OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2011/12 Board Members
Jim Hancock, President
Jeb Wiemer, Vice President
Janice Henderson, Treasurer
Evelyn Greene, Secretary
Sam Hayakawa, Director
Virginia Hayes, Director
Scotty Rhode, Director

Mahalo to ALL of our directors and officers, past and present! If you'd like to get involved, please contact evelyn@bluegrasshawaii.com.

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BLUEGRASS HAWAII BYLAWS ARE NOW AVAILABLE HERE!


Minutes archived by date:

January 12, 2012
December 8, 2011
July 14, 2011
June 26, 2011
May 22, 2011
May 3, 2011
March 12, 2011
February 21, 2010
January 23, 2010

Minutes of the Board Meeting on January 12, 2012

Present: Evelyn Greene, Jim Hancock, Virginia Hayes, Scotty Rhode, Jeb Wiemer
Absent: Sam Hayakawa, Janice Henderson

The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm by President Jim Hancock.

Action on the bylaws was deferred to allow all board members to review them.

Jeb will work to secure an individual who can act as a liaison or promoter for visiting bands.

At the next board meeting, we will ask Janice to prepare a information sheet listing all recurring debts that occur throughout the year.

The storage unit will be cleared of Bluegrass Hawaii items, and it was agreed to compensate Caroline Wright $500.00 for the use of the unit.

Bluegrass in the Ko'olaus will have a continuous show of bands on Saturday afternoon, to allow walkins and visitors to hear performed music.

Jim will schedule a time for screen printing of t-shirts for sale at Bluegrass in the Ko'olaus.

Meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.

Minutes of the Board Meeting on December 8, 2011

Present: Evelyn Greene, Jim Hancock, Virginia Hayes, Janice Henderson, Jeb Wiemer
Absent: Sam Hayakawa, Scott Rhode
Guests: Andy Char, John, Dotten, Mike Spengel

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by President Jim Hancock.

1. BLUEGRASS IN THE KOOLAUS: Virginia and Scotty will coordinate the next Bluegrass in the Koolaus together.

2. MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS: The benefits for members have expired and will be removed from the website.

3. TREASURER'S REPORT: As of October 2011, Bluegrass Hawaii has $2608.00. Janice will continue to reconcile the account. Checks over $300.00 will require the signature of the treasurer and one other officer.

4. LOGO: Sam Hayakawa's logo was chosen as the new Bluegrass Hawaii logo. Evelyn will redesign the website and membership cards. Sam will receive one year free membership.

5. STORAGE: Bluegrass Hawaii's property will be dispersed throughout the membership for storage at the next Bluegrass in the Koolaus campout. Caroline Wright is currently storing equipment. An appropriate amount will be paid to her for past storage at the next board meeting.

6. CLASSIFIED ADS: Andy Char's legal opinion is that we are able to post ads with certain limitations and stipulations. Evelyn will work with Andy on the language and will then begin administering the ads through the website.

7. POST OFFICE BOX: The post office box rent is one of our recurring expenses. Jeb and Evelyn are currently holding the keys to the box.

8. OUTREACH AT JAMS: Virginia suggested that board members make a point to provide outreach during jams. Evelyn will make and disseminate a form to each board member which can be used at any jam for mailing list sign-up.

9. T-SHIRTS: Jim will coordinate making generic Bluegrass Hawaii t-shirts which can be sold at any event.

10. BYLAWS: Andy Char provided modifications to the Bylaws. A few more modifications were proposed. Modification and ratification were deferred to the next meeting. Andy will be given a one year membership for his efforts.

11. VISITING BAND INFORMATION: Jim requested a volunteer to provide a template for visiting bands to include venues, sound system providers, transportation, etc. A request will be made to Caroline Wright to work with Bluegrass Hawaii on development of such.

12. ELECTION PROCEDURES: Nominees will be accepted in April and posted on the website. Voting will take place in person at the membesrhip general meeting in May. Those unable to attend will be able to vote by written proxy.

