Hello Fellow Gators!

The Gators had a great time at the Hot Cars & Chili Cook-off event at Anchorage Park in North Palm Beach.  It was our first time to enter this event and it was a lot of fun to have a booth and promote our club.  We saw quite a few members there.  Thank you to the members who helped us, including Lisa Smelcher, Barb Edgerle, Walter Marussich, Letti Falko, Lenore Orlowska-Warren, Sharyn B, Evie Houston, Bill Lobb, Steve Smelcher and Sharon Pryel.  

Our Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend is coming up on February 20-22.  Join us at the bike ride on Saturday morning or for the whole weekend.  We will be stopping as usual at J&S Fish Camp’s Gator Hole Bar to have a great time after the bike ride.  Ben Smith will be leading the bike ride.  He will also have a campfire on Saturday night at his cabin.  Thank you, Ben!

Our Pontoon Boat event on Sunday, March 22nd is sale now.  Join the Gators for a relaxing, enjoyable pontoon boat ride.  We will tour the Intracoastal in Jupiter, see stars’ homes, and then boat to the Jupiter sandbar where you can get out into the water or stay on the boat.  Please contact event leader Lisa Smelcher for more information.

Join us on our exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

• Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge on July 25-31, 2026 (sold out)
• Budapest to Vienna Bike and Barge on July 28-August 8, 2026
• Budapest to Vienna Bike and Barge (Boat-Only) August 1-8, 2026
• South Africa and Victoria Falls Tour on September 8-22, 2026
• Nashville Margaritaville Hotel Fall Getaway on October 11-16, 2026

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

• Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026
• Pontoon Boat Event on Sunday, March 22nd
• Snorkeling at Phil Foster Park on Wednesday, May 6th at 10:00 AM

Some other events I am working on include:

• PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

• Happy hour this Friday at Grande's Bella Cucina
• Free concerts in Palm Beach Gardens on Saturday, February 7th and Saturday, March 7th.

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

Please join the Gators at the Hot Cars & Chili Cook-off at Anchorage Park in North Palm Beach.  We are entering this event and we would love to have members come and support us.  It will be a lot of fun to have a booth and promote our club.  For only a $5 admission fee, you can sample the chilis from all the contestants.

The Gators had a great time at the Pinball event followed by lunch at Jumby Bay on January 17^th.  We played vintage and modern machines.  It was a blast!  Thank you, Ben Smith, for leading this fabulous event. 

Join us on our exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

·         Pontoon Boat Event on Sunday, March 22^nd

·         Snorkeling at Phil Foster Park on Wednesday, May 6^th at 10:00 AM

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Hokkaido

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Thanks,

Sharon

Hello Fellow Gators!

Our Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson was a lot of fun.  Thank you, Kevin, for leading this. 

Join us on our exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·        Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

·         Pontoon Boat Event on Sunday, March 22^nd

·         Snorkeling at Phil Foster Park on Wednesday, May 6^th at 10:00 AM

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Copacabana

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

We had a lot of fun at the Full Moon Dinner at the Beach!  We had beautiful weather while we watched the moonrise over the ocean with our Gator friends.

Please join us on our Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson.  Thank you, Kevin, for leading this. 

Join us on our exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Join us at the free concerts in Palm Beach Gardens on Saturday, January 10^th featuring a Garth Brooks tribute band.

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

·         Surf Fishing event at the beach in February

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Sicilian Oven

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

We wish everyone and their families a very Happy New Year!

We have an exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

Please join us on Saturday, January 3^rd for our next Full Moon Dinner on the Beach.  Please contact VP of Socials Lisa Smelcher for details.

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

·         Surf Fishing event at the beach in February

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Voodoo Bayou

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

We wish everyone and their families a joyful holiday season.  We are looking forward to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We have an exciting new “Music City” fall getaway trip to Nashville, staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown on October 11-16, 2026.  For a price of only $1,290, double occupancy, you can enjoy the Jimmy Buffet “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” ambience at the Margaritaville.  We will be only 2 blocks from Nashville’s iconic Broadway, where you can experience the country music scene, bars, restaurants, honky tonks, distilleries, historical sites, and much more. It is also fall leaf viewing season and you can visit nearby parks to view them. The trip includes a club happy hour and a club dinner.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

Please join us on Saturday, January 3^rd for our next Full Moon Dinner on the Beach.  Please contact VP of Socials Lisa Smelcher for details.

We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Some other events I am working on include:

·        PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler

·         Surf Fishing event at the beach in February

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Asian Fin

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

• Hello Fellow Gators!

  The Gators had a fabulous time at the Holiday Dinner in a festive, beautifully decorated venue.  We dined on delicious food and enjoyed dancing to the music of a DJ.  Thanks go to Estela Basso for generously donating the raffle grand prize of a week's stay at the first floor two-bedroom apartment in a beautiful, renovated mountain home in North Carolina!   Everyone had a lot of fun at this event, a marvelous holiday tradition!

  We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

  We have several exciting major trips on our docket:

  • Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge on July 25-31, 2026 (sold out)
  • Budapest to Vienna Bike and Barge on July 28-August 8, 2026
  • Budapest to Vienna Bike and Barge (Boat-Only) August 1-8, 2026
  • South Africa and Victoria Falls Tour on September 8-22, 2026

   

  We have some local Special Activities events that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

  ·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

  ·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

  Some other events I am working on include:

• ·         Trip to Nashville staying at the Margaritaville Hotel downtown in October 2026.

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler.

·         Surf Fishing event at the beach in February

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at The Twisted Tuna

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

The Gators had a wonderful time watching the Holiday Boat Parade at Juno Park.  We shared delicious potluck food in the afternoon.  In the evening, we enjoyed watching a spectacular array of festively decorated boats cruise by.  Everyone had a lot of fun!

Our Holiday Dinner is now on sale.  Please join us at this wonderful annual tradition this Saturday evening.  We are having a DJ with music at the event and dancing afterwards!  We will hold a raffle at the event with prizes!!!  The grand prize is a week's stay at the first floor two-bedroom apartment in a beautiful, renovated mountain home in North Carolina!  Thank you, Estela Basso, for the donation!  Raffle tickets will be on sale at the event.  You must attend to purchase tickets.

We are offering an affordable new option for a boat-only trip (without an extension) for the Vienna to Budapest Bike and Barge at a low price of $3.995. 

We have several exciting major trips on our docket that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

We have some local Special Activities event that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler.

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Waterway Café

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

I hope all of you had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Our Holiday Dinner is now on sale.  Please join us at this wonderful annual tradition.  We are having a DJ with music at the event and dancing afterwards!  We will hold a raffle at the event with prizes!!!  The grand prize is a week's stay at the first floor two-bedroom apartment in a beautiful, renovated mountain home in North Carolina! Thank you, Estela Basso, for the donation!  Tickets will be on sale at the event.  You must attend to purchase tickets.

We have several exciting major trips on our docket that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

We have some local Special Activities event that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Some other events I am working on include:

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler.

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Bonefish Grill

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net 

Hello Fellow Gators!

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving to celebrate with friends and family.

Our Holiday Dinner is now on sale.  Please join us at this wonderful annual tradition.  We are having a DJ with music at the event and dancing afterwards!  We will hold a raffle at the event with prizes!!!  The grand prize is a week's stay at the first floor two-bedroom apartment in a beautiful, renovated mountain home in North Carolina!  Thank you, Estela Basso, for the donation!  Tickets will be on sale at the event.  You must attend to purchase tickets.

We have several exciting major trips on our docket that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

We have some local Special Activities event that are mentioned elsewhere in this blast and are posted on our website:

·         Bike Ride at Grassy Waters Preserve on January 10^th led by Kevin Dickenson

·         Lake Okeechobee Camping and Biking Weekend on February 20-22, 2026

Some other events I am working on include:

·         Bike Ride in Grassy Waters Preserve led by Kevin Dickenson on Saturday, January 10^th.

·         Pinball Event at Pinball Dudes in Jupiter followed by lunch at Jumby Bay in Abacoa on Saturday, January 17^th.

·         PopStroke Mini Golf in West Palm Beach when the weather gets cooler.

We also have some Social events on our calendar:

·         Happy hour this Friday at Tiki 52 Bar & Grill

Please join us at our happy hours.  You can meet other members and make new friends or reconnect with old ones!  I would like to thank Letti Falko, Lorain Lyon and Ben Smith for their ongoing help as Gator Happy Hour Ambassadors. 

I will continue to plan our weekly Friday night happy hours.  Our VP of Socials, Lisa Smelcher, will be organizing some occasional Saturday happy hours.

I am looking forward to seeing you at some of our events and meeting our new members.

Thank you,

Sharon Long

VP of Special Activities

Mobile: (561) 768-6365

wmarussich@comcast.net