Peter Lebeck Chapter #1866

An Update from our Humbug, Al "Quackster" Price, XNGH
--- KISS --- Keep it short, stupid. So Stupid should keep it short.

Words to live by My Brothers,

This year has kept me busy. Being Humbug is not for the faint of heart and I don't recommend it unless you are willing to put in the work. It's 10% Glory, 90% Elbows, and a whole lot of knee pads in between.

The year's activities started with Friday night dinner, February 3, 2023, at the Broken Yolk Café, the night before our 2023 Widders' Ball. Then on to Saturday's Widders' Ball at the Homewood Suites!

I consider that two good times in a row! Thanks to everyone, especially my Widder, Jayne, and Ptimbo's Widder, Judi Gillespie, for all their help with the Ball. To Dale "Top" Turner for his help with Friday night's dinner, and much thanks again to XNGH Jim Bailey for his generosity in lending us his facilities, at the Broken Yolk and at the Homewood, at no cost to the chapter.

Though I'd like to blame the weather, the Chapter turnout for the Whiskey Flat Days Parade in Kernville was disappointing. Only two Clampers, besides myself, and one Widder, showed up to march in the parade -- so we drove it in my Jeep instead. The barbeque at XXNGH Charles Toppings' house had to be cancelled. Due to the poor turn out, we don't plan on scheduling any more Whiskey Flat "marches" in the near future.

The Spring Doin's was held once again at Camp Hamilton Veterans' Memorial Park. Like PXL, Camp Hamilton is a 501(c)(3) charity, though specifically dedicated to the memory of those who have served in our armed forces. The Brethren pitched-in with their individual donations and volunteer labor that allowed us to buy, assemble and dedicate three more picnic tables to the park.

Following our Spring Doin's, I attend ECV's Grand Council in May at Sonora, California. I reported on the Chapter's activities, all went well.

The Dates for the Fall Doin's are all set. A big thank you to XXNGH Mark "Pokey" Crawford, who was able to book us back into the Fort Tejon campground for Thursday, September 21 through Sunday, September 24, 2023. Please note my Brothers that Thursday is for the "set-up crew." If you show up on Thursday, you will be expected to pitch-in and help set up the cook shack, pop-ups, etc. --- NO EXCEPTIONS.

We were planning on holding the Road's End plaque rededication that same weekend, but the plaque site is north of Kernville in Tulare County, and it is a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive one-way from Ft. Tejon. So the plaquing will be held separately at 11 am, on Saturday, Sept. 16th instead. Come join us if you can! No festivities, just the re-plaquing ceremony. Take the road on the far east side of Kernville --- about 15 miles north on Mountain Highway 99/Sierra Highway. The plaque site is at the turnout 0.8 miles past McNally's Store/lodges and Burger stand on Mountain 99.

Our Annual business meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023, at our regular place, the La Sierra Mexican Restaurant (and Clamper Watering Hole) in Frazier Park. Our Meeting will begin as usual at 10 am. We hope to get in for breakfast at 8 am. We will keep you posted as to the agenda and if there are any changes, as the weather can be iffy in November.

On the good news side, we replaced our worn-out cook shack pop-ups with industrial grade pop-ups similar to those used at trade shows. This is our third generation of weather protection, and these awnings are even emblazoned with the PXL Rondelle. XXNGH Mark "Pokey" Crawford and XNGH Dale "Top" Turner researched the pop-ups which were funded through your donations to "Feed the Bear." So thanks to these Brothers and to everyone who has supported us through our volunteer fund.

Our chapter actually survived without much shade for many years. XNGHs Gene Duncker and Joe Zsot donated the sturdy "tarp and pipe" canopies in 1986, which served us well until we retired them and which were good enough to donate to the Copper Queen outpost in Yerington, Nevada to help the Brothers there assemble a proper kit. Those canopies were replaced by a generous donation from XNGH Jim Bailey in 2015, who saw the benefit of having something lightweight, that would require fewer men to set up. After a number of years of good service, we have finally retired those, as well.

