Well, glad to stir up the hornets' nest!  There have been a lot of good
arguments this way and that, and I think we all gained a little insight into
the shell club problems.

Personally, I AM one of those people who works in middle-management corporate
America, and my workweek is usually 50 to 60 hours - leaving little time
during the week to commit to anything more than my soft bed and my digital
cable!;)  But on the weekends I switch into hunter and collector mode, and
I'm lucky enough to be able to make the beach my venue of choice.

It's not so much that I want to be "entertained" at a shell club meeting - my
personal experience in this matter was that I felt silenced. And(where
geographically correct)if your program alienates, or rather, does not
communicate a willingness to accomodate diverse local interests(which
includes the beachcomber, wader, snorkeler, et al), then you've lost a
valuable source of new blood, as well as potential COA members.

It's true that all the best gardeners don't belong to the gardening club, but
wouldn't it be great if they did?

Thanks for all the comments - you guys are great!
Joni