News

I realize that we haven’t updated this Website very often. The truth is, we are much more active on Facebook. So, before I get into what the USS Kelly has in store for 2023, you might want to check us out over there. (Link to Facebook)

Upcoming Events

This year, we’ve been able to plan out our activities a little better than we have in the past. To that end, let’s list them…

  • January 18 – Admiral’s Banquet (Seventh Fleet annual winter event)… more on this later
  • February 18 – Game Night at Fiiz
  • March 18 – First Aid Kits
  • April 15 – Kelly Kookbook night
  • May 20 – Share your Favorite Trek Scene
  • June 24 – Fleet Day (Seventh Fleet annual summer event)
  • July 14-16 – Kelly Kampout
  • August 3-6 – Star Trek Las Vegas convention
  • September 16 – Star Party at U of U
  • October 21 – Mad Hatter (hats only costume contest)
  • November 18 – Clarke Planetarium

It’s been a long time since the Kelly has gone to a convention in force, and we’ve made it our goal this year to do so. The plan is to go to the STLV:57 convention this August. Since that is a large expense, we plan to do things that are much cheaper for our monthly activities. More details on the individual events will follow, and of course will also be on our Facebook page.

So, whatever money you would have spent on a larger event, set it aside for the convention.

Report on the Admiral’s Banquet 2023

As you may have noticed, we’ve already had our first event of the year. Per tradition, we joined with other ships of the fleet for some food, fun, and a report on what each ship has done last year (or is planning this year). See the photos below.

Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. Think about that a moment. 25 years of this larger organization of clubs. Some of those clubs are newer, and some (like the Kelly) were there when the Fleet was formed.

How many clubs do you know that last even 5 years?

There is a reason we have stayed together so long, and it is simply this: Star Trek is a common interest, one that we use as an excuse to get together. If you look at the members of the Fleet, you will find other people who share interests of yours that aren’t Star Trek (for example, Admiral Stark and I actually met in a Doctor Who fanclub… that no longer exists). We all know that the Galaxy-class Enterprise is made up – but we love it nonetheless. The only true “ships” in these clubs is our friendships. That is the reason the Seventh Fleet’s motto is “We Do Not Stand Alone”… because we don’t. We stand together, with our friends.

As part of the Fleet’s 25th anniversary celebration, the Admiralty board have created a 25th Anniversary Bingo – a list of 12 items we can do. Those events, and how to mark that you’ve done them, will be posted on our Facebook page. One of those things, titled THE SCORCH, is to sign a special banner the Admiralty created for the event with your name, ship, and rank. Here’s mine:

Of course the other point of this is to simply have fun. Below are some photos of us at the Banquet, and I don’t know about the rest of my crew but I, for one, definitely had fun.

We are getting ready to have new USS Kelly t-shirts made. After lots of discussion, we’ve decided that the t-shirts will be a dark purple with silver ink. We will have two images on it, and we need YOUR help to pick it.

This first graphic will go on the front of the t-shirt in the area where a pocket would go.

front
T-shirt front graphic

One of the following three images will go on the back of the t-shirt. The only question is, which one? This is where we need your opinion. Pick your favorite and then you can vote on our Facebook Poll (here) or send us your vote by e-mail.

So… which will it be? Vote and we’ll find out!

Voting closes on July 20th.

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!

Today we held our monthly Senior Officer’s Meeting, or SOM. Because of our current small crew roster, we’re including all members in the planning stages for our upcoming activities. Those attending today’s Kelly Planning Meeting were:

Captain Jill Bogler
Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Woods (XO)
Lt. Scott Hollinger (Chief Tactical Officer)
Lt. Melissa Andrew (First Contact officer)
Crewman John Saffell
Adm. Dennis Hollinger
Lt. Cmdr. Kacie Stevens (USS White Buffalo)

For now, our Tactical department is the only functioning department we have. If you are in Tactical or Security, you will report to Lt. Hollinger and work on your rank advancements with him. If you are in another department, you will generally work with Lt. Cmdr. Woods. Eventually we will build back up to having fully functional departments with their own departmental meetings. Until then, we have a lot of work ahead of us. So… how do we do this?