Here's another problem. As much as we would rather cook our meats on charcoal, too many Clampsites no longer tolerate open flames due to drought conditions - including Fort Tejon. But again thanks to the Bear Fund, we have just purchased a new propane gas barbeque -- to be used for the first time at our Fall Doin's! Think of it as our Barbeque to the Stars. Thank you XXXNGH Ptomaine Timbo Gillespie, for helping us out once again as our Clamp Chef, and for taking the bull by the horns in suggesting, picking out, then ordering our new barbeque.

My Brothers, on a serious note, Ptimbo has only stepped in temporarily as our Clamp Chef to help us out this year --- but we need a permanent replacement for him, so he can at least try to enjoy his recent retirement! Please let me or any of your other officers know if you are interested in helping us out as Clamp Chef.

Though it's hard to believe that this Clamp year is almost over, we still have a lot of Clamping to do! Come on up to Fort Tejon, then join us at the Road's End plaque rededication on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 11 am. Please carpool if you can as parking is limited. If you're not plaquing, you're not Clamping. See you there!

XNGH Al 'The Quackster' Price, PXL #1866
    Noble Grand Humbug 2023
    mailto:4_2_nat1@gmx.com
    (661) 867-2414

Our Electronic Sign-up form is on-line. Click here to go to our sign-up page for details. You can also download the flyer from there if you'd like to register by snail mail, or if you need to send in a copy of the mandatory release.

You only have until September 15th to sign-up and pay. Walk-ins and retreads will be turned away at the gate. If you'd like an event shirt or a name tag, then you have a shorter deadline. Shirts up to 4X are $25, name tags are $10. Our Our Hawker no longer stocks shirts so you must order by September 2nd, or miss out!

Contact our GDR, Dale "Top" Turner directly if you have any questions. Dale also reminds us that all checks must be made out to, "Peter Lebeck Chapter 1866 - ECV," or they will be rejected by the bank and will put you on the hook for an extra $15. Just think of it as giving away an ice cold six-pack that no one is ever going to get a chance to drink.

Or Even better, use Zelle. Just make sure your memo states who you are and that it breaks down what the money is for. If you want a name tag, be sure to double check the spelling. If you want shirts, be clear about how many and in which sizes. Once the deadline has come and gone, they'll be no way to fix mistakes.

Lastly, we'd love to do everything on line, but we still need that pesky "Release of Liability" form in writing, preferably before the Doin's. You can send it by USPS, email to GDR@ecv1866.org or even drop it off at the Saturday, September 2nd, Red Shirt Getaway at the Elks' Lodge in Santa Clarita. Top will be there and he'll be happy to accept your paperwork, and he'll even take your cash money. Hard copies of everything can be found on the sign-up page so get started.

MGM, XNGH -- "Recording No Cyber Before Its Time."
...and remember to Love us on Facebook

 

 

 

Originally Posted to Facebook 8.2.23 -- By XNGH Dale "Top" Turner, Clamp Crier

• Brothers,


• It is with heavy heart that I report the passing of fellow Clamper Scott "Staples" Crawford. "Staples" is the brother of PXL XXNGH Mark "Pokey" Crawford.


• I received a call from "Pokey" informing me that his brother Scott had passed away today at approximately 12 noon, August 2nd from possible complications from a heart procedure.


• Scott "Staples" had been admitted to Stanford Medical Hospital last Thursday where he underwent heart surgery placing eight stints. He was released and sent home on Tuesday, 1 August.


• Pokey spoke with his brother this morning at 0900 and Staples said he had some stomach pain but seemed okay. At some point the Doctor was called and he ordered Scott back to the hospital. As they were preparing to move him to the airport for the helicopter flight everything went south. He passed at home with his wife Debbie by his side holding his hand.


