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 Happy
New Year - Kick up Your Heels at January's Social
Kick off the New Year and kick up your heels by attending GSN’s
January 17th Social at Snappers Nightclub, 2634 Tamiami Trail
East (US 41) in Naples. The party begins at 6:30 PM
For more information click here.
SWFL Gay and Lesbian Chorus “Meet and Greet”
The
SWFL Gay and Lesbian chorus will be starting our spring season
and would love to have you join us in song! The chorus is
non-auditioned and welcomes singers of all levels. All voice
parts are welcomed from bass, tenor, alto and especially
soprano! The chorus singers and support members come from
all areas of SWFL to include Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers,
Cape Coral, Port Charlotte and even Arcadia! We will start
welcoming new members on Tuesday, January 20th at 7:30 PM for
the beginning of our annual Pride Concert Season! The
"meet and greet" will be at St. John the Apostle MCC, 3049
McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers (about a mile south of the
Ford/Edison Estates on McGregor).
For more information call (239) 691-2532 or
email, and visit our
website www.gaychorus.org.
We look forward to welcoming you and have you join our voices in
song for a new exciting season!
Contributor: NICHOLAS MILLER
GSN Special Events – Naples Zoo and Melting Pot
 It’s
time to “talk to the animals” and then to go and relax and enjoy
the evening. GSN is inviting its members and guests to
tour the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens on Saturday, February 7
around 2:30 PM. The Zoo is located at 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road
(across the street from Coastland Center Mall) and achieved
national accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in 2001. Admission cost is $19.95 for adults ($18.95 for
ages 65 and up); however, Collier County residents received FREE
admission all day long on the first Saturday of every month.
To prove Collier County residency you must provide a state
issued photo ID with a Collier County address like a driver's
license or if you have an out of area photo ID, but own property
in Collier County, just bring in a utility or tax bill for a
property in Collier County with a matching name photo ID.
Touring the zoo usually takes about two hours (the last ticket
is sold at 4:00 PM) but feel free to spend as much time as you
wish (hours of operation are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM).
Following your trip to the zoo (or even if you’re not going to
the zoo), head over to the Melting Pot Restaurant for a mixer
and cocktail hour beginning at 5:00 PM. The Melting Pot is
located at 2950 Tamiami Trail N. in Naples, a short distance
from the zoo, and opens at 5:00 PM. The Melting Pot is a fondue
restaurant, and its manager James Goodson, a member of GSN, will
be providing complimentary cheese fondue for GSN during happy
hour. There also will be drink specials with prices for
selected white wines at $4.00 per glass, selected reds at $4.50,
beer at $2.50, and a selection of martinis at $5.50. Dinner is
on your own; however, if members are interested in dining at the
Melting Pot that evening, reservations are suggested and
GSN at the TheatreZone
 Be
sure to take advantage of GSN’s next theatre outing scheduled
for Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM. That’s when we’ve
booked a block of orchestra seats for TheatreZone ’
s production of Stepping Out featuring Tony Award winning star,
Donna McKechnie.
For more information click here or
"Sign Up" here.
Events at the Phil
"Cirque de la Symphonie" - GSN has a block of 20 seats
reserved for the Friday, February 13th, 8:00 PM performance.
Ticket price is $69 per ticket. The magic of cirque is married
with wondrous music by the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.
Aerialists fly overhead and acrobatic feats are performed to
classical masterpieces and memorable contemporary music.
Selected works are expected to include Khachaturian’s Sabre
Dance, Across the Stars from Star Wars: Episode II, Ravel’s
Bolero and others.
"Dame Edna" - GSN has a block of 35 seats reserved for
the Saturday, April 11, 2:00 PM matinee performance. Ticket
price is $62. Created by Australian actor Barry Humphries, Dame
Edna has been presenting her hilarious show both on Broadway and
across the United States for the past decade and has been
referred to as the “international housewife, therapist, gigastar,
guru and celebrity confidant.”
Note: Seating is limited for both productions, tickets will be
issued based upon receipt of payment. Order your tickets
here, make checks payable to GSN
and mail to GSN, PO Box 8413, Naples, FL 34101-8413.
GSN Annual Board Election
 Nominations
for the GSN Board of Directors are being sought!
Directors positions are: President, Vice President for
Activities; Vice President for Communications; Treasurer; and
Secretary. Terms are for a one-year period and will
commence upon election at the GSN Annual Meeting in March
2009. The duties of each officer are detailed in the GSN By-Laws
which can be accessed here.
