Unless otherwise noted, Quarterly Membership Meetings begin at 6:00 PM on the first Friday of March, June, September and December. The business meeting and presentations are followed by a time to socialize, with light refreshments. The December meeting is traditionally our Holiday Party and the meeting where official business and election of officers takes place. Members, guests, and interested persons are invited to attend any of our meetings. Location and details will be published in the newsletter, and provided below.
Our main presenter will be Meteorologist Jeff Ray of TV Channel 11, who will present "Ramifications of Climate Change on North Texas."
Also, Randy Thomson will give a brief presentation on our Journey to Sarasota, Florida.Quarterly membership meetings are a good time to chat with old friends, get acquainted with new members and find out what is going on in the club.
Come a little early and have supper with the group. We have free use of the room as long as the group spends at least $100 on food.
Guests and non-members are welcome to join us and find out more about Friendship Force, provided they have been vaccinated.
Board meetings generally are held at 2:00PM on the third Saturday of each month at the Benbrook Public Library, 1065 Mercedes St., Benbrook, TX 76126, and are open to all membership. No Board meeting is scheduled for those months with a quarterly meeting. Contact an officer or Board member for information, if you wish to attend a Board meeting.
Our April Board meeting will be on Saturday April 1, immediately following the Ethnic Dinner, either at the restaurant or at Jeri Edmunds home. Members are invited to attend the Board meetings
We are trying a different date and time for our Ethnic Dinners. We are moving them
to lunch on the third Saturday. If possible, please
contact Judy Williams (817) 680-9316 [text, not voice] by Wednesday prior to the dinner, unless otherwise noted below, in order to assist in determining a reservation count.
Restaurants have come and gone. Do you know of a new ethnic restaurant or an old one that we haven't visited in a while? Contact Judy Williams and let her know. She would really like to have your suggestion.
Judy always comes up with a great dining experience. Check back in April to find out where our next lunch will be.
Join us for good food, good friends and lots of good conversation. Guests and interested non-members are always welcome.
We have not been assigned an international inbound journey for 2024.
New Zealand, November 8-21, 2024
Yes! Once again we will be journeying to two clubs, Northland and Christ Church, with a possible pre- or post-journey tour of the South Island. This is a "don't miss it" opportunity. This journey will be popular. Sharon Jackson is our Journey Coordinator, so contact Sharon for more information.
Memphis, Tennessee
Sarasota, FloridaAfter our Journey to Sarasota, we will do a reciprocal hosting of Sarasota some time in October 2024 (days to be established). Berry Bock is the Journey Coordinator for this inbound, and will need lots of help to provide the Sarasota folks with an informative and enjoyable visit to Fort Worth. Contact Berry and offer to help with this activity. This is a great way to get a little more involved without becoming overwhelmed.
Sarasota, FloridaFifteen ambassadors from five different clubs were hosted by the Sarasota club, and we really enjoyed the people and the interesting features of Sarasota that they showed us. Bad weather disrupted a planned boat tour and ski show, but everyone found alternative activities, and a second boat tour went off without a hitch, even though the day started off rainy. The planned activities included
Ambassadors had fun doing many other individual activities with their hosts.
Linda Doyle, as usual, did a great job of coordinating this Domestic Journey.
WacoThe Itinerary will include
History of the Texas Rangers; Native American artifacts; western art
A documentary video of the Texas Rangers starts at 9:30 AM.
Music from the Golden Age of Gospel, when Black gospel singers wandered the countryside performing at churches.
Fossilized remains of an entire herd were discovered at this site. Paleontologists continue to uncover ice age animals.
Shops close at 5:00 PM except for The Quilt Barn, The General Store, The Market and the Gift Barn,
which remain open until 5:30 PM.
DINNER RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED (via Jeri Edmunds)
Phone: (254) 754-9600
www.homesteadheritage.com
RSVP to Jeri Edmunds (682) 559-9335 no later than Wednesday April 3.
George's Restaurant needs and accurate count.
If you would like a ride or can offer one, please let Jeri know so carpool arrangements can be made.
If you have an interesting place, within 150 miles or so, that you think our club would enjoy, and would be willing to help organize, contact Jeri Edmunds (682) 559-9335. We can put it on the list for this year or next.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, FFI and other groups created numerous interesting and entertaining opportunities for Friendship Force members to help us stay involved in international "virtual" cultural events. Many of these activities, including the Book Club, are still going on, post pandemic. The latest Virtual Experiences are available HERE on the FFI website, or go to your My Friendship Force member portal.
FFI also includes a time zone converter link on appropriate Virtual Experience blog entries.
International Game NightOur Game Night has been rescheduled on March 18. Hopefully members and guests will have a less busy schedule and a good participation can be expected.
We will join small groups of appropriate size and play the games. Each group will have the opportunity to play each of the games.
Our last game night was several years ago, and everyone had a great time.
Guests are welcome to join us.
Games we will be playing are
Contact Jeri Edmunds (682) 559-9335 to reserve your place no later than Tuesday March 12, as we have a limited number of game boards and playing pieces.