The first informal meeting of our marble collectors was held November 11, 1989 at Steve Reid’s Photo Shop in the Butler Square Building in Downtown Minneapolis.  Seventeen collectors from the Twin Cities Area attended to show, trade and sell.

The next meeting, the first formal meeting of The Club, was held at “Kaffestuga”, the coffee shop restaurant of the old Radisson Hotel South at the intersection of Highways 100 and 494 in Bloomington, Minnesota.  Sixteen people attended this Meeting and were considered “Charter Members”.

To get The Club started and fund its beginning, the “Charter Members” each contributed $35 to the treasury; annual dues thereafter were $10 for several years and later raised to $25.  “Charter Members” were granted free tables at subsequent marble shows for a few years until those members felt they had been adequately rewarded and wanted to give monetary support to The Club.

The third meeting was held in New Prague, Minnesota at member John Schumacher’s Hotel, where these summertime annual meetings became a regular thing.  The next two annual public shows were held at the Holiday Inn West in Bloomington.

Subsequent meetings were held at a number of the private residences of members: Barb Banas in Vadnais Heights; Bruce Hanson (twice) in Hudson, Wisconsin; and John Stecklein in Falcon Heights.  Another time Waunita Shaw hosted The Club at her “Country Estate” in rural western Hennepin County.  Two other times, Barb Banas arrangd for use of a community party room in the old Apache Plaza Complex in Columbia Heights.  For three summers, Kay and Paul Grotenhuis arranged for The Club to use the Historic Farm in Brooklyn Park in northern Hennepin County.  The old farmhouse had a nice kitchen for spreading out pot luck picnic food, and on the spacious lawn were a number of picnic tables for eating and marble “deals”.  One year, Alan and Kathleen Seaton sponsored a meet at the Park Place Hotel, in St. Louis Park, in celebration of their wedding.

As The Club grew, it began holding meetings at the Days Inn just south of the Marll of America and the Thunderbird Motel on I-494 and Cedar Avenue.  Nationally known marble people were brought in to “spark”…

Leadership of The Club was assumed by Bob Vayder; he and Dorothy “filled in” with anything and everything needed to make The Club functional.  They published several issues of The Club’s newsletter, The Marble Network, and mailed them to the members; made arrangements for our meetings and food;had interesting programs; etc., etc., etc., adinfinitum! Kathy Bronner served as Treasurer.

The Club held its first election of officers on February 23 1991 at Bruce and Carol Hansen’s in Hudson, Wisconsin; the officers were:

President – Bob Vayder
Vice President – Len Henning
Treasurer – Kathy Bronner
Secretary – Jean Royer

Jim Conley was appointed Educational Director, and Ken Royer was appointed a special assignment to draft a set of Club Bylaws.  A proposed set of Bylaws was submitted to The Club for discussion at the July 21, 1991 meeting. Several Changes by those attending were incorporated into the draft, and a revised set was sent to all members with the August 1991 newsletter.

Apparently, this was the last time that anyone ever looked or even heard of The Club Bylaws; nothing was ever written or mentioned about them again, and by the February 7, 1993 meeting, the Club Officers had been changed to:

President – Bob Vayder
Vice President – (Vacant)Treasurer / Membership Secretary – Ken Royer
Secretary – Gaynelle Buckland
Newletter Editor – Lloyd Hackl
Historian – Jean Royer