Toy Workshop (TWS2025-01) with General Meeting 1-11-2025

We held our first Toy Workshop (TWS) for 2025 on Saturday January 11, 2025, from 8:30 to 11:00 am.  This was held at the Wood Shop at 910 Wood Ave in Rapid City.  The shop is in the basement of the annex to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.  The January General Meeting was held upstairs from 11:00 am to noon.

The attendees at today's workshop (24) included John, Bob, Kathie, Rick, Grant, Lon, Tony, Ed, Roy B, Roy E, Keith, Al, Don, Lauree, Darwin, Gary G, Russ, Ron (new), Keith, Wyatt, Mary G, Maggie and Jim (at home), Dave M and Stu.

THE TOY PROGRAM.    The Toy Program effort consists of 5 major phases:

Phase 1:  Tracing

Phase 2:  Cutting toys to shape

Phase 3:  Milling - routering, drilling, machine sanding

Phase 4:  Finish - sealer coat - sanding - spray - sanding

Phase 5:  Wheel installations

We are starting a new year of Toy Making today, and so began with Phase 1 - Tracing.  Today we traced Toy Patterns onto 2" thick wood, then cut the traced toys into individual pieces with the band saw.  Lastly, we put all toys of one kind into a box, attached an Assembly History Tag, and moved the boxes to the Work In Progress (WIP) store room.  Next workshop, some of us can begin working on the next phases: Cutting and Milling.

Our goal for 2025 is to build about 3,500 toys to donate to organizations who work with kids in South Dakota.

Results of Today's Toymaking Efforts:

Patterns traced:        

Toys traced:              

Total Patterns traced to date:  /89

Total toys traced to date:        

More to come:  we will be tracing for the next three or four workshops, as well as starting the cutting and milling. That is, we will start phase 2 - 3 - 4 next time on the toys traced today.

Here are photos from today's event:

Meeting Minutes

by STU

Photos from the General Meeting:

For more information, go to RCWA WEBSITE.

Kids at YFS receiving Toys

 

photos taken by YFS staff Dec 2024

For more information, go to RCWA WEBSITE.

2024 Annual Family Christmas Potluck 12-14-2024

Attendees (20): Keith and Dorla Brink, Jim and Maggie Brown, Bob and Kathie Buchanan, Grant and Mary Coffin, Lon and Vicky Gose, Jerry and Patsy Hood, Stu and Mary Kellogg, Harley Schmadeke, Nick Spano, Tony Verchio, Cori Weisbeck, Rick Weisbeck, and John Wolf.

Twenty members of the RCWA traveled to the Nemo Community Center in Nemo, SD, on Saturday Dec 14, 2024, for our annual Christmas Family Potluck luncheon.  Hosts Patsy and Jerry set up tables, chairs, music and the tree for the event.  Patsy, Kathie, Rick, and Mary put on table cloths and decorated the tables.  Kathie and Bob brought a Turkey, Patsy and Jerry and Lon and Vicky brought hams. We started the luncheon about 11:30 am.  Lots of salads, breads, and desserts filled out the super meal. 

Patsy made table centerpieces and gave them away as door prizes.

We started the meal with Jerry giving thanks for all the blessings of the past year, followed by lots of eating and visiting.

The road to Nemo was clear and dry and the gathering concluded by 1:30 pm, so everyone was home long before dark.  It was a beautiful drive thru the Hills!  Thanks Patsy and Jerry for hosting and making the event so enjoyable.  Thanks to all attending as well.

For more information, go to RCWA WEBSITE.