Big Sir Sez,
February 2026
Big SIR
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time,” attributed to John Lydgate, a 15th century monk and poet. We have all heard this in one form or another, but 15th century, wow! Here was someone that was ahead of his time.
I thought of the above after the buffet, this having been our first such service. Would membership like the buffet? Would it liven the luncheons? Would they enjoy the food? How long would the service take? What I have heard back so far range from best luncheon ever to the meat loaf was raw and I prefer the sit-down service. I have not yet seen the comment card report that Jim Sowell provides. He just told me that there were 23 comment cards, which is 3 or 4 times what we usually receive. It did take longer for everyone to get their food. Members were told that they were limited to a choice between the meat loaf or the cannelloni. I had specifically asked Angelique about whether we had to choose and what I said in that you could have what you want was exactly what I was told. I didn’t correct this until I went through the line. Many, upon receiving the invite from BO went back for seconds, especially for the meat loaf and gravy. That’s what I mean when saying “guy food”. What I felt was most positive is that it got membership talking. That in itself brought life to the luncheon. Will we do this again? You bet; look forward to BBQ chicken with macaroni and cheese in April. If we can see a way to shorten the time it takes to serve us, such as two lines and having the rolls and salad already on the tables, we will pursue that with BO.
Our ACC is holding their Chairmen’s Breakfast a few days after I write this article. This event is held annually to ensure that we getting value and enjoyment out of our activities. A lot goes into making these activities happen. Some much more than others. The interests of our society change, making it more difficult to maintain some activities but also creating new opportunities. What we learn from this event helps steer where we are going. Once again, the concept of life plays into what we are doing and why we enjoy getting together.
You are starting to learn that I am a story teller. I feel that the best stories happen naturally in life. You don’t have to make these stories up. You do have to decide which are the best stories to tell. These are my Southern roots. You will hear me draw upon this at the luncheons as we go through the year.
We are always looking for new ideas. We also want to know if we have an issue. If you have something you want to say, please email me. No promises, but I am usually pretty good at steering this to the right person. As with any suggestion, we will endeavor to do what is best for the branch.
Dan Smith
Big SIR
925-588-6792
January 2026
Big SIR
We started out our luncheons for 2026 with really good attendance. Frankly it was because we had 7 applicants and 8 guests, all but one who had not joined us before. Applicants are inducted at an orientation after the luncheon. Guests are checking us out and will hopefully also join. Thank you, guys, for joining us.
A goal for our luncheons is to have interesting and entertaining speakers. Frankly, that can be easier said than done. Our speakers are basically volunteering their time. Their associations are usually the source for what they have to say. We like to have recommendations. And we want variety so as to make you think. They are not to be political, religious, or to engage in fundraising. Overall, I think we are doing well. Sometimes, one can be boring. If we miss our mark for our goal, I’ll apologize. We accept the criticism and look to do better and better. We held a meeting after this last luncheon, which had strong interest from membership. There were 15 of us rather than the usual 6 or so. When you make recommendations and we listen, that is how we get better and better.
Our next luncheon will be our first buffet service with Boundary Oak and will offer Meat Loaf with gravy and Cannelloni Four Cheeses with Spinach, but no fish service. I was concerned as to whether we had to control what we selected from the buffet and I checked. Angelique stated, “With the buffet, they can eat whatever they want. If they want 2 pieces of cannelloni and meat loaf with the vegetables and potatoes, that’s fine. We have staff that overlooks to make sure we don’t completely run out.” If you are concerned about being able to serve yourself at a buffet, you will be served by staff if you sit at a mobility limited table. If you choose to sit elsewhere with a friend, then ask your friend. The buffet will be set up in the bar area. We can circulate through the doors. It will make sense if I call out table numbers so we don’t have a line coming out of the bar area.
We communicate about what we do with the Hotline and with our website. Chris Wehling has simplified the Hotline by limiting the articles therein to those that report upon a current event. Otherwise, the index has links to our website for those activities that rely upon generic descriptions. This makes the Hotline much more to the point and readable. It also puts the onus on the website to maintain the descriptions of the activities in good order. Actually, that onus has always been there. How many of us, including myself, came into this organization by first visiting this website. The Activity Chairman, when he writes and submits his article, is doing every thing he can for us when he writes something that creates interest with a visitor. And, we do not want to leave an article on the website so long that it becomes stale or dated.
We are always looking for new ideas. We also want to know if we have an issue. If you have something you want to say, please email me. No promises, but I am usually pretty good at steering this to the right person. As with any suggestion, we will endeavor to do what is best for the branch.
Dan Smith
Big SIR
December 2025
First, I want to thank Tom DiGrande for mentoring me throughout 2025. Tom has been an effective Big SIR and has accomplished much for the branch during his term. This I will address at the luncheon. Working with Tom during the process taught me much. Tom led by example. Mentoring works well that way. When handed over you have faith the next will carry on well using their own head. That is my goal. You can too. You guys are smart and any of you can do this.
We have initiated change. And a new year gets to celebrate the changes, especially when they work well. The branch needed change. We need to offer good reason to take part in our luncheons, to take part in the activities. We must be diligent in doing the best that we can.
Ending 2025 we had a Holiday Gala. The Ladies Day Luncheons needed new life. We opted to have this one gala in lieu of the two luncheons. We were concerned that the change would turn the membership off. Having a goal of 100 participants was well exceeded by the 128 guests. And we had fun! Once we could identify with the music, the dance floor came to life! Especially for the gals. At one point, later, after the gals appeared to worn the guys out, the dance floor was occupied by all gals and one member. Brave soul!
