Newsletters 2003

January '03

Hello Everyone

Our breakfast meeting turned out to be real fun.  There were Sausage gravy and Biscuits, all kinds of fruit, juices, scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, sweet rolls and donuts..You really missed out on this meeting if you weren't there, it was a great way to start off the New Year.

The meeting was called to order by Richard Allen, Pres.  Old and New business was attended to and then the meeting was turned over to Guest Speaker, George Litzenberg. George is a Field Rep for the GPAA, and is in Florida for a few months meeting with local chapters and helping with set-ups of meetings for new chapters..George told us that Natural Gold is found in 50 states, except Kentucky.  Gold shows are big draws and real money makers.  He also brought items for us to raffle off.  A few pictures were taken of George with some of the members and the officers of our chapter.

There was also a guest from Mongolia who brought some pictures of the Gold he has taken from his claim there.  Absolutely beautiful.  He also had some very interesting things to offer about the gold being found there.  We certainly hope he joins our chapter, and continues to bring pictures.  He is going back to Mongolia sometime in February, and we wish him the best of luck in his prospecting.

We have some Silver Prospector Coins for sale for $10.00, very nice.  One was given away in our raffle.

Don't forget the "Cookie Cookoff" starts in February.  Flavor for the month is Chocolate Chip.  Cookies must be from a scratch recipe, (NO pre-mix, store bought or slice and bake from the dairy case).  Frank will be the judge and the prize will be a gold nugget, so get out those long stored away recipes and let's have some fun.

Well, I guess that's about all for this month.  Hope everyone has a great month, will see you Feb.8th, Warren Park at 9:00 a.m.

Paulette

Feburary '03

Hi Everyone,

This months meeting turned out to be a lot of fun, although the weather was pretty cold.

Topics of discussion at this meeting were of some Outings to take place this year.  Our first outing will be the Memorial Day weekend, as to where will be discussed at our March meeting.  Arizona with Steve in mid-april is still a go.  For more information on this trip, contact Steve. Email is steve690@prodigy.net.  Another possible outing would be a weekend trip to Dahlonega, Ga. as a group to tour the Museum, and a visit to the Loud Mine.  I understand that LDMA members stay free at the mine, and with a 3 day pass all GPAA members could stay free.  Call Walt at GPAA for info about passes.

The newest addition to our monthly meetings came in with a bound.  The Cookie Cookoff was a tastelovers delight.  There were Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip, M & M Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip with Pecans, and Chocolate Chip with Macadamia Nuts.  There was also a variation with Cayenne Pepper.  ALL were well worth the time and tasting.

Winner of the Gold Nugget for this month's cookie was Richard Givens, Great job Richard.

Flavor of the Month for March will be Peanut Butter Cookies, please, NO variations.

There will be a POTLUCK LUNCH at our APRIL meeting, so everyone bring something.

Some Gold Nuggets were bought at the Gold Show in January, and will be being raffled off at our monthly meetings.

George Litzenberg brought some very interesting items to share.  Some nuggets he found, empty jewelry bezzles for sale, nugget jewelry for sale, some South Dakota Gold from a Sioux Indian, a 23 penneyweight nugget from Australia, and a specimen from the Loud Mine.  Also some gold from Wilson Creek in North Carolina.

After the meeting was adjourned, George gave a Metal Detector demo and some tips on detecting gold with a metal detector, using his own Fisher Gold Bug.  Very interesting and educational. Thanks George!!!

Well, that's about all for this month.  Hope everyone is having a great month, see ya in March.

Paulette

March '03

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is having a good month.  Not a lot going on at the meeting this month, so this newsletter is going to be kinda short.

The meeting was called to order by Richard Allen. Minutes from Feb. meeting were read and the treasurer?s report was given.

The Arizona Outing is still on for April.  Plan is to leave April 16.  If you are interested in going on this fun outing, please email Steve (steve690@prodigy.net).  The chapter is planning an outing for Memorial Day Weekend, May 24 and 25.

This outing will be in Buchanon, Georgia.  Lots of fun and comaraderie are had at these outings,  So mark your calender for this event.

