History was made! The inaugural meeting of the newly named and incorporated Wine Country Model Club was held on Monday August 4, 2025 at Fundemonium in Rohnert Park with 18 members and guests attending.
Newly elected President James Morando started the meeting by expressing thanks on behalf of the club to outgoing President Dean Wallace for his outstanding service and dedication, as well as gratitude that both Dean and Ray Kummer will be staying on as officers as the club moves forward.
James then reported on the progress of incorporating the club as a 501(c)(7) non-profit and of rebranding the club consistent with our new name. The club’s discord server has been renamed, and the IPMS website has been updated. Work is almost complete on the new logo and on transitioning to our new website. We will also be introducing a new Wine Country Model Club Facebook group.
Dean then reported on plans for the club’s upcoming participation at the Pacific Coast Air Museum “Wheels and Wings Car Show” which will be held from 8 am -2 pm on Saturday September 20, 2025. We will have a club display table to show off member car and aircraft models and will also host a make and take event for kids.
James announced that there will be a club in person build day at Fundemonium on Saturday August 23 from 10 am to 4 pm. Members can join for some or all of the day as their schedule permits.
The club’s annual BBQ will be held on Saturday September 6 from 11 am – 3 pm at Ray Kummer’s house in east Santa Rosa, so get ready for a really fun time.
Expo coordinator Kevin Steeper then reported on the planning for our Wine Country Model Expo scheduled for April 11, 2026 at the Petaluma Community Center. Kevin will be creating a new separate website to promote the Expo.
Randy Baumgardner, who will serve as head judge for the Expo reported on the plans for the “juried exhibition” portion of the Expo, which will again feature the open/GSB format used successfully at our last show
Dean then gave a treasurer’s report to the members highlighting our current solid financial status.
The club was then treated to an excellent presentation by Doug Yuen, the head of our local Gundam club, which provided a wonderful overview about the Gunpla/Gundam genre. Thanks again Doug!
We then had a great Show and Tell session with a large number of members participating and showing off some really great work. Our discussion topic of the night, “What inspires you in your modeling?” was the focus of some excellent discussions.
Following the meeting a large group got together for post-meeting food, drinks and camaraderie at nearby Shari’s Café.
Our next meeting will be held starting at 6:30 pm on Monday September 8, 2025 at Fundemonium.
