Jack opened up the meeting saying he had a Web Page made up for next year's Pipe Show. Helen from the Best Western on N. Oracle is welcoming us back. He also has a commitment from Peter Stokkeby of Stokkeby Tobacco to be our guest speaker. It has been decided that we would have a dinner, possibly at the Village Inn and have our Guest Speaker talk sometime during the dinner. Most of the Vendors said they had a good time and would come back next year. The date for the show is June 22nd, 2001. The schedule for the show is this: Friday June 21, Hospitality Night, June 22nd, the Show itself, and in the evening a dinner with guest speaker, Peter Stokkeby.

Jack mentioned that the advertising for the sponsors (local Tobacco Shops) might be up and Shel will look into that. Our local shops, Smokers Haven, The Tinderbox, and Anthony's Cigar Emporium have been a great help by allowing us to meet at their shops and their continued advertising in our newsletter and on the Web Site would be especially appreciated.

Shel said that a donation from the club to The Survivors Fund, a local charity of Washington DC. No acknowledgment letter has been received yet.

Questions came up as to where to print the next newsletter as the people that were doing it for us their copy machine has bit the dust and they are not going to replace it. Several suggestions were made, Ken suggested a couple of local places. Jack is looking for articles for the next Newsletter, anything pipe related or even a review of a favorite tobacco would be nice.

This year's Christmas/Hanukah Dinner was discussed...everyone liked Mesquite Willy's last year, but we will have to look into the County's new smoking restrictions and its affects on the restaurant. Mesquite Willy's does have a separate room but it is unknown if they have separate ventilation.

Then Rich C. packed the bowl with Hookah type tobacco. Apple flavored. Smelled like apple pie! He packed it in the ceramic bowl which attaches to the top of the pipe. How do you light it? Well, first you take a charcoal disc and light the top of the disc--outside! When you first light the disc, it produces a lot of smoke, so he lighted it up outside The Tinderbox. Then you place the disc on top of the tobacco, and the bowl attaches to the top of the pipe.

As Shel demonstrates, you puff very hard at first to get the smoke to travel through the tube system into the water and back out through the stem.

The tobacco tastes very sweet, aromatic lovers would like this. It is a very cool smoke. the aroma is more like that of incense, in my humble opinion. But a very coooolll smoke! Thanks to Rich C. for bringing us this unusual pipe and letting everyone take a puff!