Newsletter for Meeting of May 1, 2013
May 1, 2013 Newsletter
By John Hammer
Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 7:15 a.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room
Welcome
President Adam Bartsch opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the devotional.
Guests: Rick McGowan, a member of the Burlington Sunrise Club
The Word for the Day: Find the word somewhere below marked with an *. The definition is at the bottom.
Upcoming:
May 5 – Parking for Dairy Days at Shelburne Farms
May 8 – Bob Murphy, Vermont Energy Investment Company
May 14 – Special Social meeting at the Fiddlehead Brewery to taste new SAS (Service Above Self) Brew
May 15 – Club Assembly
May 22 – Laurie Stavrand - Refugee Resettlement as well as presentation of this year’s Club Scholarship Winners.
May 29 – Colleen Haag will speak about Lyme Disease
June 6: District Governor Change of Guard at Shelburne Farms Coach Barn.
June 21 - Bowlathon
Announcements
Shelburne Farms Dairy Day – Sunday, May 5
There is a requirement for three parkers for the Shelburne Farms Dairy Day on May 5th between 12:30 and 3PM. Kris Engstrom and Pat Sokolowski offered to join Bill Root in the task.
Fiddlehead Brewery Night, May 14th
The Fiddlehead Brewery will be brewing a special batch for the Changing of the Guard party on June 6. To this end, there will be a tasting party on Tuesday evening, May 14th at a time to be determined. The consensus was for 6-8PM. The special brew will be named SAS (Service Above Self). The proposal has been made for the first round to be free and this might be an excellent time for members to bring prospective members. Members who will be attending should RSVP Email President Adam with names and numbers.
Changing of the Guard Party
This year, the Changing of the Guard party will celebrate the installation of the new District Governor, our own Steve Dates, resplendent in his distinctive blue Rotary Blazer and special tie (along with, we might add, Elaine sporting her distinctive and matching Rotary Governors’ scarf) as well as the change from President Adam to President Dave Jonah. The timing will be from 6-9PM and will be catered by Member William Wisell. The menu will be a Baron of Beef or vegetarian entre, salad, O’ Bread, Shelburne Farms Cheese, and dessert among other things. Price will be $40 per person. A cellist will provide a musical backdrop to the festivities. Remember there will also be Fiddlehead SAS beer available. Members might be solicited for pies as in past years. Just to keep things on the straight and narrow, members wishing to attend are asked to click on the District 7850 Website (http://bit.ly/11Ij4Sg) and register their intentions by May 25th.
Club Bowlathon
Rick Flood, who over the years has been the sparkplug in organizing for the annual Bowlathon, rose to encourage all members to submit a list for solicitation. Rick makes his staff available to make up a mail-merge program generating solicitation letters. They volunteer their time to transcribe the lists to customize letters over member’s signatures. All members need do is send the letters out over their signatures.
The Club holds two fund-raisers a year that generate about $10-11,000 from the car raffle and $18-30,000 from the Bowlathon. If all members were to submit 10 names each, Rick estimates that the Club could raise $30-40,000. That is about what the Club gives away each year, so think what more we could do? So far only eight lists have been received. Last year only 9 of our almost sixty members turned in a list. These lists can be submitted on the handout lists, Emails, or Excel spread sheets.
Report on District Assembly Last Weekend.
Sam Feitelberg and Linda Gilbert attended the District Assembly along with District Governor-Elect Steve and Elaine Dates. Sam reported that there was a new procedure that governs the allocation of grants and how projects are to be administered. He also, happily, reported that Carolyn Jones, our contestant for the speech contest won the final award. Congratulations Carolyn! Furthermore, the District head of the RYLA program had to resign due to job changes and Judy Christensen immediately stepped in. She won extremely high praise for all the work she has been doing for Rotary youth programs and her acceptance of the mantle of RYLA responsibility was greeted with great fanfare. Judy, who will be finishing her job at Woodside soon, will still be working at UVM, but should have more time to attend club meetings.
Charlotte Senior Center
Linda gilbert read a letter of thanks from the Charlotte Senior Center for the Rotary team that supported the Center’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.
Club Set-up List
Dave Rice is soliciting names of members who would be willing to help set-up and takedown the Club banners about once or twice a year. This involves getting there at 7AM and putting up the banners and bringing up the rostrum, button box, and other administrative items. At the end, there is a duty to police* the area. Please see Dave if you would be willing to help.
Shelburne Farmers Market to open May 25th
Ric Flood and Boston Marathon
Ric Flood related the story that he and Teena had gone to Boston to watch daughter Megan finish running the Marathon. The husband of one of Megan’s friends had an office on the second floor right near the finish line and they were going to go there if the crowds were too heavy to see. The Floods fortunately had not resorted to watching from that building. It was of interest in that the friend noticed a picture on the Internet showing the two bombers right in front of that building. It goes to show how fate plays a part in our lives.
Jim Spad’s Humor During a doctor’s physical examination of a retired man, he asked the man about his physical activity. The man said he spent three days a week, every week, outdoors.
“Yesterday was typical, I took a five-hour walk of seven miles around a lake, on rough terrain, I pushed my way through two miles of brambles, I got sand in my shoes, ran into a number of snakes, and I ran away from a mother bear and a bull elk. The mental stress of it all left me shattered. At the end of it all I drank eight beers and a tall glass of bourbon.”
Amazed by the story, the doctor said, “You must be one hell of an outdoorsman.”
The man replied, “No, I’m just a real lousy golfer.”
Sergeant at Arms
Given the fact that two members had just returned from extended trips, SAA Rick fined anyone who had recently been out of Chittenden County. This resulted in almost everyone paying a fine.
Happy Fines
Sam Feitelberg – For daughter Debbie’s successful operation for cancer.
Dave Jonah – Was at horse races in Lexington, KY last week. Broke even.
Kris Engstrom – Happy for Debbie Feitelberg and her grandson’s video commercial has been nominated for a Cleo.
Bill Root – Thanks for the volunteer parkers and Denny Bowen for his early volunteerism.
Mark Joczik – For a great week’s trip to China
John Hammer – Thanks to Kris for a beautiful bouquet for his wife that he ordered while he was away on his month-long trip to Europe.
Dave Rice – Great vacation trip to Oakville, Ontario. A week ago he was diagnosed with shingles. On proper meds now which has controlled the pain, but he encouraged all to get their Shingles shots.
Fritz Horton – For his neighbor, Rick McGowan, visiting the Club today.
Tom Glaser – For the wedding of his son who is starting a new job and will be married next week in Newport Beach, CA.
Trafton Crandall – His infant grandson is standing up and while in Warren last week he came across a black bear and two cubs.
Pat Sokolowski – Daughter is graduating next from college.
Guest Rick McGowan drew the Ace of Diamonds. Rollover the very small pot.
Speaker – The speaker, Burlington Police Captain, Michael Schirling, had to cancel due to an emergency meeting.
* Definition: Police, v. - To make (a military area, for example) neat in appearance: policed the barracks.