The next meeting will be held January 12 at a time and place to be announced.

Jim Hancock adjourned the meeting at 8:00 pm.

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Minutes of the Board Meeting on July 14, 2011

Present: Evelyn Greene, Jim Hancock, Sam Hayakawa, Virginia Hayes, Scott Rhode, Jeb Wiemer
Absent: Janice Henderson
Guest: Mike Spengel

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by President Jim Hancock.

Treasurer Janice Henderson was unable to attend, but submitted a report via email. She is still gathering the appropriate bank authorizations.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. BANNER: Scotty brought up the idea of creating a large banner that could be seen from a distance to alert folks of our location. The banner would need to be about 3 feet by 8 feet, and could be created by computer or hand painted. Sam pointed out that the cost would be approximately $300. Virginia noted that a simple banner could be made with simple materials from a fabric shop. She will come up with a cost for these materials. This item was tabled pending more information.

2. LOGO: We have discussed creating a new logo for Bluegrass Hawaii. Evelyn will solicit logo designs through a mass email, with people submitting them no later than the next board meeting, August 11. The board will choose a new logo at that time, giving the winner a t-shirt and a year's free membership.

3. BLUEGRASS IN THE KO'OLAUS: Virginia reported that canopies which will create jamming areas separate from the pavilion will cost $425 to rent. The price includes 30 folding chairs. She will ask Ho'omaluhia if it is acceptable to erect a large (20' x 30', or 20' x 40') canopy in the camping area. Due to the large cost, the board decided to table the idea until after the Rhonda Vincent Concert.

Since Bluegrass Hawaii will shortly have a new logo, the board decided not to create t-Shirts for the campout in September. Jim suggested that in the future we create an organizational t-shirt which can be sold at any event.

Virginia is working on food arrangements, and will work on getting simple take-out from nearby food establishments. Donations will be accepted for food. She will also ask about special pricing or coffee for non-profit organizations available from Starbucks.

4. THE COFFEE GUY: Jeb mentioned that Bluegrass Hawaii has a coffee pot. He would like to purchase a large bag of coffee from Costco and a small storage bin for sugar and creamer. Jim motioned that Jeb purchase these items and submit receipts to Janice. Evelyn seconded the motion, which approved unanimously. It was also unanimously approved that Jeb Wiemer's new duties come with a designated title: JEB, THE COFFEE GUY.

5. STORAGE LOCKER: Jim will investigate the amount of camping gear, prizes, tents, canopies, and other items that are in storage. He will present an inventory to the board, which will then decide the best course of action for storage. This item was tabled pending more information.

6. RHONDA VINCENT CONCERT: Scotty will investigate whether we can sell water at the concert. Posters are now available for printing and distribution. The Publicity Committee is keeping track of poster placement through a google doc.

Mike Spengel found out that publicizing the concert through the military's Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Office will require discounted tickets for military members. Evelyn will call Jeff Harris of MWR to investigate the feasibility of running discounted tickets through MWR. If this is possible, Mike proposed, and Jim seconded, that a ticket price of $20 be made available for military.

6. ADVERTISEMENT: Mike proposed a one time $132 ad in each of the three military newspapers published by Midweek to advertise the existence of Bluegrass Hawaii to the military. Jim seconded the motion, which passed with one abstention.

7. SWAP MEET JAM SESSION: The Publicity Committee has set up a jam session for Sunday, July 31st, at the swap meet where Bluegrass Hawaii can hand out flyers concerning the Rhonda Vincent concert. The space costs $10 - $15, and will be chosen on the morning of the jam. Sam and Scotty will set up the canopies and provide water.

8. TV SPOTS: Mike Spengel has asked for volunteers to perform short spots on television for further support for the campout.

9. BYLAWS: The Bylaws of Bluegrass Hawaii are in need of some revision. All board members will look at them and make notes regarding possible changes. A meeting will be held after Ho'omaluhia specifically to address the Bylaws.

