Neewollah 2007 Thank You Dinner   The annual Neewollah Thank You Dinner was held February 9th, 2008 at the St. Andrew Parish Center.  Chairman of the Board, Ann Crow, hosted the evening.  Past Generalissimos’ for Neewollah were introduced and welcomed. Queen Neelah the LXVI, Morgan Fox, was introduced and she thanked the celebration for the wonderful experiences she had as Queen Neelah.   The Neewollah Sponsors were recognized and thanked by Julie Voelker, chairman of the Neewollah Sponsorship Committee.   Don Farthing, retiring board member, was recognized for his contributions to Neewollah and was presented a plaque noting his success as Generalissimo in 2004 and for serving as chairman of the board for Neewollah twice.    It was announced that Neewollah 2007 was a financial success by treasurer Dennis Greenhaw.   New Officers for the Board of Directors were announced:  Ann Crow, chairman, Fred Meier, vice-chairman, Dennis Greenhaw, treasurer and Julie Voelker, secretary.    Sean Clapp was elected to serve as Generalissimo Elect for 2008.  Sean was raised in Kirksville, Missouri.  He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kansas in 1995.  He moved to Independence and started work for Heckman & Associates, PA in May of 1995.  Sean started his Neewollah experiences as a member of the stage crew and then started working with the grand parade where he became the co-chairmen from 2004 to 2007.  He has been Musical Set’s chairman and has worked on the Queen Neelah Set Committee and Construction.  He has also been co-chairman of the Thank You Party Committee. Sean and his wife Kathy are the parents of 3 children and are members of  St. Andrew Catholic Church.   One new board member was elected at the annual critique meeting and she was announced:  Karen Turner grew up in Independence and attended schools here. She graduated from Pittsburg State University with a degree in accounting.  Karen works at the Prescription Shop in Coffeyville as an Accountant and Gift Shop Manager.  She has served on the Neewollah Ticket/Merchandise Committee for several years and has been chairman of that committee for the last two years.  Karen currently serves on the Leadership Independence Board after being a graduate of that organization.  She and her husband Matt are the parents of 2 girls and are members of the First Baptist Church. Karen is active in softball and volleyball and is a coach for girl’s softball.    It was announced that Marty Reichenberger was selected as Generalissimo for 2008.   Marty, is a life long resident of Independence.  In 1992 he was a stage escort in the Queen Neellah pageant. In 2001 he and his wife Amy were Stage Escort chairmen.  From 2003 – 2007 Marty served as co-chairmen for the Food Vending Committee, has been on the Chili Cook-Off Committee for the last two years, has been on the corporate sponsorship committee for two years, and has co-chaired the thank you party for the last 3 years. He is starting his 5th year on the Neewollah Board of Directors.  Marty is a member of the Chamber of Commerce where he serves as a Chamber Ambassador.  He is a past Leadership Independence graduate and has served on its board of directors.  Marty serves on the Commerce Bank Board of Directors, the Independence USD 446 School Board, the TriCounty Board of Education, and is a member of the Zion Lutheran Church. He graduated from Kansas State University.  He is involved in the family businesses Green Thumb Greenhouse, Inc. and Reichenberger Farms.  He and his wife have 2 daughters, Richelle & Rylie   Marty announced that his theme would be: Neewollah 2008…. Welcome to ‘Our Town’.   Drew Demo, Generalissimo for 2007 thanked his committees and reported on the success of Neewollah 2007.  He was then presented a collage depicting events of this year’s Neewollah celebration and was welcomed into the Past Generalissimos’ Club by receiving a Past Generalissimos’ shirt from Ray Rothgeb.