The January meeting was held on January 12 at Millworks in Bloomington.

The 2nd annual swap meet was held this month. Several members brought tools and wood to trade or sell. We had 33 members in attendance With one new member, Todd Wright, and several guests, Randy Prescher, Pat Monahan, and Dave Blease. We welcome each and every one of you.

The President's Challenge for March is to complete a bowl with thumb rim.

The 2009 symposium will be in Albuquerque New Mexico. More information is available on the AAW website at http://www.woodturner.org/sym/sym2009/

Happy New Year from Board Member Malcolm Tibbetts.

How quickly a year flies by. With the passing of ’08, your AAW board looks to the future with the same economic concerns that everyone seems to have. These are scary times for sure, but we are very fortunate to have a strong association, filled with very dedicated and passionate members. Our future remains rock-solid; we don’t need a “bail-out.”

With the New Year, there are many changes. We say goodbye and extent a big thank you to out-going board members Corey Anderson, Al Hockenbery, and our past president Angelo Iafrate (it’s not really a goodbye, for I’m sure they will all continue to contribute to the AAW mission). And we welcome newly elected and very qualified board members, Dale Larson, Binh Pho, and Cassandra Speier. In addition, Betty Scarpino has taken over the editorial duties of our journal and this will be Mary Lacer’s first full year as our executive director. Board member, Bill Haskell has “stepped up to the plate” and by unanimous board vote, taken the reigns of our association presidency; we are in very good hands. We’re going through almost as much transition as Washington, but without nearly as much controversy. The future looks very bright indeed.

In February, the board will be visiting the Albuquerque facilities. The ’09 symposium is shaping up to be another “not to be missed” event. Hotel rooms are already starting to fill up, so don’t delay in making your plans. Even if you can’t make it to Albuquerque, you can still participate; consider submitting an entry into the “Spirit of the Southwest” exhibition. The submission deadline is right around the corner on February 7th, so get busy. For more information about this exhibition, visit our website.

Speaking of submissions, how about contributing a good story for the 25th anniversary book that is being created? This is going to be a fantastic publication, to be published prior to our 25th symposium in 2012. John Kelsey has been hired to oversee this project and he would love to receive short stories or essays from AAW members. Tell a funny story or recognize someone who has made a difference and try to include a photo or two. Send your best stuff to John at editorkelsey@gmail.com .

By the time that you read this, the annual EOG (Educational Opportunity Grant) submission deadline of January 15th will probably have passed. As chairman of the EOG committee, I’m very proud of this aspect of our organization. Each year, the EOG committee has the responsibility of selecting grant recipients and it’s never an easy job. I wish we could approve all applications, but we do not have unlimited funds available – best of luck to all that have applied.

A bit of a personal note… At the conclusion of the first “segmented symposium” held in November 2008, attendees expressed a desire to form an association. I am involved with the creation of a new “specialized” AAW chapter of segmented turners. I invite all segmenters to consider joining this new group. You can sign up at: http://www.segmentedwoodturners.org/

If you haven’t yet renewed your AAW membership, then I encourage you to do so as soon as possible. You can be assured that we’ll put your hard-earned dollars to good use.

Wishing everyone the best for the New Year,

On February 14, Pekin Woodworkers Shop with be having an Open House. More information is at Pekin Woodworkers Shop

Also on February 14, the first 'Fun Saturday' will be at Millworks in Bloomington. Please contact Frank Kobilsek for questions.

On March 21, the Spring Bloom Arts Festival. Please contact Bob Adam for questions

The following members shared and discussed their work with us:

Jerry Rhoades – 2 maple bowls, cocobolo pepper mills, pith bowl
Ken Baird – 2 maple bowls, pith bowl
Keith Zimmerman – carved bowl, big leaf maple burl hollow form
Dwight Crane – 4 colored vases
Keith Adams – 2 bowls (1 dyed), vase with base unturned
Larry Moreau – 4 pens
Joe Landon – 1 colored vase, platter, 2 other vases (1 from yew root)

See photos of our members showing their work at the January Show-n-tell.