The Gold Show is being held in North Carolina this year, not exactly sure of the date yet.  We are considering including an outing along with the show. There will be a 1 oz. minimum gold nugget for raffle at the show.  Our own raffle at this month?s meeting yielded a Mini Sluice, Hat, T-Shirt, Mug, Scoop, and a small pouch with a specimen bottle that had a gold nugget in it, great surprise for the winner.

Steve won the Cookie Cookoff this month for his excellent Peanut Butter Cookies, needless to say there were none left for Steve to take home.

Our April Meeting will be Sat. the 12th at Warren Park, 9:00 a.m.  This meeting will be our first POT LUCK LUNCH this year.  We have all the supplies (forks, spoons, knives, cups, plates, napkins, salt/pepper etc.), drinks will be furnished by the club.  All we need is the food. Dave is bringing his new Hot Dog Cooker, complete with the dogs and the chili.  Another of our members has volunteered to bring some Barbecued Pork.  We still will need some side dishes, so everybody bring his favorite.  Hope to see you there.

Paulette

April '03

Hi everyone,

Our April meeting was a lot of fun.  Attendance was pretty good.

Meeting was opened by Richard Allen, Pres.  Treasurer?s report was given and then Old and New business was attended to.

The Gold Show is scheduled for Oct. 18th and 19th in Winston-Salem.  We will have a booth with lots of goodies for sale.  We are also planning a 1 or 2 day Outing after the show at Vein Mountain.  There are also lots of other commercial sites in the area.  Call for a free pass to stay at Vein Mountain if you are not a LDMA member.

Richard took a weekend trip to Dahlonega and found some great pieces.  He said the town was really decorated with Yellow Ribbons and Support for our troops.  He also brought in his spiral gold recovery pan for us to see.  This one was manual operation (turned by a handle) but was efficient. He purchased it on Ebay for a nominal price.  It pays to surf Ebay for some of your gold supplies, you can really strike a deal.

The club will be considering buying a dredge for its own use.  This would eliminate having to take advantage of someone elses equipment and time.

Not everyone can take time off to go on outings, so this would be a plus.

Our raffle this month consisted of a Campfire Chili Pot/Mug set, Bag of Gold Concentrates, GPAA Gold Nugget Pin, Gold Pan, GPAA Hat and GPAA T-shirt.  Our Gold Nugget Raffle was won by Patrick Kennedy.

This month?s Pot Luck was really good, lot?s of great tasting.  The main course of this Pot Luck was the Hot Dogs with All the trimmings provided by David, including his new Hot Dog Stand.  We want to thank him for his generosity.

Our May meeting will be at our usual meeting place (Warren Park, 9:00 am) and will be a BREAKFAST MEETING.  There will be Eggs, Grits, Coffee, Corned Beef Hash, and I?m sure some donuts, fruit, etc.  Please email me if you aren?t sure of what to bring.  I will be doing the Grits, Richard is bringing the Hash, I?m not sure who is supplying the Eggs and Coffee, but we will have it all.  Also there is the COOKIE COOKOFF this month, it is Baker?s Choice.

Steve and entourrage left on April 15th for Arizona for a week panning.  We hope they had a great time and can?t wait to see what treasure they found.

Don?t forget, the club is planning an outing to Buchanan, Ga. the Memorial Day weekend.  Details will be available at the upcoming May meeting.

Well, gotta run for now.  Hope everyone has a great month, see you for Breakfast May 10th at Warren Park, 9:00a.m.

Paulette

May '03

Hi Everyone,

Our May Meeting on May 10th was a Breakfast Meeting, and boy, was it great.  There were Biscuits and Egg/Cheese Gravy, Scrambled Eggs with a ton of cheese, Corned Beef Hash, Grits, (2) Fruit Salads, Sausage/Hashbrown/Egg casserole, and plenty of good ole? Florida Orange Juice.

After breakfast, our meeting was called to order and the Treasurer's report and last months minutes were read.  New business this month was attended to.

On June 14th, the South Fla. Gold Coast Chapter will have a Treasure Hunt with lots of great prizes.  Entry is $35.00 and will include lunch.  Grand Prize is either a Garret or Fisher Metal Detector.  Check out their website for further information.

The Carolina Emerald Mine (Marion County GPAA) donated a chunk of Amethyst with a Gold Figure on it to us for our raffle this month.  We voted to donate one of our Gold Nuggets to them in appreciation.  This is the place we will be going after the Gold Show in October for a short outing.  Check this place out if you get a chance, GPAA members get a discount, and Groups get a better discount.

