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President’s Message

It is a pleasure to write you this September message. The days are flying! I’ve heard more than one person exclaim they don’t know where the summer has gone! With Labor Day upon us, it is a time for both looking back and looking ahead. In the past, it was always with a little regret that I said “good-bye” to summer and “hello” to the school year. But it’s not quite that way in the Lowcountry, especially in retirement. Here it’s more a feeling of relief that the heat will abate a bit, and happy anticipation for the resumption of a busier fall schedule!

Speaking of schedules, we had our first General Membership Meeting of the fiscal year this past August 24. It is also the time of year when HLWG both looks back and looks ahead. We welcomed 86 members and guests, including 10 first time members. For those who were unable to attend, the points we covered in the Business Meeting were:

• Membership in HLWG is up to 275 members and growing.

• Interest Groups have many exciting activities on the fall calendar on our website. Why not think about trying something new?

• Our group has been recognized by the IRS as a mutual benefit, tax exempt corpora-tion. We are currently applying to SC for income tax exempt status as well.

• As a “social club,” our primary purpose is “friendship, fellowship, and fun,” achieved through welcoming new women to our community, holding meetings and lunches with interesting presentations as well as special events such as holiday parties, potlucks and ice cream socials, and sponsoring Interest Groups where women can meet oth-ers who share their enjoyment of a wide range of activities from games, books, art, gardening or attending performances to trying new restaurants. We hope to play a part in helping all women in our community feel connected and involved!

• The fiscal year 2017 annual budget report was given and this year’s budget plan was presented.

• You will soon be asked to vote on the proposed Bylaw changes that are posted on our website.

• Our website has been updated. Please take some time to explore it if you haven’t already and ask another member or board member if you have a question.

TheNEWS September 2017

Welcome New Members

We welcome 6 new members this month:

Sharon AllenChristine GrafMarilyn HoustonRenée RuggieroPeggy RyanMona Souza

Please contact Naomi Morris when new neigh-bors move in or you meet women new to Hampton Lake.

Check out New Member Spotlight on page 3.

HLWG Executive Board Meeting September 6 at 2:30 pm

New Member Welcome Social October 3. Details TBA

HLWG Executive Board Meeting October 11 at 2:30 pm

HLWG General Meeting & Luncheon October 25 at 10:30 am

HLWG Holiday Party December 7 at 7–10 pm

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Following the Business Meeting, 76 members thoroughly enjoyed the “Everything is Better with Chocolate” tasting and wine pairing. Actually, I think a better term would have been chocolate “savoring"! It was a delightful evening, made even better by the special touches Sally added to Backwater Bill’s decor. Could a Thursday night get any better?

I’d like to leave you with a thought. We have such talented, interesting, involved, friendly, organized, amazing women in HLWG. Isn’t there one (or two) who would be willing to chair/co-chair the Day Trip Interest Group? This is often the group I hear women express an interest in joining. Many of us would love to explore and learn a bit more about our area. Chairing this group does not have to be a huge monthly commitment. It could start small, with 1 to 3 trips a year, and grow from there. Members could meet in the Amenity Center parking lot to carpool. Typical day trips might include a site visit and lunch. Sug-gestions: Rose Hill Tour with tea, May River Boat Excursion, Savannah Bike Tour, Beau-fort or Savannah History Walk, Daufuskie Gullah Tour, Penn Center, Hunting Island Hike. Such endless possibilities!! Please think about whether this is the perfect way for you to get involved, meet others and discover some interesting places nearby. Linda Meacham or I would love to hear from you!

Kind Regards,

Donna Fiebert President

HLWG members enjoying the August General Meeting and Chocolate and Wine tasting social.

Thank You HLWG!

Many thanks to the HLWG members who donated to the Bluffton Boys and Girls Club. We collected 215 items at the General Meeting for their gift closet! Thank you for your gener-ous support.