Jim Hancock adjourned the meeting at 8:15 pm.

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Minutes of the Board and Membership Meeting on June 26, 2011

The new board is as follows:

2011 Board Members
Jim Hancock, President
Jeb Wiemer, Vice President
Janice Henderson, Treasurer
Evelyn Greene, Secretary
Sam Hayakawa, Director
Virginia Hayes, Director
Scotty Rhode, Director

The coordinator for the monthly jam will be Mike Spengel. Jim proposed that $25.00 be given for Mike to use to secure venues, if needed. Mike would appreciate volunteers to help with clean up, securement, and thoughts concerning the monthly jam. Please email Mike at Half-Fast@hawaii.rr.com if you are willing to help out.

Caroline Wright, Mike Spengel, Scotty Rhode, Sam Hawakawa, and Jeb Wiemer volunteered to form a Publicity for Events committee.

Caroline Wright is working on the Rhonda Vincent concert, and is also looking for volunteers to help out. Please email Caroline at Caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com if you would like to give her your assistance.

Bluegrass in the Koolaus Jim took a poll of those present of improvement ideas, which were as follows: bigger and better signage; more abundant canopies; more spontaneous jam spots needed; invite the contra dancers; a better stage/performance area; more chairs; post a schedule and map. Virginia Hayes, Rene Berthiaume, and Woody Woolcock volunteered to from a committee to organize this event.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 pm.

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Minutes of General Membership Meeting on May 22, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 1:30 pm.

Present: Rene Berthiaume, Teresa Berthiaume, John Dotton, Evelyn Greene, Neil Halpin, Jimbo Hancock, Virginia Hayes, Janice Henderson, Pat Luna, Ed Redford, Bob Schornstheimer, Mary Schornstheimer, Neal Snyder, Mike Spengel, Dale Stewart, Jeb Wiemer, Susan Wiess, and Woody Woolcock, Caroline Wright

OLD BUSINESS:

Bluegrass in the Koolaus Available dates in August and September are the weekends of August 21 and September 9. John Dotton motioned that we reserve August 21. Virginia Hayes modified the motion to reserve September 9, a full moon night that will allow some participation from the bluegrass lovers in Japan. Teresa seconded the amended motion, which was passed unanimously. Caroline noted that we broke even at the last Bluegrass in the Koolaus.

Treasurer's Report Our Form 990-N was accepted by the state. Our current balance is $3506.58, with approximately $500 of bills outstanding. The report was accepted subject to audit.

NEW BUSINESS:

Elections teller: An objective person is needed to tabulate the forthcoming election results. John Dotton motioned to have Teresa Berthiaume perform those duties. Virginia Hayes seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Teresa accepted ballots at the meeting and will retrieve mailed in ballots and tabulate them.

Ballot composition Susan Wiess motioned to have photos of the nominees included with the ballots. Unfortunately, the ballots were already printed, and the motion failed for want of a second.

Size of the New Board Bob Schornsthiemer noted that a smaller board would make it easier to have a quorum. Mike Spengel noted that a board of five would allow for quicker decision making. Jim Hancock noted that a smaller board has all of those advantages, however having a board of five would allow a small number of people to take control, and suggested seven. Evelyn Greene motioned for a board of seven, Jim Hancock seconded it, and the motion passed unanimously.

Committees Caroline Wright suggested the formation of four committees, as follows:

  1. Jams and Events, with a Bluegrass in the Koolaus Subcommittee
  2. Publicity and Promotion
  3. Membership Committee
  4. Venues and Property

This idea was viewed favorably and will be discussed at the next board meeting.

Board Member Terms A better method of staggering board member terms was discussed. Mike Spengel motioned that the election be held as scheduled, with the board deciding at its first meeting to limit the terms of three members to one year. Jim Hancock seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Recognition of Caroline Wright Bob Schornsthiemer motioned to give Caroline Wright a lifetime membership, in recognition of her role as the visionary and founder of Bluegrass Hawaii and of the wealth of information that she has gathered throughout her years of creating and running the organization. This motion was seconded by everyone in the room and passed unanimously.