The MEMORIAL DAY OUTING will be in Buchanan, Ga. on May 24th and 25th.  We will be staying at the Farm.  Please try to attend, it's always fun.

It's time once again for the Election of Officers for our club. Nominations will be at our June meeting, and elections will be at our July meeting.

The Raffle this month yielded some neat items, GPAA Cup, a bag of HIGH GRADE ORE, GPAA BOONIE CAP, PROSPECTOR PIN, SCOOP and a CHUNK OF AMETHYST W/ GOLD PROSPECTOR FIGURE.  The GOLD NUGGET RAFFLE was won by Randy and was a nugget in excess of 4 grms.  NICE!!!!!!!

This month was the last of the COOKIE COOKOFF'S and ended in a tie.  Richard Givens and Steve Martin were the winners.

We would like to Thank everyone who brought in all the breakfast goodies this month, great job.

Hope everyone has a great month and hope to see y'all in Buchanan over Memorial Day.

Paulette

June '03

Hi Everyone,

Well, we're already halfway through the year, seems like the older we get the faster time goes by.  Won't be long before we will be planning our annual Christmas Party.

Our meeting this month was called to order by our President, Richard Allen.  The Treasurer's report and minutes of last meeting were read.

The club held thier common dig in Buchanan Ga. over the Memorial day Weekend.  Those in attendence had a great time.  A special thanks to David Turner for the use of his high banker!  It really is alot of fun to do these outings.  Hope to see more of you at the next one!

A few of our members are away right now in Alaska.  They are looking for the yellow stuff up there in the cold country.  Frank went last year and liked it so much that he went back again this year.  We wish him the best of luck with his prospecting.

Elections for the club officers were held at the June meeting.  Here are the results:

President- Richard Allen
Vice President- Patrick Kennedy
Secretary- Paulette Chancey
Treasurer- Frank Mercier

Every month the club has a raffle to raise operating expenses.  This months raffle had some great items.G.P.A.A. hat, bag of high grade ore, treasure scoope, hat pin, gold pan and a pouch with a small nugget in it.

Frank Mercier was the lucky winner of the Australian Gold Nugget.

Just a note to let you know:  The current website that has been posting our newsletters will no longer be posting them.  We hope to have a new website up and running in the near future, but until then, we will do a mailing of the newsletter each month.  Those of you who would like to recieve a newsletter each month should contact the Chapter President, either by mail or by E-mail.  This will ensure that you stay on our mailing list.

Contact-Richard Allen 5021 Hibiscus Rd. Kissimmee, Fl. 34736 (rallen4595@aol.com)

Up-coming events include:

Meeting at Warren Park July 12, 2003
Pot Luck lunch august 9, 2003
Gold 7 Treasure Show October 18-19, 2003 (more details to follow)

And one other note, my son and I will be going to Buchanan the 9th of July for about 10 days, we will be camping at the campground over by the school.  Any one who would like to stop by is more than welcome.

Hope to see everyone at the next meeting.

Paulette

July '03

POTLUCK

WARREN PARK

SAT. AUGUST 9

NOTICE TO ALL: We will be having a potluck lunch directly after the meeting on Sat. August 9, 2003.  The club will be providing fried chicken and drinks.

Please come out and bring your favorite covered dish for all to enjoy.  We will also have some great G.P.A.A items to raffle off,including a 3.1 gram Australian Gold Nugget!!  Everyone seems to enjoy these potlucks, hope to see ya there!

Richard

August '03

Hello fellow prospectors,

Saturday's meeting went very well.  The potluck lunch was a big success.  The club provided fried chicken and drinks.  Members brought side dishes and dessert.  We had a great time.

Ron and Judi Baker had a close call in North Carolina.  Seems like they were almost caught in a flash flood!  They lost a few of their camping items, but made it out ok.

Duane and Paulette brought back some fine gold they found while dredging at the GPAA Property in Buchanan Ga.

The chapter discussed the upcoming Gold and Treasure Show in Winston-Salem N.C.  We will be making additional plans for this event at the next meeting.