President's Message continued

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New Member Spotlight

Please give a warm welcome to the women who have joined the HLWG this month:

• Sharon Allen and her husband Rick are building their new home on Fish Dancer Court. Sharon grew up in Huntersville, North Carolina and went to college in Wilmington where she lived for 16 years be-fore moving to Eden Prairie, Minnesota. They lived there for 22 years raising their family. Her husband, who was from Wisconsin, was ready to move south and leave those harsh Minnesota winters be-hind. They hope to move into their new home by February or March and are currently renting outside of Hampton Lake. Sharon taught school in Wilmington and then later became a Director of a school in Minnesota. Her hobbies include walking, biking, kayaking (soon), reading, eating and socializing. She and Rick also love snow skiing and own a condo in Vail, Colorado.

• Christine Graf and her husband Axel lived in Port Royal Plantation for 11 years before moving here to Hampton Lake. They originally came to the area from Rockland County in New York. They enjoy walking, biking, boating, eating out and tennis trips. They had looked at Hampton Lake for a few years before they were ready to move. Christine and Axel live on Lake Bluff Drive.

• Marilyn Houston and her husband Kent just moved to Hampton Lake from Naples, Florida. She loves tennis, golf, pickle ball, and scrap-booking. She is anxious to meet other women here since they are new to the area. They live on Hampton Lake Drive.

• Renée Ruggiero and her husband Michael moved to Hampton Lake in June 2017 from Tennessee. Before that they lived in Arizona and are originally from New Jersey. Renée is a reader and enjoys all types of crafts, from wreath decorating to stained glass. They were introduced to Hampton Lake through the MLS listing of their home. Renée and Michael enjoy fishing together and spending time with their family on Driftwood Court.

• Peggy Ryan and her husband Kit lived in Allendale, New Jersey for 21 years and then Hastings-on-Hudson, New York for 2 years before moving to Hampton Lake full time in August 2016. They are happy with the warmer weather, lower taxes, and the freedom of retirement. Kit worked in the investment industry and Peggy worked as a CPA prior to raising her four children and then as a substitute teacher after the children.

• Mona Souza and her husband Guy moved to Hampton Lake from Connecticut and live on Fish Dancer Court. She enjoys exercise classes, walking dogs, reading, Mah Jongg, boating and wine. Mona still works part-time as a HR consultant, but is looking for new inter-ests as she winds down her work career this year.

A heartfelt welcome to all HLWG new members.

Save the Date!

HLWG General Meeting and Luncheon

October 25

The General Meeting will begin at 10:30 am followed by lunch at Backwater Bills and guest speaker Kris Allred. Kris is the chief meteorologist for WSAV-TV and WSAV.com. She holds a Master's Degree in meteorology from Mis-sissippi State University and leads WSAV's Storm Team 3. Kris (pictured below) will speak about the science and art of weather forecasting.

You don't want to miss it! Details coming soon!

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Interest Group News

For a complete listing of HLWG Interest Groups see the sidebar on the left. For a full description of each interest group visit our website at www.hlwg.org. Note: You must be a HLWG member to take part in an Interest Group. To join the HLWG, contact Naomi Mor-ris, VP of Membership. Membership applications are available on the HLWG website at www.hlwg.org/forms-and- documents/.

Art GroupThe Art Group meetings are starting up again in September. The first Discussion Group meeting is on Tuesday, September 5, from 10 am to noon in the Lakeview Room. The theme for this year’s meetings is Art in Different Mediums. The first topic is Art through Photography. Barbara Hege will be discussing portrait photography, landscape photogra-phy and photojournalism. Betty Heath-Camp will be discussing photography in advertis-ing, fashion and sports. This meeting is open to spouses or guests of HLWG members.

