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©Gallatin Publishing Co.
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www.lakevikingmo.com
May 2021
VVA Board of Directors Annual Meeting Call to Order Tony Gronniger, lot 2281, called the meeting to order, held in the upper level of the clubhouse at 6:30 p.m. May 16. Board members present were: Mark Leggett, lot 72; Celeste Armanees, lot 62; Troy Lesan, lot 576; Allan Slavin, lot 181. Not present were Marvin McNabb, lot 28 and Mike Booth, lot 2380. Allan Slavin led in prayer. Shad Mort led the Pledge of Allegiance. Tony Gronniger opened the meeting with the Vision/Mission Statement: “Lake Viking is a private lake aspiring to preserve our community and environment for future generations.” Approval of Minutes Mark Leggett moved to approve the minutes of the April 11, 2021, board meeting. Celeste Armanees seconded; motion passed. Committee Reports: Handbook Committee Celeste Armanees commented there is a proposed rule change from the Building Committee that she will present later in the meeting. Finance Committee The Finance Committee met May 13, online. John Kmetz (chair) and six other committee members were present. In reviewing April financial statements compared to last year at this time, income was up nicely in all areas. On the expense side, there were two large expenditures: one was the 2020 tax year payment of $103,000 to the IRS for capital gains tax owed on the sale of Community Areas. The other was $73,270 paid for our new Safety boat. Both of these large expenses were anticipated and budgeted. Additional capital expenditure items were: a $3,900 pickup for Maintenance Department and $12,500 for road tubes.
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Dear Readers &
Volume 34, No. 1
May 16, 2021 Friends…
webwell as the lake’s print edition as ly th hip on rs m ne ws ow w Ne but under ne The Lake Viking g m, will continue nin co o. gin gM Be s. kin es Vi ke site, www.La s down its busin se clo ny ke pa La m ing shing Co clusively serv as Gallatin Publi tion products ex ica un n. m m tio co cia e es g Asso June 1, 2021, th by the Lake Vikin ned and operated Viking will be ow to see changes you may begin d, rio pe g the n itio ns th tra ns like convertin During a 3-mon and online. Optio int ll be pr wi in th ite bo bs ts we nsidered. The and improvemen e inforine are being co th az e ag ak m m a to o int ns r newspape uled with intentio aps even overha d convenient. revised and perh y accessible an sil ea e or m ps rti ge mation at your fin newspaper ever oduced the lake’s pr s ha r ny pa m ing Co s. The newspape Gallatin Publish in the late 1960 ing be ing o us int e n, m tio ca cia g the asso since Lake Vikin independent of e ated financially d support the lak an ice rv has always oper se o wh rs se rti n is ve tio from ad of the publica revenue derived es as ownership inu per nt co pa ws ion ne dit e tra ofits from th community. This tion, meaning pr d. cia ar so rw As fo g ing kin go Vi tion taken by Lake m for the associa w revenue strea public will provide a ne s to the general will close its door ny g pa kin m Vi Co ke La ing rtising for the Gallatin Publish siness and adve through bu l” l ua Al . us 28 s “a ay e M on Friday, com will continu w.LakeVikingMo. 1, 2021. News and for ww beginning June ce Association offi g kin Vi ke for La e th shing Company ing Gallatin Publi at er e op r th te d af te t or emen o have supp As we enter retir ank all those wh thank s, we wish to th ar ye . We especially 43 hip st rs pa ne e th r years of ow d of ou ar g bo rin du e’s ws lak e Ne Lake Viking present) and th d an t as (p vers ad er work to thank all the Lake Viking office pport. We want su d d itte an ts bm or su eff ed news and directors for their o have contribut ial wh ec e Sp os th s. es all cc as a su tisers as well ke Viking News tly help make the La o has consisten wh n sa photographs to Le oy Tr r ite wr u! yo ing k ut an rib cont her way. Th thanks goes to ...and in every ot int pr in g kin Vi promoted Lake Sincerely, blishers Pu & inson, Owners Darryl & Liz Wilk mpany Co ing sh Gallatin Publi
Swan Song for a great regional institution By Troy Lesan
It is an understatement to say that Lake Viking and the Gallatin North Missourian newspaper go back a long way. Perhaps the association can best be described from narrative by North Missourian owner and publisher Joe Snyder. In 1966, Joe Snyder was on the State Water Resources Board, and he was growing frustrated with attempts to push for construction of a lake in Daviess County. As Joe was getting ready to convene a Water Resources board meeting in Jefferson City, he recalls the following: “Suddenly, a fellow walked into the room and asked the question, is there anyone here who can think of a good place to build a lake?” Voila! This would turn out to be his initial contact with a representative from Development Services Inc., the company that eventually built and developed Lake Viking! At the time, Gallatin Publishing under Joe Snyder was already over a century old and was well on its way to establishing a standard of excellence in local journalism. The newspaper had been around to cover the James Gang Train robbery in 1881 at Winston, Missouri. And again, in 1882, the newspaper covered the famous courtroom trial of
Frank James. Both events were huge national news items of their day, but the Gallatin newspaper did so much more than to ride on the coattails of Jesse James and his gang. In 2015, when current owner and publisher Darryl Wilkinson was inducted into The Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame, he became the third Gallatin newspaper publisher to become part of that elite group of some 200 names that include the likes of Joseph Pulitzer and a guy named Samuel Clemens (better known as Mark Twain). The others from Gallatin, besides Darryl, were Joe Snyder and Wesley “Uncle Wes” Robertson, The Missouri Newspaper Martyr, who was gunned down in 1919 by an irate reader as he sat in his Gallatin office. Darryl and Elizabeth Wilkinson purchased Gallatin Publishing from Joe Snyder and have owned the company for 43 years. During the past few years, they have been trying to sell their business which also includes the Ad Zone and Lake Viking News. It’s not that their business is failing – it’s just that Darryl and Liz would like to step away from the 24/7 grind of publishing and
enjoy the benefits of retirement. They have been attempting to find a buyer for their business but have been unsuccessful. Now, as of June 1, they are closing the doors of their business, and if lastminute eleventh hour arrangements cannot be made, the business will be closed and equipment will be auctioned off. This looks to be a sad ending for an esteemed local business whose absence will be strongly felt in the region. Plainly put, economic fortunes have not been kind to the business future in small town Midwest rural America or, more specifically, the newspaper publishing industry. Fortunately, Gallatin Publishing and the Viking Valley Association have been negotiating an opportunity whereby the Association can take control of the Lake Viking News with the help of Jill Steward (Liz and Darryl’s daughter) as media consultant. With the addition of websites and social media pages, many new communication venues have opened up, but the Association Board of Directors feels the need to continue The Lake Viking News as the anchor of our communication network with our members. Stay tuned for more developments.