This was the 16th Annual Mail Pouch Barnstormers Picnic (15th Anniversary!)
“15 Years Later, It’s Business as Usual“
by Bill Vint – Fall 2017 edition of the ‘Mail Pouch Barnstormers’ newsletter
For the 70-plus Mail Pouch Barnstormers who gathered at the old schoolhouse gymnasium in Belmont, Ohio, on July 22, 2017, the 15th anniversary of the group of Mail Pouch enthusiasts was pretty much business as usual – great food shared in good, old-fashioned potluck style, a business meeting that lasted all of five minutes (Kevin Tracy of nearby Barnesville, Ohio, became a new member of the MPB board of directors along with returnees Bill Vint and Judy Humphrey…and treasurer Rick Campbell reported the group remains financially stable even after providing funding assistance to restore three historic Mail Pouch signs over the previous two years.
One highlight of the gathering was a presentation by Norman Zimmerman of Cambridge, Ohio (see his story on pages 4 and 5). The 80-something-year-old son of one of the original Mail Pouch barn painters – Maurice (Zim) Zimmerman – answered one of the group’s most-asked questions: how can I paint a Mail Pouch sign on my barn/garage/shed/wall/whatever?
Another was our annual creative contest, which typically produces only a handful of entries – but they’re always inventive. The 2017 contest asked members to “Create a Mail Pouch wall hanging.” A panel of members judged the entries and the winner was a first-time member, John Learn of Commodore, Pa. Learn’s miniaturized replica of a Mail Pouch barn won over another version created by Zimmerman.
The nicest thing about the contest was there were no losers – both donated their entries to the annual auction, which generates the funds the organization uses to fund restoration projects. The two wall hangings, along with several drawings contributed by Phil Andrachak’s wife Carrie Nardecchia, a unique paper towel holder created by long-time “woodie” creator David Kennedy, and numerous other items donated by members generated nearly $900 to replenish the Barnstormers’ bank account.
A missing ingredient in our traditional line of items celebrating our “featured Mail Pouch building” was our embroidered emblem, which didn’t arrive until after the meeting. The new patch (at left, with a 2002 date that reflects when the Barnstormers became an official organization) is now available for the postage-paid price of $6.50. The Mail Pouch Tobacco factory in Wheeling, W.Va., is also represented in a woodie and postcards – all listed on the MPB Store order form included with this newsletter.
Following the meeting, the Barnstormers board re-elected Roger Warrick as president, Chris Maher as vice president, Eddie Black as treasurer, Rick Campbell as treasurer and Bill Vint as executive director.
We also have secured Saturday, July 21, 2018 as our next meeting date in our traditional home in Belmont. And to give members plenty of time to plan for it, our next creative con- test will be a “Build a Creative Birdhouse.”
The board also has approved our featured Mail Pouch barn for 2018, which we’ll announce and showcase in our summer 2018 newsletter.
Work continues on a complicated reconstruction of our website (prompted by aging, out-dated sofware issues), and we’ll announce the rollout when it’s up and running.
In the meantime, stay in touch. More news to come in the weeks ahead.
More photos by Chad Wilkins….
More photos by Phil Andraychuk…
