Welcome to Winter!

Judging by comments through the area, the “after holidays” period of winter is the least favorite part of the calendar.  A glance at the thermometer reveals below-zero temperatures, brisk winds that seem to pierce the best winter apparel, and snows that range from “get the shovel” to “fire up that snow blower”.  Since we are spending more quality time next to heat sources (fireplace, stove, furnace, etc.) sharing breaking news and updating the web side have risen to #1 on our agenda.

For those who do not live locally, the past six months has featured several restaurant changes, one of which impacts our twice-yearly gatherings.  The former Ryan’s on route 95 in Marion reopened as a Ponderosa.  (Our longer-term retirees will recall that we met at this restaurant for years, being allowed to use one of their private rooms for our gatherings.)  Several of our retirees have eaten there since Ponderosa’s grand opening, and reported favorable experiences.  The menu appears to be virtually the same as Ryan’s, with similar pricing.  Based on their comments, we have adjusted the location of our next gathering.  It will be held on Tuesday, April 24^th, at noon, at the Ponderosa.  We have reserved the room we used when it was Ryan’s (in the back, on the left), and have been assured it would remain open to us for future events.

At our recent gatherings for MCI’s free lunch, questions were posed about events held at MCI, specifically the Christmas program in the Chapel.  We did not receive any notification about this event, and it was clear that individual retirees didn’t either.  This came after the adjustment of MCI’s Correctional Employee Week (reference posting of 5-3-17, below).  To clarify the situation John Mathew contacted the Warden’s Office for information.  Here is what we learned, summarized from his notes:

MCI retirees continue to be welcome at the institution for the monthly lunches, Chapel events, and other special activities.  As noted earlier, the situation in May with the Correctional Employee Week was due to an unforeseen, last-minute schedule change by Central Office.  With a better handle on scheduling, which directly impacts purchasing, we can anticipate being included in this year’s activities.  There was not a specific notice distributed for attending the Chapel Christmas program, as they use the same web site for each production.  Adjustments have been made to ensure MCI retirees about other activities, such as the cookout at the FOP Park in Caledonia in late summer.  This means we will be able to post the details on this site, and provide email notifications, as soon as each event is scheduled. 

Rev Smith provided a link to the Eventbrite.com web site, which is used to advertise productions of MCI’s Ministry of Theatre, and to manage the gate pass list (http://www.marionplays.eventbrite.com ).  This link is used for all their productions, so we have added this as a permanent listing, on the left margin of our web page. 

Please Note this information from the Eventbrite.com site: 

- The 2018 Easter play runs from Monday, March 26 through Thursday, March 29.

- Registration runs from Wednesday, February 28 through Sunday, March 11 ONLY!  Requests to be added to the list after that date will not be approved.

Our next item seemed a bit unusual when first mentioned, but we have received several requests for a general distribution of obituaries for former staff members.  As frequent visitors to our site know, on the left margin we have a link to obituaries of former staff members of MCI and NCCI.  Also included are employees of other agencies who were stationed there, such as long-term contract service providers.  When we find these in area newspapers, or they are brought to our attention by other retirees, we add them to the site in the order received.  If you would like to be added to a distribution of recent obituaries, you can communicate that using the email address below, or copta2003@yahoo.com.  Also, if you know of someone who worked at either facility who passed away, please contact us at the same addresses.

That’s what we know for now.  Stay warm!

Charles Daniel, President
John Mathew, Vice President

email:  mcira43302@yahoo.com

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