GAME NIGHT REPORT
Yesterday was our monthly Kelly Activity. We try to alternate between free/cheap activities and those that are more expensive. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to do a more casual event this month, the Game Night. We also made sure that our Zoom meeting was available for those who wanted to attend virtually, though we did start later than we wanted. Kudos to those who chose to attend this way if they weren’t comfortable attending in person yet. We will discuss whether or not to continue our virtual meetings.
This was the first time we did Show & Tell at a meeting. It was interesting to see some of the things that our crewmembers were excited about. We saw Star Trek branded merchandise and games, a pet gecko, a truncheon that has been passed down in the family, and more. I look forward to seeing more “show & tell” items in the future.
Once announcements were completed, we started playing various games. Some worked out, some didn’t. I was introduced to one called “Blink” that I totally loved. (I’m told it can be found almost anywhere.) We also played Set and tried to play Red Dragon Inn (I forgot the coins for the game! grrr).
I personally want to thank our Executive Officer Dawn Woods for hosting the event. The location was perfect, and I had so much fun learning a new game!
Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos. If anyone remembered to take any, please let your Senior Officer or a member of the Command Staff know!
UPCOMING EVENTS
June:
Our next activity is a simulator mission at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove. This will be a joint activity with the USS Pulsar, located in Utah County. The available dates are June 15-30th, and we are shooting for a Saturday. There cost for this is usually somewhere between $10 and $20 per person. If you are interested, please let us know IMMEDIATELY so we can get it booked properly and confirm our date and mission.
If you have not yet commanded a simulator mission, and need to do so for your Command rank requirement, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. If you are interested, let us know so we can plan accordingly.
July:
The Kelly Kampout will be July 9-10 at the Mustang Flats campground. The campground has trees that “are the perfect distance for hanging hammocks”, and there are also hotels nearby if you prefer to do a day camp sort of thing.
August:
Fleet Day, the annual Seventh Fleet summertime gathering, will be held on August 7, 2021. This year the USS Ticonderoga is hosting. They are planning a lot of events, so let’s show them our ship spirit! In addition to the normal “Fleet Day” stuff, there are some other things you will need to know…
- To show a unified ship, our “uniform of the day” will be club t-shirts. We will be making new shirts before the event (details later).
- The event will be held at a park in Clearfield. The fountains will most likely be turned off, so it is a good idea to plan on bringing water.
- Our hosts plan on having a Fleet-wide kickball tournament, among other activities. We will want to practice some of those.
- We are going to challenge Fleet Members to see who can give the most hugs that day, in accordance to our theme of “Elephants Give Great Hugs”. We plan to give a prize to the winner.
September:
Our September activity will be the USS Kelly’s 35th Anniversary party. I am currently taking suggestions on where to host this.
NEW SHIP T-SHIRTS/CONTEST
As mentioned above, we want to have brand new ship t-shirts we can wear at the Fleet Day. I want ideas from YOU. Submit your ideas through your Senior Officer or reach out to a member of the Command Staff to submit your design. Things to remember are…
- Our animal spirit guide is the elephant.
- Our ship’s colors are purple and silver
- The theme should be “Elephants give great hugs”
- All design submissions have to be sent in no later than July 1, 2021.
- We will vote for our favorite design. The winning design will be made into the shirt.
- You are responsible for purchasing your own shirt. (Prices will depend on cost runs, quantity ordered, etc. Costs will be presented when we know what they are.)
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS NEEDED
We are bringing back the Kelly Communique, the ship’s newsletter. The newsletter will be a combination of articles submitted by ship members and upcoming announcements. The plan is to have the PDF version available for free via the Website.
Since it’s been a long time since we’ve had an actual newsletter, we’re going to call this “Volume 2” and start with issue #1. Like the t-shirt designs, articles need to be submitted to your Senior Officer or to a member of the Command Staff.
Anything can be submitted to the Communique – articles, art, original stories (or someone else’s stories if you have the author’s permission). Heck, for the digital version we can even create links to videos or music! Just keep it family friendly.
Note: We already have a submission from Admiral Stark, and our own Admiral Hollinger has already promised an article about a ship.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I remember when the USS Kelly was known for always kicking butt at trivia, showing up in force to conventions, and simply being out there and having fun. I want us to be that way again. A lot of things have changed a in the past thirty-five years, especially the way we communicate… but some things are still the same.
You see, the USS Kelly isn’t just a Star Trek club. It’s a group of friends supporting each other and doing things together. I firmly believe that we are put on this Earth to help each other, to get to know each other and to help each other in both good times and bad. To celebrate each other’s successes and to hold each other up when things aren’t going well.
I want to learn more about you, to share in the things that you find fun (even though they may scare me), and I want you to learn more about me and what is important to me. I want to support you in your tough times, just like I’ve received support from you in the past. I want to make new friends and share my love of Star Trek (and Doctor Who, and Wandavision, and writing, and…). Star Trek may be the excuse we use to get together, but in reality the purpose of the USS Kelly is to get together, to make friends, to share interests, and to connect with the world.
We have a lot to do to build this club up once more, but I have faith in you, my fellow crewmembers. Together we can do this!