The first meeting of the Studio Group is on Tuesday, September 19, from 10 am to noon in the Lakeview Room. This is the hands on group that creates artwork. At this meeting the members will be practicing still life sketching. Members will bring articles to arrange on a large table. Then the artists will sketch any of the articles or grouping of articles to practice their still life work. This is part 1 of the still life work. On October 17 the group will continue this work by creating the still life art using their own medium and materials. We encourage new members to try their hand at still life sketching. Please join our group for this fun exercise. Contact Barbara Hege or Pat Roth.

Book Group – DaytimeThe Daytime Book Club meetings are on the second Thursday of the month at 11:30 am in the Lakeview Room and members are welcome to join the group at Backwater Bill's afterwards for lunch. The September meeting will be on Thursday, September 14 and the book is A Long Way Home: A Memoir (the movie Lion was based on this true story) by Saroo Brierly. We will meet in October on Thursday, October 12, at 11:30 am and the book is Sound of Glass by Karen White. Happy reading!

Reading quote of the month: Reading will give you lasting pleasure. First Lady Laura Bush.

Day Trips GroupThe Day Trip Group is looking for a new chair. If interested please contact Linda Meachem, Vice-President of Interest Groups.

American Mah Jongg –DaytimeEvery Monday 1 pmJoyce Schlosser

American Mah Jongg –Evening (coed)Every Wednesday 6:30 pmJennifer Parker

Art GroupArt Discussion: 1st Tues-day 10 – noonStudio Group: 3rd Tuesday10 am – noonBarbara Hege

Book Group – Daytime2nd Thursday 11:30 amBarbara Duffy-Lindblad

Breakfast Group1st ThursdayGayle Burrer

Bridge Group – Daytime(coed)Regular: 1st, 2nd & 4th Tuesday 1 – 4 pmDuplicate: 3rd Tuesday 1 – 4 pm Meda Luscko & Pam Brown

Bridge Group – Evening(coed)Regular: 1st, 3rd, & 5th Monday 6:30 – 8:30 pm Duplicate: 2nd & 4th Mon-day 6:00 – 8:30 pm Marilyn McPhillips

Crafts Group2nd Tuesday 1–3 pm Linda Meacham & Linda DelCore

HLWG Interest Groups

For more information about each HLWG interest group click here. For contact info for chairs listed below click on the link: www.hlwg.org/forms-and- documents/ and access the HLWG Member Roster.

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Day Trips GroupDay & Time vary open (contact IG VP, Linda Meacham)

Dinner Group2nd Thursday every other month Darice Ahrnsbrak

Dominoes Group (coed)2nd Sunday 6:30 pm Karen Couser

Garden GroupDay & Time varyCarol Basso

Lunch Bunch2nd Thursday every other month Gail Low

Needlework Group2nd Tuesday 10 am – noon Judy Whitmore

Performing Arts Group (coed) Day & Time varyJudy Wilburn

Pinochle Group (coed)1st & 3rd Tuesday 6 pm Terri Guarente

Scrapbooking2nd Tuesday 9 am – noonJudy Yox

Dinner GroupOn the second Thursday of every other month we pick a local restaurant and enjoy an evening of good food, catch up with friends and meet new neighbors. (Note: Women only for this group!) On July 13 six women enjoyed good food and lively conversation at Wren in a lovely location in Beaufort.

Our next event will be on Thursday, September 14. Further details will be sent to group members by email. To join the group and be added to the email list, or for more information, contact Darice Ahrnsbrak.

Lunch BunchTen ladies enjoyed a delicious lunch at Jane Bistro and Bar on Hilton Head Island in August. Our next outing is scheduled for the second Thursday in October. A notice will go out in early October for reserva-tions. Contact Gail Low to join the group.

Needlework GroupThe Needlework Group will be resuming our second Tuesday of the month meetings in September after our two month summer break. As al-ways we meet in my home from 10 am until noon. Look forward to seeing all the stitchers from last year and new ones too. Contact Judy Whitmore.

Performing Arts Group (coed)The Performing Arts Group has a busy fall planned with three events coming up. Be sure you are on the group email list to receive detailed information, or contact Judy Wilburn directly if you have questions about any of these events.