Step One: Build Excitement
How do we build excitement? By making sure we have fun activities and keeping people informed. If we are having fun and show it, then excitement will build naturally. As part of this effort, I have made it my goal to keep the USS Kelly Website current and actively post on it.
We talked about our Facebook page, and the possibility of using other social media as well. I am going to postpone using other social media until we are in the habit of keeping our Facebook page and Website updated.
Additionally, please check out the Activities Calendar of this Website. It is a Google Calendar, which is easily able to transfer activities to your personal Google Calendar.

We planned our upcoming activities for the next few months. We are excited to be able to meet in person again now that a lot of the restrictions have been lifted…

  • Game Night, May 15, 2021, 4-7 pm – Bring a board and/or card game to play, a snack to share, and your own dinner to eat (a grill will be available). This will be held at Commander Wood’s home (see calendar and/or Facebook event for details). Note: There will be a Zoom Meeting in tandem with this event for those who are not comfortable meeting in person yet.
  • Simulator Mission, June 2021 – the Alpine School District in Utah County has opened up their space simulator again. These events are useful for those going for Command ranks and are a ton of fun. This will be in June – details TBD.
  • Kelly Kampout, July 9-10, 2021 – We are reviving the famous Kelly Kampout! Details TBD, but will most likely be held in the Ogden area. We are inviting other ships to join us.
  • Fleet Day, Aug 7, 2021 – Hosted by the USS Ticonderoga, this will be the annual Fleet Games in a park. Details TBD. Watch for updates on the Fleet Facebook page or the Ticonderoga’s Website.
  • USS Kelly 35th Anniversary, Sept 25, 2021 – Details TBA. Be on the lookout for updates.

Other dates of note:

  • June 3, Woman in Motion – this Nichelle Nichols documentary will stream on Paramount Plus June 3, 2021.
  • June 4-7, KAG Virtual Convention – the Klingon Assault Group virtual convention.
  • Aug 12, Lower Decks – Lower Decks season two will stream on Paramount Plus starting Aug 12, 2021.
  • Sept 16-19, FanX Convention – the annual FanX convention in Salt Lake City. No Star Trek people have been announced… yet.

We are also introducing something new to the Kelly: Show and Tell. This is pretty much what it sounds like.
Do you remember being in elementary school and showing something off to your classmates that you were really excited about? Well, we’re doing the same thing for the first few minutes of every activity. This could be something as simple as the new toy you found at the thrift store, proof of winning a game at a convention that you were excited about, or even your new camera drone. It doesn’t matter if it is Star Trek or even sci-fi at all, just as long as you are excited to share it with your fellow crewmembers. Just remember to keep it family friendly.

Step Two: Promotion/Advertisement
The Seventh Fleet wants all of the ships in the Fleet to have a promotional banner. Unlike the flag of the past, this is going to be printed. Some of the design elements are static – so as to be uniform with the other ships – but the rest is completely up to us.
Admiral Hollinger has been working with former Captain Nada and the senior officers to come up with a design. This is still in the works. We already have the base for the banner – we just need to finish the design so we can get it printed out.

Other things that were discussed for promotion is getting new club t-shirts, and uniforms. I, like a lot of us, have outgrown the uniforms I currently have. Getting a new one will take money and, honestly, that’s one thing I’ve placed on the back burner for me now. (This pesky thing called “real life” keeps wanting to interfere.)

Well, that’s about it for now.

Live Long and Prosper,
Captain Jill Bogler-Patterson

Captain Nada has moved out of the USS Kelly-B patrol area. Effective immediately, Lt. Commander Jill Bogler-Patterson will be taking command. Here are some of the changes made:

  • Our new first officer is Lt. Commander Dawn Woods. For those who don’t remember her, Dawn has been part of the Kelly family for a long time and has experience leading the Communications department.
  • Lieutenant Scott Hollinger is now filling the role of Chief Tactical Officer, taking over from Jill.
  • All other officers will remain in their current positions. 

We want to thank Captain Nada for her leadership over these last few years, and wish her peace and long life in her new role(s). You will always be part of the Kelly family.

Our next Kelly Planning Meeting will be May 6, 2021. As per the last few meetings, this will be held via a Zoom meeting at 7:00 pm. The link will be provided by our Logistics Facebook chat 15 minutes before the meeting, or you can reach out to Jill to receive a link to the meeting privately. All members are invited to attend as we set goals to move the Kelly forward to a brighter future.

