2008 SCHEDULE

FAVRE RETIRES

Well we all knew it would come sooner or later and now it finally happened, Brett Farve announces his retirement. Even though the day was inevitable, it is a sad time in Packer Land!!! It was a great run and he gave us some very great football. He will be missed!!! Check out his big list of accomplishments:

Most TD passes: 442
Most passing yards: 61,655
Most passing attempts: 8,758
Most wins by a starting QB: 160
Most consecutive starts, quarterback: 253 (275 including playoffs)
Most 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
Most consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
Most pass completions: 5,377
Most seasons with 30-plus TD passes: 8
Most consecutive games with a TD pass, postseason: 18
Most NFL MVP awards: 3

SPONSOR MEETING HELD

Minutes from the NWPB meeting on 2/23/08 @ the Mustard Seed

In attendance: Jeff Kildow, Chris Anderson, Carl and June Rimer, Debra Hallas-Uber, Sean Brady, Mary Ellen Nesseth, Mary and Rick Leeschow, Joe Givens, Gerald Kubly, Terry Fritz, Barb Newton, Galen Richards, Traci and Jerry Garner, John Heinonen, Cindy Appelhof, Brad and Amie Borchert, Gary Fye

Call to order at 1:02pm on 2/23/08 by Gary .

Bar Info – Miller has bought Coors and Leinenkugel -> Miller will continue to be a club sponsor (and was very happy with our support in buying their product toward the end of the season. Leinenkugel will be offered on tap for the 2008 season(a hometown fav…)

Todd will be the Miller representative for the 08-09 season and Miller will likely donate another 2 tickets to a game in Green Bay !

Improvements to the kitchen – Ken purchased a pressure chicken cooker that will yield a new special to be added to the menu – home fried chicken and jo jo's (non trans fat frying) – a sample was provided and agreed that it is very reminiscent of being back home.

Comments from Ken: regulars know the ordering drill, arrive at the club early and place their orders, enjoy the game and know the food will be forth coming…transient fans tended to be the source of complaints, arrived late and left games early (fans from Goofy's and other local establishments). The club does need to remember that we get 4-6 out – of – towners a week that we need to embrace(nice job Jerry helping with this as the Fan Rep). The core group of 80-100 fans tends to yield good business for the bar, more fans is harder to manage.

Reserved seating – the club officers hold two tables in the bar area to conduct business and occasionally the booth for kids activities.

Issue : whether or not people can come in early and hold a table for others to join later. The problem created is fans are left standing and tables are not filled to capacity. A vote was taken and it was decided that it is okay to hold a table until kick off – after that point club officers will seat waiting fans in open seats. This was a unanimous decision by the Sponsors present. The above decision will be communicated via Sponsor email, pre game announcements and game day newsletter…ie… reserved seating, ordering, etc.

Website – is approaching 48,000 hits to date, with an exposure rating of 4 on google(this is very good!). The club gmail account is getting several requests weekly to advertise on the website, agreed during October meeting to have companies make donations ($200) directly to Christmas House, and then the club would provide a link (or banner ads on a back page) on a separate “Club supporters page”. A committee of Joe, Jerry, Mary Ellen, and Gary (and whoever else might be interested) will tackle the details and bring a report to the May meeting. All the photos are now displayed through Flicker (an online album web site – cost $25/year), and the club has a YouTube account established. Next seasons ‘Featured Fan' will provide a video interview – available for viewing through YouTube. There was some discussion about whether or not we should establish an “If you would like to advertise with us” instruction page…tabled until the May meeting.

Team news – Brett Favre has retired and Bubba Franks has been released. The season schedule will not be available until April. Though it has been noted that the Pack will be in Seattle for an 08-09 season game.

Seattle game details – need to know the day/time the game will be prior to making arrangements; individuals interested in attending game will need to purchase their own tickets; interest in renting a lot again (like two years ago) for tail gate party; discussion of forming a committee for this event once specifics are know about the 08 season.; might we be able to approach Miller? This item has been tabled until the May meeting pending season schedule posting.

2007 Trip prize info – winner of 07-08 prize present. Info regarding Fan Fest will be out in April/May, and club officers will coordinate the trip when details are made available by Packer Fan Tours.

Financial report provided by Mary Ellen – highlights: $2,007 was donated to Christmas House, ~$700 carries over for 08 season start up costs, only $54.04 carries over from the sponsor fees (after the hoodies and wine were purchased). For a full detailed report see Mary Ellen. Third quarter raffle inventory – very low, though Mom Fye is continuing to ship items periodically, Gary and others will do some shopping around for deals during visits to WI. Preference for donations to be non-clothing items, gift certificates for the pro shop?, other, etc… It was noted that trip raffle sales tend to do well on the day of the raffle – generating $400-500 during the game. Just an FYI in decision making regarding selecting the big prize and runner up prizes with the goal of this raffle paying for itself. For 2007 the trip raffle came up short of the $1800 cost by $130 which was made up for from the general fund.

Packer Picnic – Will be at Lake Sammamish State Park (a great venue for: kids, bbq, and swimming). Date: Saturday July 12, 2008 – voted on - all were in favor. Might members of the club be interested in participating in outside activities: Bowling/Karaoke night? Volunteers to organize?

Sponsorship: Cost will be increased to $35 [unanimously agreed upon] to cover the costs of the club (it has been $30 for the past 6 years). Sponsor benefits include: name on the website (optional), badge, trip tickets, the annual ‘incentive' prize, 10% discount at Just Sports. Sponsors signing up through the last game in September can receive full benefits, although sponsors are always welcome to sign up at any time. Sponsor sign ups have increased since the first year (30-40), to 76 sponsors for the 07-08 season.