• Scott and his wife Debbie had moved from Castaic to Lewisville, CA which is just outside of Redding about two years ago. They were in the process of selling their home and relocating back this way and had started purchasing a home in Bear Valley Springs (Tehachapi).


• Scott is survived by his Wife Debbie, two Daughters Leslie & Jackie, five grandchildren and two brothers, Mark & Bruce.


• I will keep you all posted as more information becomes available. Let us keep the Crawford family in our prayers.


• Dale "Top" Turner, XNGH
  Clamp Crier

Scott's wife, Debbie, appreciates our condolences but asks that we hold our call at this time.

 

The Charter Doin's celebration of our newest addition to Clamperdom, Copper Queen Chapter 1915, took place this last weekend May 5th through 7th, in Yerington, NV. PXL was most ably represented by former NGHs Mike Ramirez-Mares, Dale Turner, Myrl Wallace, and yours truly, Timbo Gillespie. We observed the chartering, HOCO, and the New Chapter initiation of this fine bunch of guys.

Former PXL NGH and Ex-Proctor, Gene "DH" Duncker, was ecstatic to see us and the nice burn barrel we presented to the Copper Queen Brethren, complete with ECV logo and inscription cementing us as brother chapters. There weren't any sisters around, or girls, for that matter, but that's just how it is in ECV.

Our proctor, current SNGH Dave "Warthog" Otero and SNGH to-be Mark Hall-Patton praised Peter Lebeck as a "class act." By traveling to Yerington, and representing the brethren of PXL, the four of us were able to proudly reinforce our bond as friends and compatriots of our newest group of irascible irregulars.

Ed. Note: The photos from the Copper Queen Inauguaral are posted on Peter's Outties Page.

What say the Brethren?

Your Clampbastardly Ambassador,
Ptimbo

On behalf of our Humbug, Al "The Quackster" Price, he thanks everybody who came up to Camp Hamilton for our Spring Doin's and made it a success. We had 48 guys show up (Bob Clemmenson, where are you?) and not only experience great camaraderie, but also some of the best weather we've ever had for a spring Clampout, with sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the mid-70's all weekend long. I've already posted some of the photos, with more coming soon from Brother Max "The Flash" Felser.

Vice Humbug Kelvin "Dr. Klapper" Swanson, put together a great raffle, but even before the ribeyes had winked their last at Saturday night's dinner, our brother "Ptomaine Ptimbo" Gillespie worked his magic with his grilled soft tacos and cheesy beans on Friday night. So if you didn't make it up to this one, you really missed out because it was a whole lot of fun.

On a sad note, since our last Doin's, we did lose two of our own to the Golden Hills, XNGH Jim Adams and Brother Rod "Eggplant" Story. Both will be missed, and both were memorialized as part of our HOCO at the spring Doin's.

So far our Humbug has been doing a bang-up job. Al had already earned his "X" in 2019, but stepped in to help us this year on short notice. He's been daring us to put him out of his misery, but we're not as dumb as we look. Competence has its virtues, which in this case mean that the Quackster, with the help of XNGH Mark "Pokey" Crawford calling in to the state park service every day, has locked in Fort Tejon for our fall Clampout.

That's right! We're going to Fort Tejon for a weekend Clampout, September 22nd to the 24th. So get ready for the fun as this is one of our most popular venues, with easy access for everybody. It literally has its own exit on Interstate 5, and while open fires are still not allowed due to drought conditions, there will be no size restriction for RVs this time around. So keep your eyes glued to this site for early registration information.

Our "Feed the Bear" fund is doing great things for Peter Lebeck chapter. XNGH Dale "Top" Turner, who is our Gold Dust Receiver and bear tamer extraordinaire, reports that the fund covered the purchase of our three new trade show quality canopies, one of which is emblazoned with four PXL Rondelles. The Bear fund also covered the chapter's yearly insurance premium and has paid for the new plaque needed to restore the demolished "Roads End" plaque we dedicated in 2005, under the late Humbug, Steve "Historically" Born.

