Dear OMP Members,
Well, here we are entering the final weeks of 2020 and the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic is stronger then when this all started back in March and April of this year. Looking back I remember people’s thoughts that by June or July of this year we would be mostly recovered from the scourge of this new disease, and even the pessimists were looking at a return to near normalcy by the September-October timeframe. It is now early November and the number of cases in the US and throughout the world is surging to record levels. This situation is not what we expected when we stopped having our regular meetings back in March, but there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel with a vaccine currently in development.
At this time our OMP board has determined it would be a poor decision to bring everyone together for our 2020 OMP Christmas party. The risk to our members, families, and friends coupled with the fact that attendance would also be very low due to personal choices regarding public gatherings made us decide that we should cancel this popular event. Current plans are to have some type of a coming out party this spring or summer as a rejuvenation of the OMP and a resumption of our regular meetings and group activities. I know we all will look forward to such a celebration and a return to some semblance of normalcy in our lives.
Due to the cessation of club activities we have determined that all current and future memberships for 2021 will be “frozen” until we begin having regularly scheduled meetings. For instance, if we begin having meetings in March the club membership calendar would change to a March renewal date and all current memberships would run from March 2021 to March 2022.
And finally, three more items to address in closing.
- It was decided we would proceed with our kayak raffle on the December 5th date we had scheduled for the Christmas party. Ticket sales have been lower than normal this year due to the lack of public events, so your chances of being a winner are better then ever! If you or any friends would like to purchase raffle tickets please contact me or Clint Claybaker. Our contact information is available on the OMP website.
- We will stop sending out the quarterly calendar of events until such time as we go back to regular meetings as there is nothing to post on the schedule of events at this time. Keep an eye on the OMP website and facebook sites for any impromptu trips that may be scheduled. There are many opportunities for winter floats here in the Ozarks.
- The board feels at this time that we can continue to plan on holding our annual whitewater clinic in late March or early April this year. We feel it is possible to safely conduct this outdoor camping and paddling event by practicing social distancing and other appropriate safety measures. We will share more information on this event after the first of the year.
In closing, this has been a difficult year for clubs and organizations like ours, as well as many other small businesses, restaurants, clubs, etc… I would encourage all of you to get out and vigorously support our club activities once the veil of this pandemic begins to be lifted, as well as supporting the many local business that depend on us for the their existence. We will emerge from this stronger and wiser than before.
Gary Tombridge
President-Ozark Mountain Paddlers
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