With the beliefs that the art of pitching horseshoes affords a healthful, scientific and competitive sport generally suitable to all persons and with a desire to unify its adherents in encouraging development of the sport; we the organized horseshoe pitchers of Erie County, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in convention assembled, do hereby enact the following Constitution and By-Laws for the association.

Last amended: 10/28/00

Article 1, Name

The name of the association shall be the Erie Horseshoe Club, Inc., hereinafter referred to as “the club”.

Article 2, Purpose

The purpose of the club shall be to promote the sport of pitching horseshoes by standardizing rules, improving playing conditions, conducting organized tournaments, providing local leagues and to foster fellowship among its members.

Article 3, Membership

Any reputable person, regardless of race, sex age creed, color or horseshoe pitching ability may become a member of the Erie Horseshoe Club, subject to the rules of membership set out in the By-Laws. Each member in good standing shall have one vote in the election of officers and decisions concerning the affairs of the club.

Article 4, Affiliation

The club agrees to adopt the rules of the National Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association (NHPA) and the Western Pennsylvania Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association (WPHPA) pertaining to horseshoe pitching and tournaments under sanctions by these organizations.

Article 5, Officers

The officers of the club shall consist of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Tournament Director, League Director and Assistant Tournament Director. These officers are elected annually by a majority vote by members voting at the annual October meeting of the club membership.

Article 6, Duties of Officers

PRESIDENT-- The duties of the President shall be to preside at all meetings, to administer the business of the club, to represent the club to the community and to authorize obligations of the club.

VICE PRESIDENT-- The V.P. shall have the same duties of the President, but shall assume them only in the absence of the President or as directed by the President. The Vice President shall also be instrumental in organizing tournament committees and overseeing said committees during tournaments.

TREASURER-- The Treasurer shall act as custodian of club funds, sign warrants for expenditures and maintain financial records. The Treasurer is also responsible for maintaining the tax-exempt status of the club. In addition, the Treasurer will provide a copy of this document (within a reasonable time) to all new members upon the new member’s payment in full of their first year’s annual dues. The Treasurer must post a monthly financial report in the clubhouse.

SECRETARY-- The Secretary shall handle all correspondence, keep minutes of meetings and maintain club records. In addition, the Secretary must print and send out a newsletter announcing upcoming meetings and is required to notify membership of any proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR-- The Tournament Director shall coordinate and direct the actions of all persons working, pitching and viewing all tournaments held by the club.

LEAGUE DIRECTOR--The duties of the League Director are to communicate with all indoor and outdoor league captains to ensure that all leagues have an adequate amount of players, to develop new leagues and inter-league competitions, to coordinate placement of new members in a suitable league and to coordinate indoor and outdoor league banquets and awards.

ASSISTANT TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR--The Assistant Tournament Director shall have the same duties as the Tournament Director, but shall assume them only in the absence of the T. D. or as directed by the T. D. They shall assist the T. D. at all club tournaments and shall work with the Vice President to delegate members volunteering to serve on committees for set up, tear down, score keeping and other tasks that are deemed necessary.

Other specific details of the duties of the various officers shall be set out in the By-Laws.

Article 7, Committees

The President will appoint committees and/or assign individual members to perform tasks as the President deems necessary.

Article 8, By-Laws

The club may adopt or discontinue By-Laws when approved by a simple majority of the members in good standing present at an official meeting of the club. Proposals for changes in the By-Laws must be advertised, by letter, to all members before being voted on at the next scheduled meeting. A change in By-Laws cannot adversely affect the tax-exempt status of the club. Any change in By-Laws proven to conflict with the tax-exempt status of the club shall be considered null and void and shall not be implemented.

Article 9, Meetings

An annual meeting will be held during the month of September for nomination of officers, to be advertised by letter in advance, with a follow up letter (if any elections are to take place) announcing the candidates for the elections to be held. If needed, an additional meeting will be held in October (approximately one month following the nominations-- if possible) for the actual election of officers. At least one annual meeting will be held to specifically discuss club finances, budgets, changes to Constitution and By-Laws and other business-- This can occur at one of the aforementioned meetings or at another meeting as designated by the President.

Article 10, Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by a minimum of two-thirds affirmative vote of all members present at an official meeting of club members, after advanced advertisement, by letter, to all members of the proposed amendment (same as notification procedure for changes in By-Laws). An amendment cannot adversely affect the tax-exempt status of the club. Any amendment proven to conflict with the tax-exempt status of the club shall be considered null and void and shall not be implemented.

Last amended: 8/31/06

Rule 1, Membership Rules

Section 1—Each member shall pay the annual club dues, serve on committees and perform tasks for the good of the club.

Section 2—The annual dues of $15.00 may be changed at the annual meeting (the meeting which includes nomination of officers). If no such action is taken, the dues remain the same for the following year. The membership year is from January 1 through December 31 of the same year. Dues must be paid prior to pitching in any league, winter or summer or prior to voting on issues at an official club meeting.

Section 3—Juniors are considered to be honorary members. Junior members shall have the right to play in any indoor or outdoor league or tournament hosted by the club. All applicable club fees will be waived for all junior club members under the age of 18 years old. Junior members may not hold office or vote on any issues. However, junior members will be allowed one vote on issues that pertain specifically to junior members, as determined by the club officers.

