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Idle Hour Tennis
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Issue No. 2, 1 May 2012
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 Message from the President
Welcome to our 2012 tennis season.
We may have set a record by opening our Har-Tru Courts on April 5th. We had a mild winter and this allowed us to jump start the work on our courts. What a wonderful time to start our tennis season with flowers beginning to bloom, verdant grass, and tall trees surrounding our courts. We never grow too old to appreciate nature.
When you're at the club, take a minute to check the main bulletin board on the porch. You'll find a wide range of information with signs detailing: Club Events, Tennis Team Schedules, and "Looking For A Game."
Our membership chair, Larry Knox, has upgraded the club's computer system by installing Microsoft Access. This program saves postage costs and allows us to e-mail invoices and other personalized communications to our membership. This is in contrast to when each message had to be printed and mailed individually.
I welcome any ideas you may have to benefit the club. Please feel free to talk to me or contact me by e-mail at membership@ idlehourtennis.com.
Have a wonderful, healthy, and pleasant summer!
Carol Wenner |
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Social Committee
Welcome to the Har-Tru Courts at Idle Hour Tennis Club.
We cordially invite all new members to a short orientation meeting followed by a session of round-robin tennis on May 6, at 1:00 p.m.
The next event will be a cocktail party for new and returning members in our clubhouse on June 9th from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m.
We're also planning a member guest luncheon for women on June19, at 11:45 a.m. A light lunch will be followed by round- robin tennis and games such as: bridge, mahjong, scrabble, canasta, etc.
We also want to organize a men's member guest day.
Our mixed doubles round robin will be held on July 19 at 1:00 p.m.
See you on the courts.
Joy Effron,
Social Committee Chair
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Membership Committee
Let us know if you change your e-mail address, phone number, or home address. You may have to advise your bank of Idle Hour's new payment address.
Idle Hour is going Green. E-mail invoices save time, paper, and stamps. With over five hundred members, e-mail invoices and messages save our club hundreds of dollars a year in postage.
It's very important that you keep us informed when you change your e-mail addresses and other contact information.
You can let us know of any changes by e-mailing us at
membership@idlehourtennis.com or call 610-918-2202 so we can
up-date your contact information.
If you pay your dues using a bank pay-by-phone feature, please inform your bank that payments should be sent to our new payment address:
Idle Hour Tennis, P.O. Box 1535 Edgemont, PA 19028
Important dates:
1. Invoices for dues payments go
out in early January
2. Pay dues by March 1
3. After March 1, we charge
a $50.00 late fee
4. After April 1st, members may be dropped for unpaid dues and late fees
Thank you for paying your dues on time and keeping your contact information up-to-date.
Larry Knox,
Membership Chair |
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An Idle Hour Dream
He graced the club with his presence today.
His attire impeccable; he was ready to play.
A man of peace, who provoked no fight,
pleasant, good natured, a real delight.
A pundit on the porch said, "Who is that guy?
I don't think I like him and I'm not sure why."
"Is he the one who pays his dues on time and turns a deaf ear whenever we whine?"
His game was classic, gracious, and humane.
He didn't complain when it started to rain.
As he walked off the court a lady member did inquire,
"Is a home cooked meal something you'd desire?"
Her sincerity was real; what would he say?
He smiled and answered: "some other day."
"Although I just joined, it's my first time here.
This place is lovely and you even have deer."
"But enlighten me, sweet tennis flower. Why is Springton Club called Idle Hour?"
Emilio Cortez
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Greetings!
On behalf of the Board we wish everyone a pleasant spring and summer, made more glorious by many hours of tennis on Idle Hour's courts.
Please feel free to contact us at info@idlehourtennis.com with any concerns, suggestions or interests in becoming involved with our numerous club activities.
Idle Hour Tennis Board of Directors
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Pro Corner
Welcome back everybody! As you are aware, mother nature has been pretty hard on us over the last two seasons. Zdenka, Emma, and I had a little talk with her after the last flood and judging from how she handled our winter, I'd say she got our point.
Let's hope she keeps on her best behavior this summer.
As usual, there are many fun things planned for this season:
club tournaments, mixed doubles, round-robins, porch barbeques, and Eastern States Clay Court Tournaments. Please come out often and enjoy your club. If there is anything we can do for you, just stop by the pro-shop to let us know. Emma can't wait to see her large extended family!
