On December 26, 2014, all of the members, every photo, and a couple of upcoming events were removed from Prairie Fire Meetup.  This was not done by anybody within Prairie Fire, but presumably the result of some internet hacker, virus, or "script."  Today, the support staff at meetup.com was able to restore the removed members.  I apologize if you were offended and believed you were removed by somebody at Prairie Fire.

I appreciate meetup.com's work in this matter, but had concerns about their security measures.  After nearly a week of asking for input from members, the consensus appears to be that we should continue our group on meetup's platform.  It is probably the best website for our type of group, offers features designed specifically for our needs, and is recognized by lots of people from other parts of the country (and world).  Thank you for your support.

With this experience in mind, please only post information about yourself to the extent you feel comfortable on a "public" platform, and remember if you're ever removed again that it may not be the action of anybody against you.

Lastly, I would like to address the importance of your involvement.  Paying dues is necessary to maintain the website (meetup charges us $72 twice a year, and this is the only expense your $5 is used for, and we usually have just about $72 available when it's time to pay).  But membership is really about participation.  If you have not attended an event in a while, please make it a priority to do so soon!  If your reply is that there's nothing on the calendar that fits your schedule, sorry but that's no excuse!  Every member has the ability to create an event.  You can add something that fits YOUR schedule, and with 302 members, I'm sure there are others who will be free at that time too!  If you have questions or trouble, email me--I'm happy to help you create your first event!  To show our thanks, Prairie Fire will even waive your dues for six months for hosting an event!

Thanks for your patience during this time.

Scott