager of the Renaissance FesFval at Plantarsville wants to start a new LSDOS chapter. Robin has put him in contact with Mary Merriwether. The Concho Valley chapter out of San Angelo wants to drop out.

More quesFons were raised about chapter incenFves. Victoria Nichols recommended making a requirement for gecng a chapter incenFve. Mary Merriwether asked Robin to have the chapters report on what they are doing. Rich Bails recommended having the chapters provide a calendar of their DOGs. Gaye Ann Grace of the Heartland of the Prairie chapter stressed the importance of Facebook and other social media for gecng the word out about LSDOS. Having chapters establish a Facebook page would be a good way to earn the incenFve payment. Greg noted that incenFve checks currently do not go to chapters with no adviser.

Name Tags Some have expressed a desire for having LSDOS name tags made available at cost, about $4 plus mailing.

MagneFc name tags are recommended. Bill Ryan has made similar name tags for the Prairie Dog chapter and is willing to make LSDOS name tags. Robin asked Sue Alexander to spearhead this project. Look for more news in the newsle?er.

Inventory Robin reported that we have about 200 LSDOS Christmas ornaments and approximately 20 Texas cucng boards. She recommends keeping only caps, cookbooks, aprons, sFckers, pins, and patches in inventory. The ornaments could be donated to the chapters. Rhonda Cobb wants the cucng boards for raffles at NaFonal DOGs. More Announcements Ray Prui? of the Arkansas Dutch Oven Cooks reported that the Tri-­‐State DOG will be held October 22-­‐24, 2015, at the Spring Hill Campground near Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Camping is $10 per night. Early arrivals are welcome. Rhonda Cobb recommended giving them something from inventory for prizes for their youth cook-­‐ off.

Gaye Ann Grace reported that the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo will be held in Guthrie, OK, on September 26-­‐27, 2015. For more informaFon see www.wildlifedepartment.com or contact Gaye Ann. Rhonda Cobb moved that the meeFng be adjourned. Leslie Love? seconded the moFon. All were in favor. The meeFng was adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

Minutes respecrully submi?ed, Stephanie Vickery, Secretary

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