Consider that having that dance floor with the music made the party fun. Note that we almost filled the room. We will learn what Boundary Oak can accommodate, whether it is 150 guests or whatever. The point is in 2026 as membership learns how fun this gala was, suggest sign up early else you may end up on a wait list. And our single guys or welcome, too. I don’t think that our members that have set down will mind if you want to dance. Just ask him.
There will be other changes in 2026. I wrote about changing the menu last month. Boundary Oak has listened. They have shared a preliminary menu for the first six months that includes buffets in February and April. I look forward to this and hope you do, too.
Our much beleaguered by the weather BBQ and Oktoberfest is being reviewed by its committee. We do not know what they will propose; it will differ. My suggestion has been to find a venue where we can be both inside and out. That way we can have the best of both worlds. Watch for what comes.
The booth that we manned at Clayton’s Oktoberfest encouraged us. It was a lot of work, especially for our chairman Greg Konsavage. What makes it all worthwhile is the support provided by the members. Mixing and mingling with strangers can be fun, especially if you like what you are doing. We don’t want to ask this of you of anything that is continuous like a farmer’s market. But if Greg finds a worthwhile venue in the Spring, that is important to us. We want the area to be aware of who we are and what we do.
Dan Smith
Big SIR
Little Sir Sez,
March 2026
First up: Super Kudos to the ACC for the successful and highly informative Activity Status Breakfast Meeting. Congratulations to Mike Frey, Ken Main, and Chick Lowry!
Bruce Corwin, Director of State Documents sent a message with an attachment to SIR Board and Committee Chairs, ARs, Big Sirs, Little Sirs, and Branch Secretaries concerning the update to the SIR, Inc. Manual.
There are many updates, but the “Talk of the Town” is the added New Policy B-15 –Photo Release Form. The Form will be added to SIR Membership application.
The following is the explanation of the background, its scope and application:
Purpose of Policy B-15
SIR, Inc. and its Branches use photographs and images of members, guests, and events in branch bulletins, websites, newsletters, and membership recruitment materials. The purpose of this policy is to obtain clear, voluntary consent from individuals before their images are used in such materials, and to ensure that both members and the organization understand their respective rights and responsibilities.
Background
The widespread availability of digital images through the internet and social media, combined with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence tools capable of altering or fabricating imagery, has created new and serious risks for individuals and organizations alike. Manipulated or misused images can be used to embarrass individuals, perpetrate scams, or cause significant reputational harm. It has therefore become essential that SIR, Inc. obtain member consent before using member images in any branch materials that are accessible to the public.
Scope
This policy applies to all SIR, Inc. branches and covers the use of photographs and images of members, guests, and family members in the following contexts:
- Branch bulletins, whether printed or posted online
- Branch websites, including any publicly accessible portions
- Membership recruitment and promotional materials
- Any other materials distributed to the general public
As you can see, implementation will be a daunting task at best.
Interpretation of the meaning and scope, and subsequent Implementation will be discussed at the March 9 BEC meeting. Stay tuned as further information will be forthcoming. Oh, Boy!
Thom Watkins, Little SIR
February 2026
In the Big SIR message, Dan pretty much laid it out with reference to the speaker situation. We are bound to hit some and miss some. We can’t please everybody all of the time. Our aim is to please almost everybody all of the time. I know, I stole a version of that quote, but you get the point.
The Speakers Committee meeting after the January Luncheon inspiring. There around 15 members there to voice their thoughts and suggestions.
There were several members that offered to give presentations themselves. We decided to have a “Core Group” consisting of the Little SIR, Steve Schramm, Leo Dominguez, Tom Doll, and Ken Main. Members will send their suggestions to me, and I will funnel them to the core group. The Group will meet after one or more of the Luncheons and work on a schedule of speakers. This way, we hope to bring you pertinent, and entertaining speakers. Stay Tuned.
Thom Watkins
Little SIR
January 2026
First of all, I thank you, the membership for having confidence in me to be part of your leadership team. I feel honored and humbled. I promise to do my best for you individually and Branch 8.
One of the goals for 2026 is to bring you interesting/entertaining speakers. I invite anyone that has an idea for a speaker(s) who may have interesting/entertaining stories to tell to please contact me: thomwat831@gmail.com or 925.330.3780. Also, if you are interested in being a member of our Speakers Committee, we’d love to have you join us.
We ended the year with a hugely successful Holiday Gala event. The success of the Gala was due to a massive effort by not only the Committee of Buck Cheshire, Ray de Wit, and Paula Murphy, but to the many, many others who contributed the gift baskets, wine, and various gift certificates for wine tastings, rounds of golf, and restaurants.
Octoberfest was cancelled due to the prospect of inclement weather, and that was not the only event cancelled due to weather. The June BBQ was cancelled due to extreme heat. Octoberfest was created to take the place of the June event to stay away from that summer heat. So, how about having an event between the June heat and a rainy October. In consideration of that, I propose holding an event in September. It would have the menu of the June BBQ and the spirit of Oktoberfest. If approved by the BEC, I am asking anyone interested in helping to please contact me, and we can begin planning for “Happy Fall Y’All.”
Here’s hoping that the New Year, 2026 brings out more humanity and understanding for all of us. I hope that each of you enjoy family and friends, good health and good times in the year to come.
Thom Watkins
Little SIR
last updated 02/28/2026 by MLF
