July meeting minutes; August meeting coming right up!

At our July 13 meeting, we spent time reviewing this year’s Bears Above the Ground League show and making plans for next year’s Bears show. Since this is our chapter’s annual fundraiser, we discussed how we should use the funds raised. President Mary Ann pointed out that since we are a tax-exempt organization, we ought to have some vision about what we are raising funds for. At our May meeting, we talked about contributing funds toward the purchase of a mobile handicapped mounting block for ODS shows, but we really need more information before we can act on that. Meanwhile, we voted to sponsor a slot for the Region 6 Youth Dressage Overnight Camp at DevonWood. Besides donations, we can also provide classes or other learning experiences for CMC members. We should develop a plan for education.

As for next year's show, We have reserved the Yamhill County Fairgrounds for February 25-26, 2017. The Fairgounds will draw up a contract, probably in December or January. We will not be required to deposit any money until we sign the contract.

Motion: Mary Ann will be the Show Manager next year. Motion passed.

Motion: Jorine will be the Show Secretary next year. Motion passed.

No motion was made, but we are inclined to invite Jessica and Suzi back to be judges.

We mentioned several purchases that might need to be made, but no decisions were made at this time. Other topics discussed included the following:

Should we advertise the show early (perhaps in September)?

Should we retain the High Points awards? If we retain them, should we change the process?

Include Western Dressage?

Maybe have a class Friday afternoon? (As an additional source of revenue?)

Next we turned our attention to possible sites and dates for our annual picnic and officer election meeting. Suggested sites were Flying M Ranch, Perrydale Trails, and JoAnn Cooke's property; there was vigorous discussion but no decision was made. It was suggested that we elect officers at our August meeting and make a final decision about our annual picnic then.

That August meeting is at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, the 10th, at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. Please come and give us your input!