If you are interested in serving
on the Board or know of potential candidates, contact Alan
Prutton, Nominating Committee chairman, send an
e-mail or call
the message line (239) 434-1612.
GSN Spotlight On
GSN has a diverse membership of many talented and accomplished members who donate time, effort, and energy to make our organization a success. This is the premier installment of a
new (Newsletter) feature that will spotlight and profile these dynamic members. You are encouraged to recommend other GSN members to be featured in upcoming issues. Please submit the member’s name and a sentence or two about him or her to GSN's Editor for consideration. Click
here for
the Spotlight feature of the month.
Update Your Mailing Address with GSN
Don’t forget to advise us when your mailing address is changed. In order to assure delivery of your newsletter to the correct address, please provide notice of the effective day of change so that we may update the mailing list.
Please update your mailing address by sending your e-mail to
GSN.
GSN’s Activities Committee – Your Input and Help Are Needed
The
GSN Activities Committee has been busy working upon an
interesting and varied social calendar for the months ahead.
Under the chairmanship of Glen Gygax, GSN’s Vice President for
Activities, the Committee is continuing to explore ways to
respond to members’ interests and ideas. During the past
year, an effort has been made to provide more activities in Lee
County; and the Second Saturday potlucks and mixers at
establishments in Cape Coral and Ft. Myers seem to be meeting
with success. The Committee is also exploring additional
theatre opportunities as well as the possibility of some travel
adventures such as day trips or weekend getaways.
Your input and ideas are always sought and welcomed. In the next
month or so, GSN will be conducting a survey to determine what
types of activities members wish to pursue. But you don’t need
to wait until the survey to give us your thoughts.
Contact Glen Gygax at (239) 596-6916, send an
e-mail, call the
message line at (239) 434-1612 or other committee members and
tell us your ideas. Committee members are Tom, Ray,
Bill, Alan, Jerry, Kathy, and George.
The Committee is always in need of new venues for socials and
other activities. If you have the option of using or know
of some clubhouse or social center that might lend itself to an
event, please let us know. Adequate parking is a must, and
we need to know rental costs and whether there are set-up and
clean-up charges associated with use of the facility.
As always we can use some more volunteers to help the Committee
in planning, organizing, and carrying out an event.
Whether it’s helping with collecting the fees, making phone
calls, or decorating a room, it’s a great way to meet other
members and to be part of the GSN experience. And
consider “buddying up” in traveling to and from events.
Share a ride and save on gasoline costs and take the opportunity
to get to know other GSN members. It could be a lot of fun!
Collier County Non-Discrimination Council
The Collier County Non-Discrimination Coalition (CCNDC) is an
organization with a mission “to promote the passage and
implementation of a nondiscrimination ordinance in Collier
County that will include age, race, color, creed, religion,
national origin, ancestry, disability, familial status,
veterans’ status, marital status, sex, gender identity or
expression, sexual orientation and physical characteristics as
enumerated categories. The ordinance will provide for
investigation, enforcement and community education relating to
its provisions.”
GSN, along with many other local and national organizations, is
a supporting member of CCNDC and encourages the GSN membership
to become familiar with CCNDC, its mission, and services.
Information regarding CCNDC is available from its
website or by
writing to CCNDC, P.O Box 351, Naples, FL 34106. In
addition, CCNDC maintains a phone line (239) 436-7999 that can
used to report complaints of discrimination. If you feel that
you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you
should contact CCNDC.
We Care Committee
The We Care Committee had a busy month and provided support to several members who have been ill or hospitalized and who have experienced a death in the family. The Committee continues to gather information for a GSN medical and human resources file. If you are aware of any agencies and medical offices that
offer special services, or reduced rates, that could benefit our members, please contact a Committee member so that the resources file can be further developed. As always, if you know of a member who has been ill or who needs assistance, contact a committee member, call the message line at (239) 434-1612, or send a note by
email.
Letters to Editor
If there is any issue you are concerned about or comments you would like to share with a broader audience, please feel free to e-mail (or mail your letter) to GSN's Editor, subject "Letters to Editor". Please be advised that all submissions are subject to editing.
The
Naples Area Gay Support Group:
Meets every Tuesday at 7:15 PM in North Naples
For Further Information Call 239-514-2927 or 239-597-2206
Click
Here for questions or comments via email.
PFLAG
of Naples:
Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays meets at
7:00 pm on the third Thursday of each month near Coastland Mall.
This is a family based support group serving families with gay
children (and the gay family members as well), who may be in need
of support and acceptance. Everyone is welcome! For more details
call the information line at 239-513-4568 or you can send your
questions via e-mail.
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