Today’s Meeting: Allan Bassler – Publisher of the Morrison’s Cove Herald and a check presentation to the club by Bev Green, representing the FirstEnergy Foundation.
Future Speakers:
July 31st – Ed Krueger – Publisher of the Altoona Mirror
August 7th – Jane Sheffield & Jim Yeager of the St. Vincent de Paul Society – Monastery Gardens
August 14th – Sam Hayes, Jr. – retired Secretary of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Pa.
August 21st – Donna Fisher – District Manager Bl. Co. Conservation Dist. – Natureworks Park
August 28th – Jerry Zolten – PSU professor – “How They Got Over: Black Gospel Quartets & the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: Larry Kulp of the Kulp Family Farm in Martinsburg was our guest speaker. Larry and his family moved to the Cove in 1973 when his son Philip was just three. They began farming with 38 cows and now have farms in both the Cove and Sinking Valley and have a 3,000 Holstein herd of which 2,600 are milked daily! The milking schedule is a 24/7 operation with each cow being milked three times a day. Each milking shift is 6-1/2 hours and each parlor is washed completely after each milking. Larry explained that he has now retired and the farm is run by his son Philip and his 
grandson Kyle, who is currently a student at Penn State. Kyle also spoke to the club and noted that their milk parlors now employ 35 and that during “cropping” they hire an additional 35 part-time employees. He stated that currently the supply of milk exceeds the demand and consequently the milk business is not as profitable. He did state that they have benefitted from 30% of their milk being produced as kosher milk; with the overseeing of the milking parlors by rabbis. In addition to the milk production, the operation includes about 6,000 acres of farm land. Additionally, the Kulp farm is host to countless grade school students who tour the farm each year. Following his remarks, Kyle fielded a number of questions from the membership. In addition to Larry and Kyle, Larry’s wife Mary Ann and another grandson Hank attended the meeting. The Kyles were very gracious in bringing along gift bags for the membership which included some cheese sticks, cinnamon butter, milk chocolate, recipes, and even a tractor key chain. A very interesting and informative program!
Guests of the Day:
…..Guest of Paul Dick was Emily Sollenberger, a Relationship Manager at M & T Bank in Altoona.
Emily has decided to join the club and has submitted an application.
…..Guest of Dave Aikens was Sandy Hazlett.
News of the Week:
…..President Kristan passed around a thank you card from Erin Kelly, who, along with her mother, was last week’s speaker. She thanked us for the opportunity for her story to be told and hoped that we would invite her back, maybe after she writes her next book.
…..Kristan also announced that the club has received a $1,000 donation from the CPCF (Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation)! The check will be put to good use in our Amtryke fund.
…..Mark your calendar….the AMBUCS will face WeCare in the WeCare Softball Marathon on Friday, August 10th, at Seitz field in Eldorado. Tony Miller needs players, basically anyone with a pulse! A sign-up sheet began it’s rounds last week. You can sign up to play and/or attend the after-game party. Oil up that glove, knock the dirt out of those cleats, and get some time in the batting cage as the AMBUCS look to bring home the bragging rights against WeCare. If you can’t play….that’s OK too as we need a cheering section for the game and people to attend the traditional after-game party!
…..Last week the raffle ticket of Jim Berkhimer was chosen. Jim, unfortunately for him, chose the three of clubs. Pulling that card just made him another loser in a long line of losers! So that means the odds are even better for whomever gets to try to find one of those two Jokers this week…..remember, it could be you picking from the deck of 47 remaining cards with a potential winning pot of about $140.
In Closing: Bill is putting his young daughter to bed one night and as he walks out the bedroom door he hears her saying her prayers. She says, “God bless mommy, daddy, and grandma, rest in peace grandpa.” Bill rushes back into her bedroom and asks her, 
“Why did you say the last part?” His daughter replies, “Because I needed to.” The next day, grandpa dies of a heart attack. Bill is worried about his daughter but thinks, “It must just be a sad coincidence.”
That night he tucks his daughter into bed again and once again he hears her saying her prayers. She says, “God bless mommy and daddy, rest in peace grandma.” Bill is now really worried and thinking to himself, “Can my daughter really see into the future?” The next day, lo and behold grandma dies and now Bill is convinced his daughter can predict the future. For the rest of the week, nothing happens, but on Sunday night as Bill leaves his daughter’s bedroom he waits outside and listens for any more prayers. Sure enough, he hears her say, “God bless you mommy, rest in peace daddy.” Now Bill is really panicking and thinking, ‘”Oh my God, I’m going to die tomorrow!”
The following day Bill is a complete mess at work; a real nervous wreck. He constantly checks the clock, looks around the room and is on edge all the time expecting to die at any moment. He is so nervous that he doesn’t leave the office until after midnight. Once it turns past midnight he says to himself with relief, “How is this possible? I should be dead!” He goes home and walks into the house to find his wife sitting on the sofa with a scared look on her face. She asks him, “Where have you been? What took you so long?” Bill replies, “Listen honey, I haven’t had the best of days” and he is just about to tell her what has happened when she starts crying and bursts out, “You think you had a bad day…..I saw the mailman die yesterday!”