Top has explained that the purpose of the fund is to cover insurance and the purchase of hard assets, so I agree that we have been putting our Brothers' generosity to good use. As every Clamper knows, our tradition dictates that no one pays dues to remain a Clamper. At PXL our Clampouts do raise money, but we purposely keep the rub low so that everyone can afford to come. Apart from that, sales from our store help bring in additional revenue. If you have a few extra bucks lying around and appreciate what PXL does for our Brotherhood and the Kern community, that $50 annual donation (or a $1000 life contribution) to the Bear fund, will provide the chapter with extra support on a strictly voluntary basis.

For instance, XNGH Bob Cordes, built a wood fired barbeque from the bed of an old pick-up truck, and we've shared it with his chapter of the Knight of Columbus for years. But due to the drought, most of the venues open to us no longer allow open fires, so the chapter needs a commercial grade propane grill to continue cooking our own Saturday night meals instead of having to have them catered, or worse, having to eat cold baloney sandwiches. So this is one place where the Bear fund could really help us out.

As for the Roads End monument restoration, the Humbug has squared away the loose ends. The plaque has been ordered and it should be mounted later this year. The Roads End plaque celebrates a way station above Kernville which was literally at road's end in 1910. The wording tracks the site's history up until the 2002 McNally Fire when the buildings on site were destroyed. As a way point along the Kern River, Roads End was originally used to station the pack animals needed to build the hydroelectric power house a mile and a half up-river. Later, in the 1920's, Roads End was used to stage animals and equipment needed to extend the road. The site eventually included a store, a restaurant and cottages which served the public until their destruction by fire in 2002.

Originally XNGH Charles Topping envisioned a new concrete monument that would have included vintage photos of the site. But the U. S. Forest Service is very particular about this kind of thing. The original agreement had required us to affix our plaque to a "natural feature." That meant that despite being located in a parking lot, the plaque was attached to a large rock, and the rock was so near to the ground that someone backed into it and shattered the plaque to pieces. Well forget about the concrete monument. The current administration is requiring us to use the same rock, but this time they have put additional boulders around it, which should protect our monument from accidental abuse. We are also using aluminum instead of granite this time around.

Our Humbug would also like to congratulate our XNGH, Gene "Dickhead" Duncker, PXP, who, after retiring to the Carson City area about eight years ago, found himself bamboozled into sitting on the board of the Copper Queen fledgling outpost in Yerington, Nevada. Gene attended the meeting, stepped out to go pee, and found himself in office when he returned from the lavatory. The problem was that Copper Queen was starting from absolute scratch, but, on the other hand, no one had ever accused Gene of being shy. At Dickhead's urging Peter Lebeck donated our surplus gear, including awnings, cook tops and pot and pans to get them Clamping. In 2022, and after a lot of hard work, Grand Council gave Copper Queen the go ahead for full chapter status, and their inaugrual Doin's is now set for May 5-7th in Yerington at the Lyon County Fairgrounds. To follow up, I asked Gene if he would ever do that again, to which he replied, "It Depends."

As I explained in a prior post, the Paul Gleim "Rfocus" Store is currently off-line due to some serious health issues which have forced Paul to seek treatment out of state. We wish Paul all the best, but note that his business is not completely kaput. Paul has left his store and his accounts to a friend, so hopefully Rfoucs will be back on line soon. The advantage to ordering from Paul was that you could order personalized items as well as shirts sporting various Clamper designs produced on a dye sublimation printer. That is a fancy way of saying that he could print one shirt at a time economically, as opposed to the screen printing process that requires printing dozens of shirts to make them affordable. That's a really useful option to have, so we'll make sure to keep you up to date on that.

As far as our event shirts go, we've been able to order them at a most reasonable price from a school district affiliated training program in Springfield, Illinois, for youths with disabilities, run by Ptimbo's nephew, Richard Gillespie. The program is called INK 186, and they are responsible for the recent Bald Eagle and Camp Hamilton offerings.

