Author: Robert Meehan

Starlighter Gazette
A Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 3

July 2009

Starlighters’ SUMMER CASUAL-
Your Next Dance-at the
ORANGE COUNTY MINING COMPANY
On July 18, we’ll be kickin’ up our heels at the Orange County Mining Company for our Summer Casual dance with the very popular Don Peterson Trio, one of our favorite bands. The “Mining Company” is an historic venue, sitting high on a hill in “old Silverado” mining country, actually located on one of the old silver mine sites at the canyon. Views of Orange County are spectacular, with “dancing lights” as far as the eye can see after dark.. Relics displayed within the restaurant's interior are genuine artifacts of the mining era. Along the Silverado, prospectors combed the mountain side and canyon bottoms in search of signs of precious metal. Men rushed into the canyon seeking fame and fortune. With the arrival of prospectors, new shops, hotels and saloons emerged. It is in the tradition of the Old Silverado grubberies and saloons that the Orange County Mining Company was patterned. That said, the “Mining Company” has an “old west” elegance that makes it one of Orange counties most popular spots. As if the uniqueness of the Mining Company weren’t enough, there are wonderful hors d’oeuvres planned and a very tasty main course. Our dinner starts with a California Garden Salad with Bleu Cheese Dressing; followed by a main course of Boneless, Skinless Breast of Chicken in a Light Sherry Wine Sauce with Artichoke Hearts, Sliced Mushrooms, Chives and Parsley; accompanied by seasoned Red Rose Potatoes, and a Medley of Fresh Vegetables. Fortification for dancing is completed with a very tasty Chocolate Éclair to satisfy the most extravagant appetites.
You may bring your own wine selection for a mere $10 corkage fee. The cost will be $100 per couple. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Don’t be too early. Don’t be late!!

**BE THERE. DON’T BE SQUARE!!**

Your By-Laws Have Been Revised
This month you are receiving an updated copy of the Starlighter By-Laws. Two significant changes affecting member-guest rules have been made, along with some routine administrative ones. The Board voted to allow new members to invite guests immediately after they have been accepted as members and paid the requisite due. Also voted by the Board was a change to allow out-of–state former members to attend as many dances as they want by paying the dance cost and a pro-rata share of dues.

Please Congratulate & Welcome Our April 2009 New Members and Say Hello!

Alan Mannason & Pat Nyborg

Rad Bechtel & Mickey Dundee

Good News: New Members Can Invite Guests Immediately!!
Help the club grow by planning to bring friends and neighbors as guest couples. The Board will do all they can to help them get acquainted with our great members and make them feel comfortable. When guests attend two Starlighter dances they are eligible for membership and should submit an application at their second dance. Your Membership Chairpersons always have applications on hand at the dances. Don’t forget to share the Starlighter Website with your guests. The website address is: thestarlighters.org. The user name is members. The password is only.

Starlighter Gazette, Founded by Paul Morin. Writer/Editor for 2009: Bob Meehan, President

Starlighter Gazette
A Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Page #

Dance Schedule
Mark Your Calendars

January	March	May	July	September	November
17	21	16	18	19	21

On September 19, we have our fall semi-formal at the Mile Square Golf Club in Fountain Valley; and, on November 21 we will return to a 2008 favorite, the Foxfire Restaurant, for the winter formal with the great Street Corner Symphony again providing music. Please mark your calendars for the above dates to be able to enjoy all that our dances offer. Starlighter dances are every other month beginning in January, concluding in November, and are always scheduled for the third Saturday of the month.

The Spring Formal at the Sheraton Was A Blast
32 happy couples attended the Spring Formal at the elegant Anaheim Sheraton where everyone enjoyed a $250 dinner-dance for the very reasonable price of $125. The Club hosted two guest couples: Kent and Judy Dickinson, guests of Dale and Marsha Cook, and Ivan and Barbara Bishop; and Jerry and Shelley Ziliak, guests of Bob and Adrienne Meehan. (The Dickinson’s and the Ziliak’s became members of Starlighter’s when the Board met June 3 and approved their applications. Congratulations new members!) We danced to the sounds of the best band in the land, Street corner symphony, always a great sound and music for everyone’s tastes. All dancers had an opportunity to do their stuff on a very generous size floor. The camaraderie was so thick you could slice it with a knife. Everyone was enjoying each other’s company. Satisfaction Survey comments were expressed this way: “Non-attendees missed a winner!!” The Sheraton servers, so attentive, circulated among the guests and served an elegant array of appetizers that pleased everyone. 100% of attendees rated the room Excellent to Good. 83% rated the dinner Excellent to Good. 97% rated the band Excellent to Good. Overall the members attending were very happy.

And……..Please Congratulate & Welcome Our June 2009 New Members, and Say Hello!

Jerry & Shelley Ziliak

Kent & Judy Dickinson

Why Starlighters?
Adrienne and I were talking the other day about Starlighters. We reminisced about our 18 year membership and what it means to us today. During this time, we’ve been privileged to know so many wonderful couples, and with whom we have enjoyed warm friendships. The Club has been and continues to be one of our major social experiences. While our Club’s focus is on the “Dance”, and yes, it is very important, the experience of Starlighters has many more dimensions. We recalled so many terrific dinner tables when we sat with couples whom we had not spent much previous time with, to find out that we had so much in common. There were spirited and informative conversations – not earthmoving – but genuinely warm, familial, and personal anecdotes, and occasionally a little politics. So to us, Starlighters is a Club where we, without reservation, can bring our friends as guests; meet great people in a safe and friendly environment; have the opportunity to develop a true camaraderie with others who are like minded; experience a bit of a country club environment (without the initiation fee and monthly fees), with just a touch of exclusivity (without being snobbish); and have the continuity of regular dances every other month that provide something special to do and be a part of six times a year.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, by certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaration of Independence
“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” – George Washington

My Country Tis of Thee Samuel F. Smith
My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims' pride, From every mountain side Let freedom ring. (1st Verse)

“Let every nation know, whether it wish us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“The winds that blow through the wide sky in these mounts, the winds that sweep from Canada to Mexico, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, have always blown on free men.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt