General Membership Meetings

All general membership meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the following months: January, March, May, September, and November. The meetings officially begin at 7 PM, but members are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes early for socializing.  The meetings are held at the Science Museum of Virginia at 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond VA 23220-2057.  Snacks to share are always welcome.   For more information contact Dave Olli at odatc.activities@gmail.com.

2018 Club meeting topics are as follows:

• January 9:  Bring in the New Year with first of five (5) 2018 general meetings in the first floor Discovery Room of the Science Museum of Virginia.  President Dave officially kicks things off at 7:00 pm but feel free to arrive any time after 6.  Light refreshments available and we never say no to home baked treats.  A gear swap table will be available for items to donate or sell.    Our guest presenter is an Environmental Specialist with Dominion Energy Services and new ODATC member Ms. Judi Fox recanting her adventures of climbing Mt. Rainier.   Mt. Rainier, at 14,410 ft., is located near Seattle, Washington and is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous US. 
• March 13:  Late winter showers bring wildflowers to the trail at the second of five (5) 2018 general meetings in the first floor Discovery Room of the Science Museum of Virginia.  President David Grimes opens the show at 7:00 pm but feel free to arrive any time after 6:00 pm to schmooze and mingle.  Light refreshments available and we never say no to home baked treats.  As you spring clean through gear why not donate no longer used items to a fellow hiker:  look for the gear swap table behind the chairs.   Unfortunately, Leonard Adkins will not be able to speak to the ODATC membership at our March meeting.  We were fortunate, however, to have recently received a copy of the "My AT Story" DVD from ATC and we will be screening it in place of Leonard's talk.    My AT Story is a collection of five short videos about the people that hike, protect and advocate for the Appalachian Trail.  The videos showcase the many reason people connect to the AT and why the AT has become so important to so many people.  Not just another AT story about bugs, blood and mud, My AT Story is about the many deeper reasons for getting out on the trail.  Trailers can be viewed at myATstory.org. 
• May 14:  On May 14 at 6:30 P.M., we'll hold our annual Club Night event with lots of good food, fun, and entertainment.  The May meeting is traditionally a pot luck dinner event, so please bring a covered dish of your choice, and a healthy appetite! Any kind of dish will do-- main, side, or dessert.  We’ll handle the beverages, plates, cups, napkins, and utensils.  Also, we'll have the Museum set up long tables for a chow line and round tables to eat at.  Please note the time change for this meeting:  6:30 PM.   Club President David Grimes will officially kick things off at 7:00 P.M., but doors will be open at 6:00 p.m.so folks can start digging in by 6:30 P.M.

• It's also the return of Member Slide Night! Members are encouraged to submit up to 5 photos to share with the group, any photo you feel the audience will appreciate (i.e., Club hikes, work trips, travel, wildlife, humor, etc.) will suffice. Beginning now through May 10th email your photos to Randy Wendell at randy.wendell@verizon.net. Randy will aggregate the photos into a slide presentation and you’ll be asked to briefly describe your photos to the audience. Please name your photos in a way that indicates your order preference (e.g., Smith1, Smith2, etc.) Also, if possible, please limit your photo sizes to 800KB. Email any questions to Randy.

• September 11:  Members and non-member alike are welcome to attend the fourth of five 2018 general meetings in the first floor Discovery Room of the Science Museum of Virginia.  President David Grimes officially kicks things off at 7:00 pm but feel free to arrive anytime after 6 pm for folks to schmooze with members and guests.  Our guest speaker is David Olli, Programs Director, Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club presenting “False Cape State Park:  Virginia's Lost Colony”.  Dave recounts his four (4) ODATC overnight trips to one of Virginia’s great state parks along the ocean state line and how you can coordinate another outing for the club.

• November 13:  The November 13th meeting will be our Annual Board Election Meeting.  This is a special meeting.  If there is one meeting of the year that you  should attend this is it.  Why?  Because it is election night and your vote counts!

  Our special guest speaker will be Bruce Matson.  Bruce is an ODATC member who recently completed the thru hike on the AT this year.  You may remember that we have been following Bruce's adventure on the AT through his website,  returningtokatahdin.com  .  Come and hear of Bruce's experiences in person.