Section 4—A member may be suspended for:

For all but the first violation, a member may be suspended for a period up to one year. Members suspended for non-payment of dues or fees owed to the club shall be re-instated upon payment of such dues or fees.

Rule 2, Meetings

Section 1—Notice of the time, place and purpose of official club meetings shall be given to the membership at least one week prior to the meeting.

Section 2—A minimum of 3 officers and 8 members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.

Section 3—Meeting format: Roberts Rules of Order revised and reading as follows will govern the order of business at all official club meetings:

Rule 3, Specific Duties of Officers

Section 1—The club officers, as a group, are the administrative body empowered to act on behalf of the members on all matters concerning club business. They shall also act as a judicial body to interpret the Constitution and By-Laws. They are required to protect the tax exempt status of the club.

Section 2—In matters the President deems urgent enough to require immediate action, the President shall poll the officers without holding a formal meeting. The decision of the group will be binding on the membership.

Section 3—With the approval of at least 3 officers, a limit of $300.00 can be spent for equipment, etc., without a membership vote.

Section 4—Should any officer of the club, with the exception of the President, be unable to fulfill their duties because of death, protracted illness, suspension or relocation; the President shall appoint a replacement to serve until the next election.

Section 5—Minutes of all meetings and financial records will be made available to any club member in good standing for review, upon their request of any officer of the club.

Rule 4, Leagues

Section 1—The club will organize and coordinate one or more horseshoe pitching leagues to provide competition among its members. The type of game, scoring, scheduling and records is the responsibility of the league members.

Section 2—All league pitchers must be members of the club. Indoor league pitchers must also pay required indoor fees.

Section 3—A fee, in addition to the annual club dues, will be assessed to each indoor pitcher to pay for anticipated expenses of maintaining a facility for indoor pitching, league awards and banquets. Such fees will be determined by members at an annual meeting. If no increases are deemed necessary, then the fees will remain the same as the previous year. These fees will also be used to purchase, specifically, first and second place plaques for all indoor leagues.

Rule 5, Tournaments

Section 1—The club will sponsor and conduct an annual tournament to determine the Men’s, Women’s and Juniors’ Horseshoe Pitching Champions of Erie County. This tournament is open to all Erie County residents. Membership in the Erie Horseshoe Club is not required.

Section 2—The club will host one or more major tournaments each year, including contestants from other parts of the country, under sanctions of the NHPA. All contestants are required to be NHPA members.

Section 3—The Club shall conduct non-sanctioned tournaments as the officers consider advantageous.

Rule 6, Elections

Section 1—The President shall appoint a three person committee to recommend nominees for office. Any member may request consideration for nomination of themselves. A nomination meeting will be held prior to the election meeting. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the nomination meeting. A member may be nominated for more than one officer position.

Section 2—Nominees must be present at the nomination meeting and the election meeting to accept the nomination and to agree to serve if elected or submit a written agreement to serve if they cannot be present at the meeting.

Section 3—The election of officers shall proceed in the following order: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Tournament Director, League Director, Assistant Tournament Director. A member may be elected to more than one officer position. However, the offices of President, Vice-President and Treasurer must be held by three separate individuals. If a nominee wins one of those seats, they must be removed from the ballots of any of the other two relevant positions prior to the vote for those positions.

Section 4—Absentee ballots (arranged in advance of the advertised election day) will be accepted if a member cannot attend the election meeting due to emergencies, hardships or other reasons acceptable to the club officers.

Rule 7, Constitutional/By-Laws Amendment Procedures

Section 1—By-Laws may be adopted, changed or discontinued by a majority affirmative vote of members present at any official club meeting. A change to the By-Laws, of any kind, cannot conflict with the tax-exempt status of the club.

Section 2—Any member may propose a change in By-Laws or an amendment to the Constitution, either in writing to the President at any time or, in writing or verbally at an official club meeting. The proposal must be seconded and advertised, by letter to the membership, prior to a vote at the next meeting.

Section 3—Proposed Constitutional Amendments or changes in By-Laws may be referred to a committee for spelling/grammatical corrections or for further study, with the actual vote to occur at a subsequent meeting. Such proposals must also be carefully analyzed by the club officers for conflicts to the club’s tax-exempt status.

Section 4—Amendments may be made to a proposal with the approval of the majority of the members present, prior to the vote.

Section 5—A committee will be appointed by the President to review the Constitution and By-Laws annually.

Rule 8, Illness, Injury, Death of Members

Section 1—Flowers will be sent (on behalf of the club) for the death of members only ($25.00 value limit as of 5/16/1998).

Section 2—Flowers or fruit baskets will be sent to members who are hospitalized or have a serious injury or illness, at the discretion of the officer assigned to this duty (same dollar limit as section 1).

Section 3—If there is a permanent loss of the club’s President, then the following order of succession for the Presidency shall be observed for the remainder of that President’s term: President, Vice-President, Treasurer. If both the Vice-President and the Treasurer are unable or unwilling to accept the office of President, then the acting President must conduct an immediate election (conforming to Rule 6) for the office of President. If the President-Elect Turns out to be a current officer (other than Vice-President or Treasurer) they shall have the option to keep the multiple positions or to appoint a member to serve out the remainder of their vacated position(s).

Rule 9, Dissolution of the Club

In the event that the club were to be dissolved for any reason, all of the club’s assets will be liquidated to cash and then donated to a charity or charities determined by a majority vote of the current sitting club officers.

END OF BY-LAWS