Despite the snow and slush, at least a couple dozen members, veterans and novices, old and young, came out for the first Washington Apple Pi New Members Open House at the Pi Office on January 30, 2005. Refreshments were varied and delicious. There were homemade cookies and cakes, bean salads, chips and dips, as well as hot and cold drinks.
New members came with questions about their special interests and with an all around general curiosity. Veteran members were happy to have the opportunity to chat with all who came.
All the classroom computers were up and running. John Barnes' interview on Public Television was running on John's PowerBook. Other computers were in use for exploring questions that came up during the afternoon.
A few almost-members visiting during the open house decided to go ahead and join. In general, the new members didn't know about our SIGs (Special Interest Groups) and were interested in following up on that information. Perhaps at a future New Member meeting we could offer short presentations from the SIGs.
The 2:30 to 4:30 time slot worked very well, and everyone reluctantly went home at 4:30, well-socialized and well-fed.