Because brother Dean Zellers was elected Grand President for the 2015/16 term Sonoma parlor #111 was the host for this year’s 5 day convention. This year’s Grand Parlor had two hundred and twenty delegates and an equal number of spouses and guest that participated in a week that was a mixture of fun events, visiting with old friends, and the work of three long business sessions that included the disposition of 33 resolutions. There were also three workshops that covered Marketing, Parlor Bookkeeping, and Officer training.
On the fun and entertainment side Grand President Zellers had an invitation only party for 120 of the VIP’s and their quests of hand crafted hor d’oeuvres and refreshments where the stuffed potatoes with asiago cheese and bacon ended up being the hit of the party (thank You Barbie Hoffmann) , the delegates and their guests attended a formal banquet with introduction of all Grand Officers and their wives, a picnic and Chicken Barbecue (held at the Petaluma Adobe Historical park) for over 350 members and guests, a play day of golf, trap shooting, bowling, horseshoes, Hospitality room that each visiting parlor from all over California setup to promote their candidate for Grand Parlor, and raffle off grand prizes. Most hospitality rooms included samplings of food varying from snacks and deserts to a bowl of great award winning Abalone Chowder (thank you George Adams Napa #62).
Hosting a 5 day convention is not an easy task, and after listening to the many wonderful positive comments from the visiting delegates (especially the “best BBQ in years” comment) a Huge Thank You is seriously in order to all the brothers from Sonoma 111 that made this great event possible, there is no way to do this without your unquestioning Friendship Loyalty and Charity.