Venues Susan Wiess reminded everyone of the opportunities available for jams and performances at Ward Warehouse and OnStage. She will re-introduce these venues to the Board and Events Committee after the election.

Virginia Hayes moved to adjourn the meeting. Bob Schornstheimer seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 pm.

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Proposal to Board May 3 through 5, 2011

Four issues were brought up concerning the voting taking place for board members.

  1. Two nominees did not submit their bios in time for them to go out with the original email.
  2. Not everyone has email access, precluding voting.
  3. Only the full membership can vote to change the number of board members.
  4. Members not up for re-election are Rene Berthiaume, Janet Eblen, and Evelyn Greene.

Due to these issues, Evelyn Greene, Secretary, proposed the following:

VACATING the current election.

Caroline has arranged for the Episcopal Church on May 22. We are, by our bylaws, supposed to have a general membership meeting each May. At the church, I propose a membership meeting from 1 - 2:30 - first item on the agenda to determine if we want to change the number of board members. Secondly, I would like to MAIL out PAPER ballots to all current members. These ballots will not have bios on them, the bios will be available on line - on the website, not just through an email. We can, of course, hand ballots to folks who are present at the meeting. Otherwise folks will receive a ballot in the mail, and need to send it back to our P.O. Box. As we are a non-profit, I expect that people who want to vote should donate the 44 cents to the cost of the stamp to return the ballot.

The advantages to this include: this will give me a chance to clean up the membership roles before the meeting, we will have paper trackable ballots, we will be inline with our bylaws, and we will have "chad" proof ballots available for recounts if needed.

I would like to atone for any mistakes I have made in this whole process by providing the printed ballots, printed address labels, and envelops. Bluegrass Hawaii will provide postage, which, as there are currently 84 members, will be no more than about $45.

The proposal was endosed by Scotty Rhode, seconded by Caroline Wright, and voted approved 7 to 9 with two members absent. The ballots will include short bios of each nominee.

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Minutes of Board Meeting on March 12, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 3:30 pm.

Present: Janet Eblen, Rene Berthiaume, Teresa Berthiaume, Evelyn Greene, Scotty Rhode, Susan Weiss, and Caroline Wright

Absent: Jeb Wiemer

Guests: John Dotton, Jim Hancock, Mike Spengel

NEW BUSINESS:

ELECTIONS:

Elections for board members will be held at a meeting of the Bluegrass Hawaii members April 23, 3:00pm, at the Bluegrass in the Koolaus event. All seats are open. The board will consist of between 5 and 9 members. After the election, the board will appoint officers. All offices are also open.

Evelyn will send out an email to the mailing list informing the membership of the time and location of the vote, and seeking nominations.

BLUEGRASS IN THE KO'OLAUS:

Workshops and events: Caroline and Janet will organize the workshops and events. Teresa proposed a payment of $50 to presenters, Caroline seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Evelyn and Scotty will run a Band Scramble, Rene will provide the fake microphone, and Jim will supply a backdrop.

T-Shirts: Janet has found a source for shirts which will cost $5.50 to $6.00 per shirt plus shipping. Evelyn proposed and Susan seconded giving Janet $300 to produce shirts for sale at the event. Since the shirts have a photograph on them, there will be a photo contest for the best photo for the next Bluegrass in the Koolaus. The motion passed unanimously.

Publicity: Caroline will produce and disseminate a press release. Mike will assist with contacts to radio stations, and will look for a high school music organization to which we could provide information.

Jim will contact Sam about completion of a new poster or flyer.

