Posted on: March 13th, 2018 Posted in Residents Only

What might appear as procrastination of doing work or taxes, the evolving Spring weather and conversations this morning in the fitness center with a few residents triggered the energy for this update and opportunity to expand activities desired by our growing RB resident population.

I’ll try to focus on this task long enough to cover the following topics:

  1. Relatively new clubs and ones that will become more active in the upcoming few months.
  2. Surveying level of interest in a possible new club focused on fitness
  3. Status of clubs (which ones are active and which ones are mostly dormant and need the catalyst of a Co-Manager)
  4. Relatively new clubs and ones that will become more active in the upcoming few months.

Here is some information about clubs that are now or will soon be expanding activities:

Bullets and Bows (24 members) Thank you Lindsay Henry for being a Club Co-Manager

  • Thirteen residents completed their Concealed Gun Carry Permit Course earlier this year.
  • Interested “shooters” meet in front of the Mail Building by Porches at 8:45 AM on the second Saturday of each month to head to the Holly Shelter shooting range.
  • Shooters informally get together to shoot at an indoor range in town or at Holly Shelter as the spirit moves them to.

Boaters – Kayaking and Power Boats  (38 members)  Thank you Otis White for being a Co-Manager

  • A few of us have ventured on the river in kayaks already this year during the warm days.
  • The club has kayaks, vests and paddles stored by the boat ramp that the owners allow other club members to use.
  • Group kayak trips will be announced to club members and expect some for non-beginners during April.
  • Some kayak lessons and beginner trips will likely start in May.
  • Around a dozen residents have power boats. Otis White volunteered this week to be Co-Manager and will focus on items to support power boaters and their activities.  As an officer in the Cape Fear Sail and Power Squadron Otis brings knowledge and access to a strong set of resources to join with other RB boaters with deep boating and Cape Fear River experience and knowledge.
  • He has already set up the availability of free vessel safety checks for all RB boat owners.  Those passing get a US Coast Guard sticker for their boats certifying the vessel passed the safe boating review.
  • It is a prime time for owners to collectively select items of interest for the group of power boaters. The club library is a great place to house a list of resources such as boat mechanics, great trips, boat hardware sources.

Book Club (27 members) and Bunko Club (26 members)

Thank you Randy Jayne and Barb Kohler respectively for being the Co-Managers of these clubs

  • Both are relatively new and both are active with monthly meetings.
  • Sign up for a club if you are interested in these activities.

Documentarians Club – New Club — Just Formed  Thank you John Distler for being a Co-Manager

Explore some of the great documentaries available for high quality entertainment and knowledge expansion.

Members can share their favorite documentaries for watching as a group and discussing.

Individuals can contribute to a list of documentaries club members have watched and rated.   This list will be maintained by the club for others to find interesting documentaries.

Documentaries within various categories are readily available from streaming services (NetFlix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.) as well as at the public library.   A single example from the club page under the topic of History is “The Men That Made America Great (The era of Rockerfeller, Vanderbilt, Ford, etc.)”.

  • Sign up for the club if you are interested in these activities.

Foodies Club #2

With the success of the Foodies Club #1 came so much membership growth that Foodies Club #2 needed to be started.

Thank you Jhansi Kandasamy for being Foodies #1 Co-Manager.

Both Foodies Clubs are for the same purpose but need to be limited in size.  If you like food and company, here is a club to develop the combination of the two items. Share experiences of good restaurants in the area and dine out with friends. A sub-club group could rotate dinner parties at member’s houses.

  • Some members of Foodies Club #1 can also sign up for Foodies Club #2 to cross pollinate this popular concept.
  • Sign up for the club if you are interested in these activities.

Pickleball Club (32 members)  Thank you Jackie Niedermayer for being a Co-Manager

  • Some members have taken lessons at the Y and a church during the past couple of weeks.
  • Some quick links were added to the Pickleball Club library for those who want to learn or play (days/times/locations/skill level) at their convenience. Click on the Library tab while on the Pickleball Club page.
  • Play will pick up when the River Bluffs pickleball court opens soon.

Ping Pong Club (17 members)  Thank you again Jackie Niedermayer for being a Co-Manager

  • Current routine play times are Wednesdays 3:00-5:00, Saturdays 11:00-2:00 and Sundays 3:00-5:00. A survey to members will be done during April to select additional times or change some current ones.
  • Some members looked at the recent local ping pong tournament.
  • Play will pick up when the River Bluffs multi-purpose room above the fitness center opens soon. The room will hold three tables and the club has two tables ready to start.