Thank you,
Captain Jill Bogler

Founded by the USS Kelly, the USS Rendezvous, the USS Ticonderoga, and the USS Retributor, Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet has been around since 1998. With club longevity like this, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we’ve had crewmembers pass away while part of our ships. The Seventh Fleet Admiralty wanted a way to remember these friends. To that end, the USS Porthos was created.

The USS Porthos was founded January 29, 2011, with the idea that as crewmembers pass away they won’t be forgotten – instead they’ll be transferred to the USS Porthos. In game terms, the Porthos is a Constitution Class starship from the alternate Kelvin timeline (i.e. the J.J. Abrahms movie timeline). Her logo, design, and mission were all determined based on the preferences of her captain George Bogler, who passed away suddenly in 2010. George was always a fan of TOS, Starfleet Engineers (especially Scotty), and Captain Archer’s dog in ENTERPRISE.

In the past few years, we’ve lost several crewmembers who have now transferred to the Porthos – last year we lost Commodore Richard Henline, one of the founders of the USS Kelly. This is just one way in which we can remember those friends we have lost.

“What’s the fun in exploring if you know how it all turns out?” –Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker

(Ship motto of the USS Porthos)

We had a lot of news at our last Tactical Meeting/RPG night. First, Jill reported on the progress the Seventh Fleet Acquisitions team has made toward creating a Monopoly-type game based on Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. She was able to show the graphics she has been putting together with help from various members of the Fleet (most notably, Captain of Engineering Ross Trowbridge of the USS Rendezvous). Our own Michael Frogget of the Engineering brought examples of 3D printed pieces for the games. (I’m sensing a theme here…)

Jill also showed us the new USS Kelly lending library. If you are working on a rank advancement, you may need access to reference materials you don’t currently have. Well, others do!
Active members will soon receive an invitation to a website called Lend Items where they can create a free login. We are using this as a library program, as it has the capability to automatically remind us when the books are due back.
Once Jill gets the loan-able items loaded into the program, you can see it in the lending library. (This will eventually include media other than books, such as DVD sets of the Star Trek shows.) Then you can log into the USS Kelly lending library and reserve an item. Make arrangements with Jill to check it out and pick it up. When it is due back, you’ll receive an e-mail reminder!

Next we went over our upcoming activities…

  • October 26th, 7:00 pm – Mad Hatter. This is basically a Halloween Hat party. Bob Patterson will host at Bob & Jill’s home. Start time is 7:00 pm. Bring snacks to share while we watch family friendly Halloween movies.
  • November 16th, 7:00 pm – Kooking with the Kelly. Back when the Kelly was young(ish), Commander Ruth Burns created a cookbook with Star Trek themed recipes in it. This has now been digitized, thanks to Commodore Marla Trowbridge. For this activity, we will be cooking a recipe from the cookbook together. You are also encouraged to bring side dishes/deserts/etc. also created from the Kelly Kookbook. (Jill will be providing a Warp Core Breach.) More details to come.
  • December 14th, 7:00 pm – Christmas Dinner. This annual event is simply going to be going to a restaurant. We may also be doing a White Elephant gift exchange. If you know a place that we can hold this, please get in contact with the Senior Staff (Captain Nada, Admiral Hollinger, Lt. Commander Jill Bogler-Patterson or Melissa Andrew) as soon as possible. We need to get this booked before all the places are taken.
  • January 25, 2020 – Admiral’s Banquet. This will be hosted by the White Buffalo. More details as they come.
  • February, date and time TBD – Lasertag. We are looking at doing Lasertag, and have someone in mind to run it. We are waiting to hear more. If this doesn’t pan out, then we’ll move our proposed March activity to February.
  • March – 3D Printing class. Do you want to know more about 3D printing and how it is used in business, the medical field, costuming, and more? Well so do we! We’re looking for someone to spearhead this event so we can all learn how to create our own 3D models.

