Great Ysmen annual picnic at the YMCA pavilion on June 20, 2023! We had 95 attending (81 last year) and first heard comments by Ysmen Chairman David Grodzicki (including a moment of silence for three Y’s Men members who died during the preceding year); we were then treated to a short musical program sung and accompanied on ukulele and harmonica by Peter Burch. Bruce Burchsted and David Cooley. Attendees were treated to a delicious meal of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, grilled chicken, assorted salads, beverages and desserts. The picnic was catered by Gus and Mindy Esteves from Oxford, CT. Weather was great.

Y’s Men Holiday Party
Dec. 19, 2022

     On Dec. 20, 2022, some 78 Y’s Men and their wives and guests gathered at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville for our annual (now a luncheon) holiday party. Arriving by 12:00 pm, attendees first had to pass through the raffle-ticket-selling obstacle course manned by Peter and Sharon Burch and then found seats in the beautifully decorated Wagon Wheel Room. After an hour of socialization, entertainment was provided by the Humble Bees (Marvin Beloff, Peter Burch, Bruce Burchsted, David Cooley and Nancy Rohde).
     Next up was a delicious dinner which was again up to Aqua Turf standards. A large number of gift items were raffled off, with items being delivered to the winners via a pushcart driven by a fully costumed Santa Claus (Y’s Men Chairman Dave Grodzicki). A well-received Christmas carol contest (“identify the misquoted title”) by Bruce Burchsted entertained the audience during the meals. The dance floor then opened with music provided by Silver City Sound.
     Our thanks to all who provided raffle gifts and to Party Chairman Bruce Burchsted for organizing this fun-filled event.

Y’s Men 25th Anniversary
Oct. 4, 2016

A large group of 72 Y’s Men of Meriden gathered at the Meriden YMCA on Oct. 4 as they celebrated their 25^th anniversary, a meeting replete with humor, creativity, recognition of past service, sorrow over the loss of deceased members, and enthusiastic recollections of countless shared times. Organized by current chairman Terry Clarke, the program reviewed the club’s history during the span of the past quarter century.

After opening remarks by Clarke, a 20-minute slide and video presentation first honored each of the previous 24 club chairmen, including a group photo at which 16 were present. A 1993 episode of Marv’s “Mike” weekly TV talk show, hosted by member Marvin Beloff, featured Bruce Miller, Bill Wheaton and Danny Kahn, all founding members of the club; during this segment, much of the original planning of the organization was revealed.

Other video clips included a remarkable wedding proposal by member Dick Boynton to his fiancée Layne during a Y’s Men meeting (immediately after he presented a travelogue program), and an excited Scott Haney (Channel 3 weatherman) during a network program recounting his marvelous experience speaking to the Y’s Men the day before. Other still and video clips then reviewed numerous unique events from previous Y’s Men years.
 

Jack Brooks	"Brook" Abrahams and Steve Volpini
Refreshments	Audience
Bruce Miller	Dewey Dow
Peter Burch	Bruce Burchsted
Marvin Beloff	Bill Wheaton, Terry Clarke, Peter Burch

Bruce Miller next spoke about the origins of the club and how well it has flourished, followed by a comedy presentation by member Dewey Dow, adopting his native Maine accent and garb. Other presenting members included Peter Burch (accompanied by ukulele) singing a mildly bawdy song regarding what a Scotsman does or doesn’t wear beneath his kilt, Bruce Burchsted reciting a clever poem specially written by him for this occasion, and Marvin Beloff reading the well-known fable “Jack and the Beanstalk” (but in an unusual accent).

Both humorous and poignant recollections were then presented by several attending members, followed by awarding of plaques to Bill Wheaton and Peter Burch for their contributions to the club. This day’s program, eliciting a flood of laughter and pleasant recollections by audience members, ended with refreshments.