By Betty Bennett
It was a busy 2018 at the GPA.
t seemed we had no sooner finished up with the Craft Show than we began work on the Festival of Trees. This year it was the best yet. We had 60 trees all but a few sponsored by either a local business or organization. We furnish the tree the sponsor decorates. And weren’t they beautiful and original this year. We thank all those that participate and a big thank you to all GPA members who help in some way. Whether its to our wonderful chairperson and co-chair or the GPA members who help put up the trees, (the husband who puts up the ceiling decoration) the gals who man the ticket table for all those hours for a two week period. And this year our Christmas Store was fantastic. A big thank you to those gals too. GPA isn’t all work tho’, just a short time ago we had our Christmas Party and we had a great time.
For the second year one of our members organized a “Build a Christmas Table Decoration” evening. With the help of Ernie Dawson of Flowers by Josie – and the Methodist Church – many of our members were able to learn and build a beautiful Christmas table decoration. It was a fun evening and all those attending went home with a beautiful arrangement.
Our regular meetings continue. Our final Annual Meeting will be Dec. 18, 2018. We will have a changing of the guard as far as our officers are concerned. Our new President, Ingunn Hraunfjord will take over, with Jeannie Pratt as Vice President. We will be meeting out at Kirtland Community College for the winter.
Along with our regular meetings we’ll start planning for other fund raisers. We’ll kick-off with Pictionary on April 26. We’ll be out asking our business people to have a team for that event. If you’ve never been to Pictionary you can get a team of four people together and join in the fun. You might win a trophy. I know you’ll have a good time. Following that we’ll think about the Chamber Expo where we always have a table and then our Fashion Show. We don’t sit still for very long.
We’ve finally got some snow on the ground and things are looking like winter is here. Personally, I am not a cold weather girl, I’m more of a curl up with a good book kind of girl. But I know that there are a lot of folks out there that really enjoy cold weather and cold weather sports. I hope the temperatures cooperate and the skiing and snowmobiling are good this year.
No one should ever complain about nothing to do around Grayling. There are so many things that you could be busy every night. The Artisan Gallery is the place if you enjoy good music and sometimes good comedy. I notice several other places around town are having music in the evening. Many of the entertainers are from our area, but sometimes they are brought in from out of town and we’ve enjoyed them too. Please don’t forget the Business After Hours put on by the Chamber of Commerce once every month. I try to get to all of them along with other GPA members, and I’m always looking for representatives from our other organizations around town. These include governmental boards as well as social groups. Business After Hours is a place to meet some of the movers and shakers around town. To talk with them and find out what’s happening and what the future might hold. Speaking for myself I’d like to see more of these people there. Its one evening a month from 7 – 9 pm. These Boards could send one or two people each time. We would get to know them, they could let us know what’s happening and they would get to know us. Sounds like a plan to me.
Have you noticed the new building in town? The Duck Pond Condominiums? They look good and there will be four condo’s for sale soon. We’re growing and really need places to live in the downtown area.
That’s it for now. By the time I return we’ll have celebrated the New Year and we’ll be in 2019. Its hard for me to write that number. Frankly, I didn’t think I’d be around for 2019. But I am and I don’t think I’m leaving soon. So I’ll end this and wish you a very happy New Year and a wonderful, happy, healthy 2019
