As far as November goes it went so fast, or at least we were so busy we did not notice it. Immediately after the A.G.M. we went straight to work on Halloween, we had a great Halloween party at the Club and the weekend proved to be very successful Friday with Farra and Savaugnah and then Saturday with the private party on of coarse. Our Sunday Halloween party was much busier then we thought it would be and turned out to be quite the night.

Once we got through October, we had to get the Planning on for November, this of coarse involved a night of the Kings and we also have arranged an intimate evening with Kendall a keyboardist from Toronto and awesome vocalist. He has not been out to the Club for some time. Kendall was missed and he did a great job at providing us all with some superb entertainment, also John put on a delicious spread for the event. At the end off the Month we had the amazing Sofonda Cox on the 25th another evening of great entertainment with our own Benn Dover as well.

I will leave the balance of entertainment for Donny to report on.

I am very excited to say things are going very well and we have been seeing many old faces out at the Club, along with several new ones as well.

We apologize that it took us so long to get the New Years news out to you, but your new board has been working on lots of things at the same time. This looks like a very promising evening and we want to make sure we get it right. The theme is being handled by Tim and Larry and I have no doubt what so ever that they will impress our socks off. I am looking forward to it and tickets are now available.

Posters for New Years and Tickets are at the Club. I will let Tammy elaborate on this as she is our promotions person.

When Karen asked me to run for the Board again, she promised she would run along with me and be my backup. Well I am pleased to be working with her as she is a great source of confidence and we seem to be on the same page most of the time. I feel that you have elected a strong, confident and enthusiastic Board of Directors and I look forward to a year with all of them. We have had past experience and look forward to new experiences, and we are pumped for a year of fun and excitement.

And now that Karen has got me into this she tells me I am killing her! I replied I am not, I just own you for the next year. :)

I am enjoying working with this board and the staff and all of the performers and am very happy that a lot of those who had a break, are coming back. This will only add to the vision we the board, have for the Club.

You will notice some subtle improvements starting to happen, this has been discussed by the Board and we all feel the Club needs a redecorate and a new energy.

The full board spent a few days down here cleaning, this meant every cupboard inside and out, all floors, bathrooms, storage areas and non visible rooms and the floors have been stripped and cleaned and the bathrooms have been repainted, this is a start of what is to come, we hope you will like the changes as they occur. Great Work Donna ! the floors shine again !! The washrooms have been re painted and also the drag room. A great thanks To Lin B.

We have loads of plans for improvements and this will be happening for a while till we get it where we want it to be. But the staff and the board are both enthusiastic and excited to see these changes come into fruition.

I have to say, the camaraderie and energy are so renewed and I think this is an inspiring board that are all driven and I cannot even get the ideas out before I have volunteers.

You members have been so positive and we are feeding off your enthusiasm. My list of Thank you's include John D, Ed F, Donny P, Aaron C, Ry C, Suz D, Sean F, Jackie G, Tammy D, Jason A, Andrea, Kelly H, Steve B, and last but not least Karen H.

Others who I need to recognize and thank are Roy M, Mike C, Kendall P, Jean Guy D, Donna McP, Lin B, Edna, Madge, Ruby, Glenda, Ivanna, and Kelly H and Tim B and Larry C.  

Without the support of all of these people, things just would not happen. Thank you all for volunteering and dedicating your precious time and giving to the community is for us all to enjoy.

I am looking forward to an amazing 25th year of D.A.A.S.C. o/a Club 717 in Durham and a positive and exciting year of working with a great group of people. I hope to see you all out at the Club in December.

I would like to thank the Christmas decorating committee. Which includes: John D., Ed F., Donny P., Jean-Guy D., Joe G., Tom H., Steve B., Charlie S., Larry C., Pat C., Francesca., Kelly H., Christopher J., Stuart S. and Peter.

Lastly, I would like to wish our precious members and patrons a very safe and Merry Christmas. I wish all of you a very Happy and prosperous New Year. I ask that you all act responsibly and don't drink and drive. Please use one of our Designated Driving Services. We value our members and patrons and their safety.

Till Next month  

Thanks Again

Dan Caudle
president@club717.ca

Dear Members and Patrons;

I want to thank all of you that participated in any way towards our magnificent shows for the month of November. The Board has worked hard to put together an amazing line up for you, and it is paying off. We have spent a little more, but we have had capacity crowds and many old faces return.

As you know, we are back under the guidance of President Dan Caudle, and along with that comes many ideas and plans for the amazing 25th Anniversary Year. Thanks Dan.

It's hard to believe that December is here already. So many homes have their outside lights on already. People are really in the Christmas mood. It's no different at the Club.

We have both Friday and Saturday nights planned for December, and of course the New Year's Eve party will not only commemorate the true beginning of our 25th year, but will be one of the best we've seen. Tickets are on sale and going great, so you won't be disappointed. We have a great team put together to make sure we're over the top.

Prorated memberships are still available and also 2012 memberships will be available in the next week. We've already had a few renew their membership on line.
 

I also wanted to take this opportunity to share some thoughts especially during the Christmas season and also with the Club's 25th Anniversary.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to present Roy Miles with his birthday cake, and for those of you that were there, I also shared a message.

We are living in an era with constant changes, but do any of us stop to reflect on the previous decades. At this time, we should definitely be considerate of the bullying and teen suicides, but this is really no different than it was 20 or 30 years ago. If anything, things were worse back then because today's society is more accepting of the community due to the efforts of all the various agencies and publications. Back then they had no Facebook or social media to help get the word out. Change has progressed rapidly.

Twenty five years ago, we were fortunate enough to have this special group in our community who banded together to form D.A.A.S.C (aka Club 717). These men and women all held respectable jobs, yet they risked being humiliated, scorned, bullied to put our Club together so we could have a place to call "our own". A place to feel comfortable in. A place that's seen it's up's and down's, but is still in operation today. It's still continuing to serve the community in a positive way.

Since the Club is a Not-for-profit organization, it has always given back to the community, to all groups, not just the "Gay" ones.

This will be the 8th year that I've been a member of the club and I still can't do enough to ensure that it continues to grow and provide the sanctity that we all need.

I really want the youth of today to be aware that when they walk through the door, they are not just walking into a fun and relaxed place to be, but they are walking through history because of our founding members. To this group of people, we should be eternally grateful. It's because of them and the way they paved the way, you're seeing the LGBTQ community expanding in Durham.

This is why this year is so special to many of us. Club 717 - 25 years supporting our community !! and going strong.

As your treasurer, I'm thrilled to see our 4th quarter doing so well. From what I've seen so far and projections, 2011 / 2012 is going to be a banner year for our Club, paving the way for more expansion possibilities !!

I wish each and every one of you nothing but the best for a great holiday season and a fantastic New Year.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Club.
Have a great month

John
treasurer@club717.ca

Hi All!!

Larry and I would just like to say how thrilled, honoured and excited we were to be asked to join the New Years Eve Party team.

As always, it is our intention to bring you the most spectacular party playground we can dream up. . . . and Boy!! have we been dreaming!!!

This year will see the return of our awesome cold Gala Buffet and amazing Dessert Table :-D ...... calories served with champagne don't count so be sure not to miss the Champagne Toast at midnight.

Of course there will be all the trimmings of New Years Eve, the favours, the noisemakers, the prizes and surprises and I'm lead to believe even a hint of royalty, all served up with the fantastic party of sound brought to us by the incredible DJ May Day.

This year, for the first time, we are pleased to be offering a limited number of dining tables, for those that prefer traditional over bar seating. Contact Donny for details.

Now to go find a feller about a party!!

Hope to see you all there