As usual, our raffle went off very well.  Congatulations go out to Frank Mercier.  He was the lucky winner of the 3.1 gram Australian gold nugget.

If you get a chance, check out our new web site.  Has done a fine job setting it up.

www.angelfire.com/ga4/orlandogpaa

Our next meeting will be held Saturday September 13th, 9am at "Warren Park" Orlando, Fl.

Everyone is welcome to come.  Hope to see ya there!

Richard Allen

September '03

Hello Fellow Prospectors,

We had a very good meeting this month.  Frank had returned from his prospecting trip to Alaska and was so pleased with it, he is going back next year. That will be 3 years in a row.

Most of the meeting this month was devoted to the upcoming Gold Show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on October 18th and 19th.  We will be renting a table and 6 of our members are going to help out.  There will be a 1/2 oz. nugget to raffle off, and we are asking for donations of gold, Pickers, flakes, etc.  These items will be presented in various ways to also be raffled off.  Frank is going to match donations so there will be a nice display.  These shows are a lot of fun, so try to go if you can.  You?re sure to enjoy it.

After the show there will be a two (2) day outing (Oct. 20 & 21) at the Carolina Emerald Mine.  A couple of our members have been to this mine and they say it was really nice and are anticipating getting back.

We would like to welcome a new member to our chapter this month, Jim Green.  Welcome Jim, and we hope to see you at many meetings to come.

Attention: Our October Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 4th.  Some of the members who are helping out with the Gold Show are leaving on vacation before the next regular scheduled meeting and final plans for the show must be made at that time.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Well, that's about it for this month, I?m sure we will have a lot to report about at our November Meeting.  Meeting in November will be as always, 2nd Saturday of the month at Warren Park, 9:00 a.m.  If you have any questions or comments, please email me at chancey46@hotmail.com or you can contact our Chapter President at rallen4595@aol.com.

Hope you have a Great October, watch out for the Goblins on the 31st, and we?ll see ya in November.

Paulette

October '03

Hi Everyone,

This months meeting was devoted to the final plans for the Gold Show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on October 18th and 19th. Our table for the show was provided free gratis by the GPAA, we really want to thank them alot.  After the show the group was headed for the Carolina Emerald Mine for a couple of days of fun.

At our September meeting we had asked for our members to reach into their gold cache and donate some gold for the raffle at the show.  Frank Mercier was going to match the donations with gold from his own finds.Patrick Kennedy donated a 14k gold bezel locket gold holder, Happy and Terry Vaughan, Richard Allen,Duane Chancey, and Frank Mercier came thru like champs.  Ron Baker also donated a very nice Bowie Knife.  Thanks to all who made this a success.

We had a nice couple from Ocala, Randy and Dee Jackson, attend our meeting this month as guests, they were also going to try to make it to the Gold Show.  Randy was due to have some major surgery this month, we wish him a speedy recovery.

Our November meeting will be November 8, at the usual place and time.  Those of us who were not able to attend the Gold show will get to hear about all the fun that was had at the show and the Carolina Emerald Mine Outing.

Also, we will be making plans for our Annual Christmas Party at this meeting, so please be there and bring any suggestions for a place to have our party (there has been some talk of maybe having a Pot Luck type party), but these things will be decided on at the meeting.

Terry Vaughan was the lucky winner of this months Australian Nugget raffle.  The nugget weighed 4.1 grams.  Very nice Terry.

Well, that's about all for this month.  Don't forget to set your clocks back and have a safe and Happy Halloween.  Hope to see ya on Saturday, November 8th, Warren Park-Orlando, Fl. at 9:00 a.m.

Paulette

November '03

Hi Everyone,

This month's meeting was all about the Gold Show held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in October.  All but 3 of our active members were in attendance and a swell time was had by all.

Five hundred and fifty (550) raffle tickets were sold for the 18.5 gram Australian Nugget, 8.3 gram Vial of Gold, Golden Capsule Bezelle and Bowie Knife.  We want to thank all who participated in the raffle and CONGRATULATIONS !! to Teresa Rinehardt of Union Grove, N. Carolina who was the lucky winner of all those great prizes.