Sponsor only raffle prize: set of 4 bobble head collectibles: Bart, Ray, Vince, and Fuzzy (with a shadow box made by John?) – Gary to send dimensions to John and Mary Ellen; and Pics to Joe for posting on the website. Another Prize item has also been purchased: a Waterford crystal Favre signed football (with papers). To be determined how best to raffle this but most likely a Sponsor only raffle!

Half time sponsor raffle for the 08 season – Cheesehead Wine. (unanimously agreed upon). Mary Ellen will put in an order this spring/summer for the 08 batch. Also it was decided there will be no more silent auctions held. Silent auctions do not work well with our noisy crowd – only two bids were placed on the Packers / Raiders game tickets donated by Miller at Lambeau field. What should the Sponsor incentive (Sponsors present voiced an opinion for something other than a shirt) be for the 08 season? – badges / chevrons were mentioned ( Gary will look into) ie…maybe a club logo badge with sponsor year additions for each year of sponsorship. If you have ideas for the sponsor incentive, e-mail Gary the expected cost for set up and the unit cost, and bring the info to the May meeting. Six dozen bells will be purchased for 2008 club merchandise – expect a paint party coming to town! Jerry and Traci will do the sponsor badges and trip tickets for the 08 season.

Discussion of the trip raffle addressed – tickets were harder to sell due to the destination being Fan Fest. Unanimously decided that the 08 prize be for a game. Also discussed raising the cost of trip tickets by 33%, with a minimum of 3 to purchase. Price increase tabled until May meeting. E-mail Gary with ideas of managing the rising costs of flight/hotel/game tickets/transportation, with the limited budget of the club. Generally the first prize is 1200-1500 dollars, and the three runner ups are 300, 200, and 100 dollars respectively.

Discussion about more regular meeting schedule – suggestions included monthly, and quarterly. Quarterly was decided upon by vote . Date for the next Sponsor meeting set for Saturday May 17 th @ 10:30am at the Mustard Seed.

Voting by proxy – unanimously decided that only sponsors present would be able to vote on issues at the meeting; there will be no voting by e-mail/proxy.

Awards presentation to Galen Richards (kids table) and Barb Newton (help with the head table) as NWPB Sponsor(s) of the Year. Meeting adjournment.

WHAT IS PISS?

Just what is the meaning of the word PISS? Is it an acronym for something all Packer Fans feel each and every season? Yes it is and what it means is Packer Induced Stress Syndrome™ ! Three of our enterprising club Members came up with the phrase, trademarked it, and have set up an online store selling PISS merchandise. Starting small, they hope to expand their product line down the road and have a multitude of items for you PISS sufferers to purchase. Have a visit to their online store and make a purchase. Check back often for new items as they add them!! And remember....GO PACK!!!

WE LOVE BRETT FAVRE

THE PACKER SHRINE

When stopping by the main table, visit our "Packer Shrine" and give the helmet a slight rub for good luck! The shrine was created by Brad Tessen!!! Very unique and interesting there Brad!!!!! I am sure we'll be seeing some new things popping up down the road around the shine!

KIDS TABLE

It is great that the kids can come along with Mom and Dad to watch the Packers play. Now if the kids get a little antsy, they can head over to the kids table that Galen Richards has set up and keep occupied while the game is on. There will be coloring, origami, board games, puzzles, and more. Check out the table in the far corner by the windows to see what Galen has set up for the kiddies each week!!!

A SHOUT OUT

Let's give our Club Officers a big round of applause and a pat on the back. This new season has started more organized than ever before. Mary Ellen and Traci are doing a bang up job on all the behind the scenes work that is involved in running the Club smoothly. We also don't want to forget Gary and Jerry for their enthusiasm and leadership, and also Mark Eder and Scott Foster for contributing their time and energy. Way to go guys!!!!!

MEMBER INPUT WANTED

If you have anything exciting, important, jokes, pictures, etc. that I might be able to add to the site just send me an email to that effect and I'll post your info as soon as I can. Also go to the Members Page to check your listing and make sure we have the correct names, email, or any other changes you would like to make. Use the form provided on the page to make your changes! This site is for all of us Northwest Packer Backers, so let's all get involved!!!! GO PACKERS!!!!!!!

GO PACKERS!

FEATURED FAN

Jonathon Ulrich will be our final featured fan for the season! He is a lucky guy because his mug will be here all summer long! Jonathon was born in Nebraska and is a diehard Nebraska Cornhusker fan. Ahman Green was drafted by Seattle and got Jonathon excited. Then Green headed over to the Packers and Jonathon became a Packer Fan and still is! Last year Jonathon had a chance to visit Lambeau Field for a game in typical snowy blustery conditions. He had a great time and cheered hard for the Pack all the way! At his school during Seahawk Spirit Day, Jonathon showed up in full Packer gear, jersey, facepaint, cheesehead, you name it. He got mostly boos from his school mates, but did hear a few cheers from other Packer followers. In his household which has Cornhusker Fans, Seahawk Fans, Jonathon is the lone Cheesehead! But he is a devout one and can tell you every player, position, and how long they have been on the team. Jonathon made it to the big NFC Championship game at the Mustard Seed which was his first time there. It might be his last as the family is moving to Baku, Azerbaijan in August. Before you feel too sorry for him, he also is a big Houston Astro Fan. We hope to see him and his family back at the Club again for a game in the future!