December 2013

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MFSTC Newsletter

Volume 4 Issue 12

Maryland Free-State Treasure Club Meeting Minutes, December 19, 2013. Christmas Party & Meeting: The meeting was conducted at the Victory Villa Community Center, 404 Compass Rd., Baltimore, MD 21220 410-887-0258. Submitted by Chris Wisnom, secretary.

Call to Order: At 7:35 P.M. the meeting was called to order by the President, Mr. Gary Pennington available at (410-440-2881). Organization officers, Mr. Howard Shettle, vice president, Mr. Steve Cunningham, treasurer and Ms. Chris Wisnom, secretary were introduced.

Recognition: Mr. Alvin “Bud” Lamb and Mr. Harold “Sonny” Stewart were recognized for their dedication and service to the organization as secretary and treasurer respectively. A certificate of appreciation was presented to both members. They have contributed in numerous ways and have formed many friendships over the years. We wish to thank them for their continued efforts, and look forward to their company for many years to come.

New members: The M.F.S.T.C welcomes Susan Bauman and Frank Hollen, both experienced detectorists, and their families.

Attendance: 48 people attended the Maryland Free-State Treasure Club holiday party including members and their families, not including the jovial custodian who also enjoyed the bounty.

Elections: Biannual elections were conducted. The results include: President, Mr. Gary Pennington, Vice-president, Mr. Howard Shettle, Treasurer, Mr. Steve Cunningham and Ms. Chris Wisnom, Secretary.

Treasurers Report: Mr. Cunningham conveyed the M.F.S.T.C. has $ 977.73 in the bank and $386.22 in petty cash in wrapped coins and bills. The M.F.S.T.C. currently has an account balance of $285.71 in the Recreation and Parks account.

Donations for our Christmas Party: We would like to thank everyone who generously provided holiday dishes that made our party a success. The following members contributed their culinary specialties:
Sonny Stewart – Fried chicken
Jim Bialozynski - Mac and cheese
Charles Brandner - Lasagna
Steve Cunningham - Shrimp and pasta
Dave Denkenberger - Italian pasta salad
Gene Dixon - Potato salad
Bill Hill - Pies
Trevor Hugunin - Chips and dip
Nancy Jelich - Deviled eggs
Rick Pack - Fudge
Steven King - Ham
Mark Krieger - Stuffing
Dave Miller - Chili
Patrick Roche - Salad
J-L Sagripanti - Venison stew
George Venker – Ice
Photos of the Christmas party have been upload to:
http://marylandfreestateclub.com/ClubMeetings2013.html

Annual Membership Dues: Each January marks the date of our annual membership dues. The nominal fee of $25.00 per member provides unlimited opportunities for adventures, resources, education, prizes and comradeship with a group of individuals committed to advocating and preserving the sport of metal detecting. We welcome all interested individuals, our club is multigenerational, and has something for everyone. If you are already a member, you need not fill out the application for membership again. Instead, your name will be checked on our renewal sheet and transferred to the membership spreadsheet. Please see Steve Cunningham with your annual dues. Payment may be made at the meeting or by mailing a check payable to “Maryland Free-State Treasure Club” to: Steve Cunningham, 4900 Walther Ave, Baltimore, MD 21214. Your payment will be noted on the renewal sheet. New membership cards will be distributed the following month.

The M.F.S.T.C. Webpage: Steve Cunningham has developed and maintained the club website primarily at his own expense and time, and we would like to acknowledge and thank him for his generous contributions.

The M.F.S.T.C. Facebook Page: Bill Hill and Leo Pollack have developed and maintained our Facebook page where you can find interesting finds, comments and feedback. We wish to thank Bill and Leo for their efforts. Our members have multiple talents that have expanded our club and membership.
Please visit the M.F.S.T.C. facebook page and “Like” the page:
https://www.facebook.com/marylandfreestatetreasureclub

New Business: Frank Silva had several suggestions for expanding our network of communication. He stated that several members indicated that they were very interested in private hunts, but did not know how to obtain information on other members who were looking for a hunting partner. His suggested a members only link, with password be established on our webpage that would network members with others living in the same area, who may be interested in a hunting partner. Discussion from the floor was favorable, but no exact mechanism was decided upon. Further discussion on this topic will be presented at future meetings.

Resource Library: Frank Silva suggested that we establish a resource library for the club. The books would be donated by club members for circulation to other interested parties. When finished with the publications, books would then be returned for use by other members. Comments from the floor indicated that a library was previous used, with the books being kept in a locker at the recreation center. Limited space was noted as one limitation. Another limitation was the lack of tracking ability. There would be no mechanism to determine who borrowed books and if they were returned for recirculation. A notebook or index card system was two suggestions from the floor for possible book tracking. The feedback from the club was favorable; an exact mechanism will be discussed.

New Meeting Place and Time: We again discussed our new meeting date and time. Notwithstanding our December 19th pot-luck holiday meeting and dinner, our new meeting date will be the last Thursday of every month. Meetings will begin at 7:30 in the auditorium. This will be a permanent change starting at our meeting on January 30. Club members are encouraged to present at approximately 7:15 PM to assist with the organization of the room, and to stay following the meeting to assist with the break down.

Monthly Hunt: While Mr. Cunningham announced that there would be no official club hunt in December, his urging to call him if anyone wanted a partner to hunt with produced several outings at Druid Hill Park. Gary Pennington, Steve Cunningham, George Venker, Frank Hollen, Frank Silva, Mike McCullough, Dave Denkenberger, John Manzari, Judy Falanga, Ilario Pogliani, Dave Miller, Bud Lamb and Bill Wise are a few of our members who have been to Druid Hill Park on various outings in December. We once again ran into non-club member Doug Franz who frequents the park on occasion. Old buttons, interesting artifacts, the ubiquitous Indian head pennies, old silver dimes and nickels, and a plethora of clad coins and trash have were collected.
To see photos of many of the finds, visit:
http://marylandfreestateclub.com/MemberFinds2013.html

Next Club Hunt: A club hunt is planned for Saturday, January 18, 2014 at Druid Hill Park, if the weather permits. This site continues to produce old coins and relics; with treasures being detected at depths of approximately 8 inches, so practice adjusting the settings on your detector to detect objects at least 8-inches deep. When digging, make sure you increase the diameter of your sod plugs to find a deep target. Fortunately the ground is soft and easy to excavate. Steve Cunningham and George Venker have been using a small metal detecting shovel for leverage and lifting out the large sod plug; which helped with digging, too.

Club Find of the Year: Vice President, Mr. Howard Shettle, reviewed the winners from the club finds of the year board. All members who participated in the 2013 monthly club finds were invited to re-enter their best find. William Wise was announced as the winner for his large World’s Fair Medallion.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM. The next meeting will be held on 1/30/2014.

See you there,
Steve

Last updated: December 27, 2013
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