Food: Susan Wiess suggested we keep Caroline Wright's ideas "for Bluegrass Hawaii to provide some additional food for the campers", on the table. After discussion, Teresa Berthiaume made a motion that campers be notified to bring enough food for themselves; and that we'd also have a communal table people can contribute to, and enjoy. Susan Wiess seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

Electricity: Caroline will check on the pavilion lights, and Scotty will check on the availability of electricity for medical needs.

Name of event: Jim proposed and Caroline seconded that the name of the event shall now and in the future be "Bluegrass in the Ko'olaus". The motion passed unanimously.

NEW JAM LOCATIONS:

Susan will get more information about jamming or performing at Ward Warehouse.

NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting will be held April 16 or 17, 2011.

The meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm.

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Minutes of Board Meeting on February 21, 2010

BLUEGRASS HAWAII MEMBERSHIP MEETING TO RATIFY VOTE

The meeting was called to order at 3:30 pm by Caroline Wright at the Wahiawa Botanical Gardens.

Jeb Wiemer's position as Vice President was ratified by a unanimous vote of attending members.

Evelyn Greene's position as Secretary was ratified by a unanimous vote of attending members.

Janet Eblen's and Rene Barthiaume's positions as incoming Directors were ratified by a unanimous vote of attending members.

Scott Rhode motioned, and Ed Redford seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 3:35.

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Minutes of Board Meeting on January 23, 2010

Caroline Wright called the meeting to order at 4:00pm.

Present: Caroline Wright, President; Teresa Berthiaume, Treasurer; Jeb Wiemer, Director; Scott Rhode, Director. Quorum was reached. (We presently have only two officers and four board members, so four is a quorum.) Also present were members Evelyn Greene and Janet Eblen.

Minutes of the July 26, 2009 meeting were reviewed & highlighted by Caroline Wright. Scott Rhode moved to accept the minutes of the last meeting and Jeb Wiemer seconded. Approved by acclamation.

Teresa Berthiaume gave the Treasurer's report; our bank account has a balance of $839.79. Teresa informed all that we had expenses for Event Insurance, IBMA Membership, DCCA license fee, and we received a total of $497.72 from our last camping weekend for new memberships and donations. Caroline moved to accept the report; Jeb seconded. Approved by acclamation.

Membership Report: Caroline stated that no one as yet has volunteered to be in charge, but someone or a group is needed to manage the Membership terms for each member and to promote membership. Caroline stated that so far we have approximately 55 paid memberships.

OLD BUSINESS

A. Advertising and Publicity: Caroline discussed IRS constraints on advertising and publicity, a longstanding issue. Janet volunteered to talk to her mother, an attorney who specializes in non-profits, about this matter.

B. Membership: see Membership Report, above.

C. Insurance: We currently have event Insurance until September 2010. We need to discuss another year of insurance for events, and the possibility of D& O coverage. Issue tabled till next meeting.

D. Taxes: Caroline & Teresa must get together to gather information. We will ask Jim Murphy again if he can assist. We need to file our 990-EX federal return for Organization Exempt from Income Tax for 2009. If Jim is unavailable we will get a quote from HR Block.

E. Elections: Caroline called for nominations for new board members. We currently have three positions open as a result of the resignations of Bob Schacht (Secretary) and Kyle Ford (director), who have moved to the Mainland, and Neal Snyder (Vice President) who has resigned to tend to family matters. Bluegrass Hawai`i extends warmest appreciation to all of them for their service and friendship.

Scott Rhode nominated Evelyn Greene for Secretary; Teresa Berthiaume seconded the nomination. The vote was unanimous. Evelyn was delighted to be our new Secretary, as she is already assisting on the Website and is willing to also be on the Membership committee and work with Bob Schornstheimer to get the database for membership upkeep and email reminders to those whose membership is about to expire.

Teresa nominated Jeb Wiemer for Vice President. Scott Rhode seconded the nomination. The vote for Jeb was unanimous.

Scott Rhode nominated Janet Eblen to take over Jeb Wiemer's now-vacant position as Director. Caroline Wright seconded the nomination. The vote was unanimous.