• Sounds of Cinema – Friday, September 15 at 8:00 pm at First Pres-byterian Church on Hilton Head. The Hilton Head Choral Society and Orchestra will perform timeless selections from classic movies and contemporary soundtracks. Tickets range from $25-$40 for adults, based on seating selected. Make your own reservations at www.hiltonheadchoralsociety.org or call 843-341-3818. Contact Judy if you want to carpool.

• The Color Purple – Friday, October 13, 8:00 pm at the Coastal Caro-lina Center for the Arts on Hilton Head. A musical theater adaptation of Alice Walker’s powerful novel about African American women surviving and supporting each other in 1930’s rural Georgia. The discounted ticket price for our group is $45 per person. Make checks payable to Judy Wilburn and mail or drop off at 62 Fording Ct. by September 15 for seating with our group, although we can probably add more seats based on availability. For those who cannot go on October 13, you may wish to purchase tickets by calling the Box Of-fice at 843-686-3945.

• Conrack – Sunday, October 22, 3:00 pm at the USCB Arts Center in

Got a New Interest Group Idea?

To organize and chair a new interest group, submit your request to the HLWG Executive Board through Linda Meacham, Vice President of Interest Groups. The HLWG will help you organize your group and publish informa-tion about it in the NEWS and on our website.

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Executive Board

President Donna Fiebert

President Elect Sally Roach

Past President Rita Brown

Vice President of Membership Naomi Morris

Vice President of Interest Groups Linda Meacham

Secretary Kathy Hall

Treasurer Linda Lyons

NEWS Editor Carol Matarese

Board Advisor Betty Heath-Camp

Beaufort. A musical theater adaptation of Pat Conroy’s novel, The Water Is Wide, a true account of the author’s experiences as a young teacher on Daufuskie Island; this play is being presented in conjunction with The Pat Conroy Literary Festival. Tickets are $30 regular or $25 for seniors, with an additional convenience fee for advance reservations. One set of reservations has been made for our group, but we can add to this as long as tickets remain available. Make checks payable to Judy Wilburn (62 Fording Ct.) at $27 per person to allow for the convenience fee (those who already paid $30 will be reimbursed). For anyone who cannot go with our group, there are other performances; see Events information at: www.uscbcenterforthearts.com.

Scrapbooking GroupThe Scrapbooking Interest Group will be meeting on Tuesday September 12 from 9 am until noon in FishTales. We will be working on our individual scrapbooking projects and discussing our meetings for the rest of 2017. We invite all members who are interested in working on their scrapping projects to come and make some progress on the projects. We also encourage any paper crafters who would like to have dedicated time to work on their paper crafts to bring their projects and join us. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you set aside dedicated time with others to work on any projects. We have members who scrap traditionally as well as those who work digitally on their computers.

We meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 9 am–noon in Fish Tales. For additional information or to have your name added to our roster please contact Judy Yox.

HLWG Note Cards BOGO Sale—Final Days!

Hurry! Last Chance to Purchase HLWG Note Cards or Holiday Cards!

Only 9 packets left!

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Remaining packets are: 3 Sunset Notecards, 3 Holiday Waterfall, 1 Holiday Ornament and 2 Holiday Beach. To purchase email Rita Brown:

• Include the quantity requested by card type and your full name and phone number• Cost is $10 for 2 packets• Make checks payable to “HLWG”• Rita will contact you to arrange payment and delivery or pickup

We will not be reprinting these cards, so don't miss out!

Performing Arts continued

Chocolate is Good for the Heart

by Monica Stelly

Poem read at the August General MeetingChocolate will never judge you.Chocolate goes great with any occasion.It is always there for you no matter the situation.It is something you can count on to help solve your difficult problems.Chocolate can help mend a broken heart.Chocolate is good for the mind, body, and soul.