Rock, Rhythm and Blues (21 members)  Thank you again John Distler for being a Co-Manager

  • Solo and Duo Distler singers have graced River Bluff events this past year.
  • The Club is posed to kick up activities as a drummer moves in soon to join the existing guitar and keyboard playing residents.
  • Join this club if you like to play or listen to music.

Water Volleyball (39 members)  Thank you Ritt Schiano for being a Co-Manager

  • The club kicked off last summer and was a big hit with two play times a week.
  • Play will resume this year after the pool opens for the season.
  • Look for an introductory meeting to be scheduled during April to welcome new members and review plans for play this year.

Welcome New Neighbors (9 members) Thank you Kelly Good and Cheryl Clark for being Co-Managers

  • Started welcoming new neighbors moving into the community this year with a basket of home-made cookies and personal warm introduction.
  • This club adds to the welcome visit and goodie basket brought by the RB Development organization.
  • Has developed ties to Wilmington Newcomers Group for their activities and ties to Welcome Wagon.
  • Current membership is heavily weighted on the Premier Homes side and has need of residents from other areas of the community.
  1. A potential new club – Fitness and Exercise

The idea comes from encountering comments from numerous residents about the Fitness Center and from the Development Organization Staff about additional equipment being considered.

Items such as the following might have enough residents interest to form a club:

  • Understand how the Fitness Center is currently managed so members can productively contribute so the area is clean, machines and tv features are consistently working well and ideas for further improvements gain input and are prioritized for action.
  • Provide periodic sessions on how to use the machines, TV feature, TRX Trainer, and other equipment.
  • Collect and share information about effective work outs and nutrition.
  • Organize activities – routine morning walks, trips for hikes, bike rides (tying into the Rolling Wheels Club), etc.
  • Find work out partners

Send an email to Tara (tara@riverbluffsliving) and Bob (rconger53@yahoo.com) if you are interested in this club and indicate if you also would like to talk about becoming a Co-Manager to get the club active.

  1. Status of the other RB clubs

The following clubs have Co-Managers and are active:

  • Community Farm – Stephan Douglass Co-Manager – Would welcome a resident Co-Manager
  • Community Watch – Felicia Grant and Bill Jayne Co-Managers
  • Handyman – Would welcome a Co-Manager
  • Helping Hands – Would welcome a Co-Manager
  • History – Otis White Co-Manager

New-comers are welcomed to join (just go to “View List of Clubs” on the Residents Portal and click the “Join Club” button that is on the right-hand side of each club

The following ten clubs need a Co-Manager to catalyze them beyond their current stage of “Mostly Dormant”. 

There are more than 20 members each in most of these clubs, but they need a spark to create activity.

City Events Club – This club is for those who like to partake in the various events in Wilmington or possibly taking road trips to other cities. – Thalian Hall – Comedy Clubs – Festivals

Drinks Please – If you like mixing with people and consuming liquids containing alcohol, this club is for you. Sub-clubs can coordinate times to meet at porches, organize a wine tasting club or show interest in games that go with alcohol such as beer pong, etc.

Drop on By – The members of this club can bring back those satisfying times of past centuries when informal neighborhood social networks provided a sense of contentment and interrelations within neighborhoods. The club might develop a flag for members to fly when they are open for people to drop by for a cup of coffee or tea so people are confident they are welcome to just pop in.

Gamers – Anything to do with games (board, cards, bocce, horse shoes to name a few). The membership will form the desired activities, frequency, etc.

Gardening – Combine people, dirt, water and seeds and see what sprouts. Possibly do special projects with Steve Douglas, the head farmer of the RB Organic Farm.

Investments – Share the investment knowledge existing within RB. Schedule outside speakers (Investment managers, CPAs, Authors, etc.)

Movie Nights at Porches – We can set times and select movies to watch inside or set up a screen by the fountain and have outdoor movie nights.

Naturalists – The club explores, learns, loves and shares information and experiences associated with nature, both immediately around us within River Bluffs and further away.

Rolling Wheels – If you enjoy biking, cycling or if you are a car enthusiast, this club will allow you to keep in touch with others that have similar interests.

Volunteers for the Community – Here is a club for those interested in doing volunteer work in the community (any local communities, civic organizations, or River Bluffs community). The club could team with other RB clubs such as Helping Hands, Handyman, etc. and do a “Sister Cities” type sharing with local groups.