On a more serious note, I mentioned in the October Newsletter about "Ham" Hamilton passing away.  He and Alice were original members of our club.  I am enclosing in this letter Alice's address for any of you who would like to express their condolences to her.  I am also going to call her and extend a personal invitation to her to our Christmas Party.  Address is:

Alice Hamilton 1505 West Schwartz Blvd. Lady Lake, Florida 32159

Speaking of our Christmas Party, we will be having it at Warren Park on Saturday December 13 at the Pavillion.  The club is furnishing the Chicken, Ribs and beverages.  Side dishes and desserts are up to the rest of us. So far, we have a Fruit Salad, Fruit tray, Angel Food Cake, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Calico Beans, Slaw and Rolls. Get out those stored away recipes and bring your favorite.  We can always use extras.

We are also having a Secret Santa Gift exchange like we had last year.  Please limit your gift to under $10.00, one (1) gift per family.  There will also be a 6.9gr. nugget given away at the party.  Each FAMILY will receive a gift.  The Christmas Party is open to current GPAA MEMBERS and Family only.  Please take the time to email me and let me know if you will be attending and what kind of side dish you plan to bring.  We don't want to many duplicate dishes and the club also wants to make sure to provide plenty of Meat and Beverages for everyone.

The meeting time for the Party will be at 11:00 am.  As I mentioned the club has rented the Pavillion at Warren Park and we will be doing some holiday decorating in the morning.  Come join us for some fun.

Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day and hope to see you at the annual Christmas Party.

GOBBLE GOBBLE!!

Paulette pchancey46@hotmail.com

Here are some of the items from the GPAA

December '03

Hi Everyone,

Our December Meeting was our Annual Christmas Party.  We had a great turnout and the weather couldn't have been better. For those of you who could not attend, let me fill you in on the excitement. We rented the Pavillion at Warren Park and decorated the poles with garland and bows, we also had a Christmas tablecloth on each of the eight tables.

The club provided beverages, chicken tenders (Hot and Regular), sweet and sour meatballs, sauerkraut with sausages, and some fried chicken.  There was Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Calico Beans (those were a real taste treat),Deviled Eggs, Rolls, Ambrosia, Pasta Salad, Fruit tray, Brownies, Apple pie, Cookies and an Angelfood Cake with cherries that was to die for. No one left hungry, that was for sure.

We had our normal raffle and the GPAA donated a box of goodies for that, including a Tom & Perry's Clean up Kit.  There were 2 nuggets given at this meeting. One was the monthly raffle, won by Randy Renfro,

and the other was the 6.9gr nugget won by Pattie and Marvin Taylor.

I would also like to mention that the monthly raffle also yielded a little pouch with a vial tucked inside containing a real nice nugget (right around a gram) that was also a gift in itself.

Our Secret Santa gift exchange was a lot of fun. Gifts ranged from a little square box with a voice inside that called for help, please let me out, it was controlled by a little switch on the outside of the box, bag chairs, fleece throw, a drill, candle in a ceramic Christmas container, Stationery and a license plate frame for the Gold Prospector to adorn his car tag with. All in all, everyone had a great time.

We would like to welcome a new member, Mike Winkler to our club, and also recognize some guests who joined us on the fun occasion, Red and Ginger from Palatka, Fl. and Ken Buntley and his mother Carole from Destin, Fl.  Welcome to each of you and we hope to see you again real soon.

At this point of the Newsletter, I would like to thank each and everyone who made this Christmas Party a huge success by cooking, decorating and bringing some really great food.

Well, that's about all for this month.  Please find a message from our President at the bottom of this Newsletter.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Paulette, pchancey46@hotmail.com


A message from your President:


      Dear fellow prospectors,

      This past year at the Florida Chapter has been a good one.

      Our chapter went on several outings this year.  Including Buchanan Ga., Marion NC., and Arizona.

      We also had a table at the Gold and Treasure Show in Winston Salem NC.

      The monthly meetings have been great fun.  Our pot-lucks continue to be a huge favorite with our members.

      The club raffles have also be very popular.

      Many GPAA items, gold concentrates, and plenty of Australian gold nuggets were raffled off this year.

      Thanks go out to all of you who have helped support our chapter.

      I would especially like to thank all of the chapter officers.

      You have done a fantastic job this year!

      I wish you all a Blessed Holiday Season,

      Richard


Since this is the last Newsletter for this year, here are some extra pics from the Secret Santa gift Exchange.