As for PXL's Hawker Store, we've made some serious changes, hopefully for the better. Mike "12-Volt" Mazzetti is our new Hawker, with an assist from Jim "Shanker Mechanic" Mann. They'll be holding down the store but not taking it to other chapters, at least for now. We've put the old Hawker trailer up for sale, and we're paring down the inventory to make it fit in the trunk of a car. Mike and Jim are both CARP members, so you'll still be able to buy pins and other doo-dads obtained from other CARP Peddlers, but event shirts will have to be pre-ordered and picked up either at our next Doin's or at the Saturday Clamper Getaway in Santa Clarita, which typically occurs on the first Saturday of the month.

You'll also be able to preorder other Clamper gear. 12-Volt has access to the entire Wrecking Ball catalog. If you preorder from him at Wrecking Ball prices and pick-up your items from the PXL Store, you won't have to pay for shipping and PXL will still make a little on the sale. You can peruse the Wrecking Ball catalog online, or see Mike. He'll be at the Getaway on Saturday, May 6th, noon until 3 pm. Santa Clarita Elks Lodge #2379, 17766 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, CA 91351.

So what happened to the last guy? Well that's a very sad story, and the chapter deserves an explanation. We turned management of the PXL store over to Kevn "No Eye" Horton as part of the 2014 term, with nearly $12,000, in the store account. Kevn told us that his experience as a businessman made him particularly qualified to take over the store from XNGH Russ "Hole" Chapman, who had been serving temporarily as our Hawker. Kevn was expected to beef-up the store's inventory, keep track of sales and expenses, and deposit the store's proceeds into the general fund after each event. He was also expected, at a minimum, to submit a financial report at our annual corporate business meeting in November, as part of our intention to make chapter finances more transparent.

At first, no one expected much from the store because store funds were expected to be spent on new inventory. But when it was time for Kevn to report on the stores' progress, Kevn would always paint it in the best light, but his financial report was always "almost ready" or 'left at home.' The leadership would roll over and Kevn's failure to file a report would go unnoticed by the new administration.

That went on until 2020, when Al Price, coming off of his first stint as Humbug in 2019, became the Gold Dust Receiver. Al set about going over bank statements from his Humbug year and discovered that two transactions on the store account were returned for "insufficient funds." Neither deficiency had been reported to him, nor had any explanation been offered. Al also noticed that regular deposits were not being made into the general account after events. So where was the money going?

Humbug Mark "Pokey" Crawford appointed an audit committee that included himself, Al and XNGH Dale Turner to review the store's books going back to 2014. At first Kevn appeared to cooperate, but it quickly became clear that he was unprepared to turn over any financial records other than bank statements to which the chapter already had access. He produced no ledgers or receipts for his purchases, and he would not surrender the check register. By the time Kevn gave up the store in September of 2021, the account had less than $200, and there was no evidence of him ever having made regular disbursements to the general account, or having generated any after action reports despite his having taken the store to various ECV events during his tenure, including a trip to Colorado at our chapter's expense.

The situation looked really bad, but the board wanted to give Kevn a chance to reconstruct and explain the store's finances and his activities even if he did not have all the receipts and other paperwork he should have been keeping as part of the ordinary course of business. He was also given the option to come before the board and explain himself, but he failed to take advantage of either opportunity. He did reply in writing, but it was to say that we should recognize that he had always done a good job handling the store.

On February 4, 2023, the board voted to expel Kevn "No Eye" Horton from Peter Lebeck chapter and to declare him persona non grata. Kevn is no longer welcome at any of our functions, and both the Board of Proctors and the other ECV chapters have been so notified. Peter Lebeck cannot take Kevn's redshirt from him, but we do have the right to make our displeasure known. It is a sad thing indeed.

MGM, XNGH -- "Recording No Cyber Before Its Time."
...and remember to Love us on Facebook