Last but certainly not least, we were finally able to present the promotion certificates that we’ve waited so long for…

So after all of that, what did we do at the last USS Kelly role-playing game? I’m glad you asked!
Our current mission: escort two representatives away from the docks. Unfortunately, we ran into some local law enforcement – and their pets. We spent the entire gaming session fighting our way out of trouble.
Eric’s character rushed headlong into trouble because she is a little nuts – and she was tired of being shot in the back. Michael’s character kept trying to heal us and keep us out of trouble. Richard’s character kept attacking anything that was attacking us. Jill’s character was able to charm one of the Bandit Leaders into spilling the beans on the whole operation, including who hired them and why as well as the paper trail leading all the way to the head of the corrupt government usurpers.
I guess “fighting” our way out of trouble worked. Mostly.

Since the USS Kelly’s new spirit guide is the elephant, we thought we’d go over some interesting fact about them. All of the following information below on the African elephants, including the photos, are courtesy of the National Geographic website.

  1. African elephants are the largest mammals on Earth.
  2. Elephants are fond of water, and enjoy showering themselves by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it all over themselves.
  3. An elephant’s trunk is actually a long nose which is used for lots of things other than breathing and smelling. They will trumpet, drink through their trunk, and grab things – especially food.
  4. The trunk alone contains about 10,000 different muscles.
  5. Elephants use their tusks to dig for food and water, and also to strip bark from trees. Males also use them in battle.
  6. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruit, and bark – about 300 pounds of it per day.
  7. Elephants don’t sleep much, and they roam great distances while foraging.
  8. Elephant mothers are pregnant for about 22 months – that’s nearly two years!
  9. Baby elephants shed their first set of teeth and tusks, just like humans lose their baby teeth.
  10. Elephants make powerful low-frequency rumblings to communicate over long distances.
  11. An elephant’s brain has a very similar structure to humans.
  12. When an elephant dies, their family grieves. They may even revisit the bones of their deceased for years, touching them with their trunks. Not many animals do that.

Remember, our next activity will be going to the Hogle Zoo to view these majestic animals. We will be going on Saturday, September 21st. Time TBD.

The next USS Kelly activity is going to be the Seventh Fleet Games, held this coming Saturday, August 17, 2019 at Heyburn Central Park in Heyburn, Idaho. Directions to the park, the agenda, and additional information from the USS Valkyrie are listed below.

If you plan to attend and need a ride, please contact Mel Andrew so she can coordinate rides.

Directions to Heyburn Central Park
1. Coming from Utah take Exit 211
2. Turn left towards Burley/Heyburn
3. At the first stop light turn right onto 21st street
4. Turn left on K street and go to the end of the street
5. Park comes up on your right at the end of the street

Important information
1. We will be keeping to the time schedules listed above. If two events are going on at the same time you will need to choose which one you want to participate in, time frames can not be extended to keep us on time so travelers do not get a late start heading back.

2. There will be a silent auction that will go on throughout the Olympics. There are 30 Lots of different Sci-fi Memorabilia. Auction will close at the time the medals are awarded. We will be able to take cash, debit, and credit cards and PayPal for payments of auction items.

3. There will be a playground for small children who do not want to participate in the Cadet games. There will also be restrooms available to us for the duration of the Olympics.

4. Lunch will be Street Tacos, Salad, Chips and Dessert. We will also have bottled water available to drink. Anyone not wanting these options are more than welcome to bring their own lunch. We are not charging any Fleet member for the lunch provided. If you feel you would like to donate to cover cost a donation jar will be there for donations but is not required.

5. The event will run from 10 am to 6 pm. Instructions and sign up will happen until 10:15 am and then the games will start. Sign ups will be available up until each game starts. Time schedules will be strictly adhered to.

When a ship of Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet gets a new captain, they have the option to change several things about the ship, including the club’s colors and our the animal Spirit Guide, and more. Captain Nada has done just that.

The U.S.S. Kelly’s new colors are purple and silver, and our new Spirit Guide is the Elephant.

With a new Spirit Guide and new colors, it is also time for a new banner, so we need YOUR help.

1. What elephant traits do USS Kelly members possess?
2. Captain Nada also needs submissions for banner ideas (graphics are preferred over text submissions).

You can post your answers on our Facebook post, by Facebook Messenger, or by e-mail to Captain Nada.

Elephants on the meadow