Back in the 1900's, I met Dave Stevens and he and I would go to concerts, happy hours, Monday Night Football, etc. After a few years of this, I got tired of bars and casinos and told Dave that we needed to meet some people so we can go to a different house each week for Monday Night Football and have a pot luck dinner.
Well, just after that I ran into an ex-girlfriend, Carol Cizauskas and told her my idea. Not long after that she told me about a guy she met by the name of Russ and asked if I would like to meet him at Rapscallion for happy hour. That's where it all started!!
At that happy hour was Russ, Carol, Mike Sullens, another Mike, myself and I can't remember if anyone else was there. We all started hangin' together and inviting more people, doing different things like more happy hours, art shows and that thing that started it all, Monday Night Football pot lucks!! By now, Carol was our first "cruise director" and would send out e-mails as to what we were all doing. Then Russ, being who he is, and knowing where all the free food was, we started going to EFWR's (Eat Free With Russ).
We then started having a party each month for all people in that month who had a birthday. At these events, I would fix the main course and the rest was pot luck. After a few of these events, Mike Sullens came up with the name of yet another event, and he called it a "Randy's On The River" event (I'm not sure, but I think Mike also came up with the name "EFWR"), he seems to be the thinker in the group. Most of these big parties took place at Russ's home in the old Southwest (one acre lot) including our first group Thanksgiving.
Around this time, Carol said she was too busy to be the "Cruise Director", so I took over the duties for a while, then Russ then me again and all the while Mike Sullens was sending stuff out. It was like that for about a year or so until one night at Monday Night Football, Cindi Cramer brought a friend by the name of Dave Foster, I knew Dave from back around 1992 during my "Gunfighter" days (that's another story). After seeing Dave show up for a few events, it didn't take me long to ask him if he would like to take over the duties of "Cruise Director", he accepted. Since Dave has been doing this for quite a while now, the e-mail list (the last I heard) was around 250 people and growing!!!
I can't remember, but I think that in 2004 is when Mike Sullens held his first annual Super Bowl party. In 2005, I believe, is when Trish Thiel showed up on the scene at a happy hour back at the Rapscallion. By this time Russ had sold his home and we didn't have a "home" for parties and after coming around for a few months, Trish stepped up to the plate and started hosting several parties at her home. And I believe sometime in 2006 is when Mike came up with the name of our little group "R-Gang" Also in 2006, we started bowling and once again the thinker Mike, came up with the name "A League Of R Own".
We keep adding stuff to do like Taylorsville, an annual trip to Apple Hill, Thanksgiving dinner, an R-Gang gift exchange at Christmas etc.
We have become a safe, fun group of mostly singles, where you can be comfortable showing up on your own without a date, as we all look out for each other.
We are the R-Gang!!!!