Teresa nominated Rene Berthiaume, which was discussed with Rene previously, as a new Director, filling the final vacant spot. Scott Rhode seconded; the vote was unanimous. These elections will be ratified at our next jam on February 21.

2010 Board Members
Caroline Wright, President
Jeb Wiemer, Vice President
Teresa Berthiaume, Treasurer
Evelyn Greene, Secretary
Rene Berthiaume, Director
Janet Eblen, Director
Sam Hayakawa, Director
Scott Rhode, Director
Susan Wiess, Director

NEW BUSINESS

A. Workshops & Activities for Pickin' Weekend: As one of our new Directors, Janet volunteered to schedule Workshops for our next camping weekend in April 2010. Caroline will assist her. Workshop facilitators who volunteered for the last event may be asked again, and there were some additional ideas: Contra Dancers, workshops presented by our guests from Oregon, more instrumental & vocal workshops. If we have a massage therapist available we could offer that too, as was done at the last event.

Scotty mentioned that Honolulu Community College offers both ukulele-making & songwriting classes. He will ask if the instructors are interested in presenting workshops.

B. Publicity for Pickin' Weekend: Caroline will send press releases to local press contacts. Keith Cabiles has offered to design flyers and posters. Everybody in the group can help with distribution at various locations, i.e. UH, HCC, music stores, etc.

C. Hospitality: We need picnic tents (for workshops) and possibly sleeping tents for guests. We will discuss this at our next planning meeting in February with members of the Hospitality Committee (Jim Hancock, Sharon Sawdey, etc.)

D. Fundraising & Raffles: We discussed fundraisers and raffles for Pickin' Weekend. Evelyn offered a half-hour airplane ride in her Sterman airplane, estimated value of $100. (Mahalo, Evelyn!) Jeb Wiemer will work on getting a Pono ukelele or one of his own guitars for the event. BH would buy the materials at cost, and the instrument could be raffled or auctioned. (Mahalo, Jeb!)

We also discussed t-shirts. Caroline has talked to both BH member Jim Hancock (who has silkscreening equipment) and Keith Cabiles, a local designer who created the TwangJam publicity materials, about creating shirts for the event. Keith is already thinking about designs and will talk to Jim about specs for the silkscreen process. Jim told Caroline that he could obtain cotton t-shirts for about $1 apiece. If shirts can be sold for at least $10, Bluegrass Hawai`i might realize a tidy profit.

Caroline reported that Pastor Harry Timmins from Maui has the "Frankenbanjo," the banjo donated to Bluegrass Hawaii several years ago. Harry says the banjo is a 1967 RB-170, Gibson's low-end openback model which at the time of its manufacture sold for $250. Neither the case nor the homemade resonator are original. The neck and action need adjusting; it needs a new 5th string tuner (original one is friction and stripped-toast), a new L-bracket for the tailpiece mount (old one is broken-probably not OEM anyway), new bridge, strings, armrest, 5th string spike, and setup. Per Harry, George Gruhn at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville recently sold one in primo original condition with the original case for 700.00. The parts Harry has ordered for the instrument came to about $75, and he believes it will take several hours of work to get it totally playable. He suggested that we could instead try to sell it when it's restored, but he doubts it would fetch much in today's market. He offered to buy it as a weekend jam model for $500.

After some discussion, Teresa made a motion to accept $500 from Harry Timmins for "Frankenbanjo." The motion was seconded by Scotty and passed by acclamation.

E. Next meeting & jam: More planning needs to be done for this event, and we decided to have a planning meeting after the next jam, which will take place at Wahiawa Botanical Gardens from 11am till 4pm on 2/21/10. The meeting will take place at Caroline's home in Wahiawa on 2/21, directly following the jam at the Botanical Gardens.

Jeb made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:55pm. Scotty seconded.

Respectfully submitted,
Teresa Berthiaume, Treasurer

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