July was a challenging month this year, wasn't it? Sometime around the 4th the sun disappeared and day after day it rained or was gray. Lawns were green, but not growing. Rivers swelled back to their spring flood levels. Trails were impassable.

The wet and gray weather continued into August. And the thought on everyone's mind was: Would GO be able to have its 10th Anniversary party of sun, beach, and games, planned for September 5th at Elm Brook Park? Or would guys come with fleece and snowshoes, rather than swim suits and kayaks? Would there be any sun to even hold the party? And where were the Sun Maidens when we needed them?

They must have been active. It just took longer for their gloom-destroying magic to kick in. Saturday dawned with a magnificent day. All agreed that the bright thing in the sky had to be the sun. Our 10th Anniversary Party was a GO! And it was Good!

Jon Normand and Mike Boisvert were the hosts, and we rented a covered pavillion near a playing field, and there we gathered throughout the day, with some guys taking a short walk to the beach for a swim. When the grills were lit, everyone stepped in to grill their own meat, and the potluck dishes, brought by members, were fantastic, as usual. Near the end of eating, Mike said a few words about the club, its plans for the future, recognized GO Board of Directors who were present, and thank those who helped out during the day. 

During the day, members played horseshoes, croquet and bocce ball. We also had a 50/50 raffle with Tim taking home the money. 

As always, an event like this doesn't' come off without a lot of work from volunteers. While members throughout the day pitched in as needed to help with the setup, cooking and cleanup; we can't thank enough Jeffrey Albair who was their early to help us setup, took care of passing the bucket to pay for our expenses, and handled the 50/50 raffle including donating the tickets.    

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