Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
December 3rd, 2025
President Richard Johnson presided, and called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30AM.
The meeting was led with the singing of America, the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation: Richard Johnson, mentioning the weather and the children.
Raffle: Ryan Lewis with assistance from Linda Bontly oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $10 and the big (Joker) pot was $107.
Glenn Disrude drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 539. Congratulations to the winner, Maury Frey.
The deck of cards has 44/53 cards remaining. Maury Frey drew the 3♦.
Richard Johnson thanks greeters Dave Figi and Roger Willeford, invocator Richard Johnson, rafflemaster Ryan Lewis, and server Bob Knudson.
A collection was passed for the Craig and Parker Community Closet, here next week per Bruce Jorenby.
Happy Box: Richard Johnson announced he is happy because he is getting a new cell phone, and internet.
Ron Shuler announced he is happy because someone helped him with some guidance on his healthcare plan, which was nearly lost before the timely advice.
Nikki and John Bennett announced they are happy because they joined United Way. Tonight they are doing a “make and take” at Rotary, for kids at tonight’s private ECHO event.
John Janes announced a guest is present today, Kay Janes, who have been married for 58 years.
Jokes: Joker Steve Skelly had a good joke about someone who saw an angel, and asked the angel if there are golf courses in heaven, to which the angel replied, “Yes, and you tee off tomorrow!”
Member Health: April Wright had a status update on Luci and Carl Cramer, who are returning to Janesville on the 18th, and will then be away for a trip elsewhere.
Other Announcements: John Janes spoke upon the Kiwanis Truck on Ice truck, which needs a cleaning, and Kiwanians will meet today at 1PM to prepare it for the Saturday Jolly Jingle parade.
Tom Neumann spoke upon the Salvation Army bell ringing signup going around for this Friday.
John Janes spoke upon the nation’s current blood shortage. Fliers are on the table for upcoming blood drives.
Tom Neumann spoke upon the upcoming Christmas Party, which will feature a $20 white elephant exchange!
Maury Frey spoke upon the meeting on New Year’s Day will not be at Rotary. Look to the future meetings for confirmation of the day’s meeting location, likely Oak Park Place.
Steve Skelly recommends Blackhawk Golden Kiwanis pursue selecting a ‘student of the month’ each month.
April Wright introduced the day’s speaker, Mary and Bill Eckert. The Eckerts own and operate Fermenting Cellars Winery, Wedding and Event Venue in Janesville. It is located in a beautiful rural setting of southern Wisconsin. It offers a variety of dry and sweet, red and white wines and a single run fortified wine all to be enjoyed in a beautiful covered pavilion setting, a cozy private shed or an open air patio in front of a large fire place. The winery’s focus is to provide a high-quality and delicious wine tasting experience, all the while treating our guests as if they were family.
The Eckerts proceeded to present upon their company:
Prior to 2010, the Eckerts won several awards for their privately made wines. In 2010, they attained an alcohol license for their winery, and started commercial production.
Their premise for the license is written as the entire property including the length of the driveway. That is unique, because guests can have an open container outside. “Per the permit, the only place you can’t drink on our property is the home’s bedrooms on the second floor” joked Mary.
In 2018, a 40×80 foot outdoor pavilion was constructed.
The pavilion was in response to business diversification around 2015~17, which included licensing the property as an event venue (e. g. weddings).
The products are not shipped or sold in stores.
Mary detailed some of the requirements of alcohol sales, including the rules for wine bottle labeling. Labels must have a particular font size, and volume measurement.
Grapes are sourced from Michigan.
It takes 17 pounds of grapes for one gallon of wine. They must be harvested in a timely fashion because they cannot be re-hydrated if they dry.
The grapes are given 7 to 10 days of fermentation, and then pressed.
The Eckerts have made wine out of numerous other things, including coffee, and water.
Kiwanis member Jim Farrell asked, “Do the tariffs have an effect?” Mary responded, “No, because we have local sources. The bottles were purchased locally in bulk at a business closing in 2015.”
About the bottles, they are cleaned with a jet, then sanitizer’d, vacuum filled, and corked. On a good day, the Eckerts can accomplish 55 cases per hour!
A federal law requires a book detailing consistency and other standards to always be on site.
Seals, cork vs. plastic, and craft wines were discussed, including a bottle of white with red atop that must always be transported neck up.
Other topics were covered and questions answered. The presentation was enjoyed by all.
April Wright thanked the Eckerts for speaking and presented them with a Kiwanis Parker pen.
Richard Johnson adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 11:05AM.
Reminders: Some members stuck around for the Programs Committee meeting.
On this day:
1818 Illinois becomes 21st state USA (Admission day)
1833 Oberlin College in Ohio, the first truly coeducational college, opens
1834 First US dental society organized (NY)
1847 Frederick Douglass publishes first issue of his newspaper “The North Star” in Rochester, New York
1901 At the MLB meeting, the Milwaukee Brewers franchise is officially dropped from the American League and replaced by the St. Louis Browns
1910 Neon lights are first publicly displayed at the Paris Auto Show
1947 Tennessee Williams’ stage drama “A Streetcar Named Desire”, starring Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, and Kin Hunter, and directed by Elia Kazan opens the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC; runs for 855 performances, wins a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize
1948 1st US woman army officer not in medical corps sworn in
1964 Police arrests 800 sit-in students at University of California at Berkeley
1965 “Rubber Soul”, the sixth studio album by the Beatles, is released in the United Kingdom
1965 USSR launches Luna 8; it crashes on the Moon
1966 Television pop group “The Monkees” make their live concert debut at the Honolulu International Centre Arena, in Hawaii
1973 Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter (1st fly-by of an outer planet) [Dec 4-GMT]
1985 23rd Shuttle Mission (61-B)-Atlantis 2-lands at Edwards AFB
1988 NY Lotto pays $45 million to twelve winner (#s are 1-8-13-18-28-48)
1989 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush declare the Cold War over
1999 NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere
Minutes by Ryan Lewis.
Credit: Dave Figi, and Ryan Lewis, photographs.
Note: Kiwanis and its members are not responsible for errors or omissions. We are open to discussion if you would like to request an alteration.
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