Scott:
I am the program manager for the East Texas Beekeepers Assn. here in Tyler,
Tx. and
I know the problems you are having. We are 90 miles from Dallas, which
makes it hard
to get speakers on a weeknight other than locals.
I got a friend who is a horticulturist to give a talk on bee plants. Also
got a large commercial
beekeeper from a neighboring state to discuss his operation and how it
differed from
local conditions. Next month a member is going to discuss his homemade
beevac and I
will give a show-and-tell on a top bar hive  I made. Seems like hands on
shows involving
equipment goes over real well. Our club seems to always have a lot of new
people who get a
lot out of the basics such as how to build a hive body or frame.
Every other month for the last hour we have a raffle and an auction for the
clubs benefit
 of various things brought by members. We also reserve a part of every
 program for the more experienced to tell what is going on with the bees
and what should
be done at this time of the year, i.e. feeding, medicating, etc.
Hope this helps, good luck. To tell the truth, I could use some new ideas
myself!

Bob Young
Lindale,TX