Dennis Olenik |
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Development Committee
To Build or Not to Build
The original Development Committee was formed in 2010 as a result of our club's history of flooding. Their task was to research three possibilities:
1. Selling our current property and relocating IHTC.
2. Building a new clubhouse on our current site, at least 10 feet above ground.
3. Keeping our current clubhouse and preparing for and repairing future damage as we have in the past.
For a variety of reasons option one was not considered feasible. A membership survey was taken and two thirds of the respondents voted for option two, providing that dues are not raised and new financial assessments are not imposed.
In October 2011, Development Committee II was formed with the goal of raising funds to build a new, elevated clubhouse.
After the above mentioned membership survey, another clubhouse alternative was submitted for consideration. This suggestion was to construct a new clubhouse, at grade level, but with concrete floors and walls.
The detailed cost estimates for both buildings were made by Chris Rohner, a club member, and the owner of Phoenix Construction Company. The estimated cost of the elevated building option was $825,000.00 and the estimated cost of the grade level building option was $642,000.00.
Bids from three professional fund raising firms indicated a feasibility study cost of $10,000 to $15,000. The committee decided it would be more economical to conduct its own feasibility study.
The committee selected ninety members to survey about their interest in building a new clubhouse, and more importantly, their views on our ability to raise the necessary funds. Several criteria were used to select the survey participants, including length of membership and demonstrated interest in our club.
The letter included the above information, architectural drawings, and a two page anonymous survey. Of the ninety letters mailed, fifty-two surveys were returned. The total pledged was $65,000, with some respondents indicating that they will only pledge, if the building is at either the grade or the elevated levels. We wish to express our thanks to those who supported the project. Based on what the fund raising consultants told us, the total amount pledged is far short of what we need for a successful campaign.
Thus, by a process of elimination, we are left with option three: keeping our existing clubhouse, mitigating damages, and repairing future damage as we have in the past.
The following is a part of the survey that you might find interesting. Participants were asked to rank the things they liked best about the club:
1st The tennis courts.
2nd The members.
3rd The relatively inexpensive membership cost.
4th The fact that you don't have to reserve a court in advance.
5th Tied were the clubhouse facility and the member tournaments.
7th The social activities.
8th Playing on an Interclub team.
We wish to express our appreciation for the Development Committee members' efforts on this project.
Committee Members:
Lynn Armao, Jack Higgins, Larry Knox,
Dianne Pearce, Marvin Rosner, Dave Rowley,
Joe Soohoo, Carol Wenner, Dick Wenner |
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Rules, Regulations and By-Laws Committee
Winter Guests' Fees & Proper Decorum
Even when only the hard courts are available, at any time during the year, if you bring a guest to play on our courts, a guest fee applies. It is $10.00 for a senior guest, 25 or older, and $3.00 for a junior guest, younger than 25.
Before you start dazzling your guest with your tennis skills, fill out one of the envelopes attached to the pro-shop door, include the guest fee and slip the envelope under the door. Guests and stand-by members who are staging a come-back from physical injuries may only play five times during a season. On weekends and holidays, guests can only play after 1 P.M. The members of the Rules, Regulations, By-laws Committee are looking forward to a stellar season of good sportsmanship, fair play, and social responsibility. Your cooperation in such matters is paramount to promoting a club atmosphere that reflects the best of Idle Hour as we move forward into the next century of our club's existence. Your efforts in all things positive are truly appreciated. Emilio Cortez, Rules, Regulations, By-Laws Committee Chair
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Our Memorial Day Hero, Walt Kaminski
Cake and Ice Cream Ninetieth Birthday Party, May 30, at 12:00 Noon
Please join us in a tribute to our own hero whose 90th birthday will be on the 27th.
As we honor those who served our country, and enjoy a B.B.Q at the club on May 28th at 1:30, we express our special thanks to Walt Kaminski who, as a Marine, fought in the Invasion of Tarawa, one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War. Over the past 29 years he fought other, less physically gruesome battles as an employee at Idle Hour. Walt, a dedicated, knowledgeable, and witty member of our Idle Hour family, was a gifted athlete who played minor league baseball as a catcher before the war.
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Centennial History Books
Members who have not received their copies may pick one up at the pro-shop after 1 May 2012. Whether you have been a member for many decades and have vivid memories of the club's history, or are a recent addition to Idle Hour, you will enjoy the pictures and stories, and the finely crafted work of its authors. |
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2012 Barbeques Graciously sponsored by our tennis pro, Dennis Olenik.
Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 1:30 P.M. Fourth of July, Wednesday, July 4, 1.30 P.M Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 1.30 P.M  |
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