July 17, 2013 Newsletter

By John Hammer

Charlotte Shelburne Rotary

Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 7:15 a.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room

Welcome

President Dave Jonah opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the invocation.

Guests: Dave Johnson and Bill Murdock, Essex Rotary Club Members

Late Arrivals were Michael Dabroski and Sofia Hirsch, Burlington Ensemble

 

Quote for the Week: “It’s all about looking good on the golf course,” spoken by Terrill Titus in stating her favorite golf sayings in history.

 

Word for the Day: Look for the * and definition at end.

 

Upcoming:

July 24 – Ed McColin, Boy Scouts of America

July 31 – Camp TaKumTa – Serving Breakfast 6-9:30 AM. There will be no meeting that day.

August 7 – Member Chris Davis  - Meach Cove Farm

Announcements

Club Dues Due

Club dues are due by the first of August. $145 for regular members and $137 for those under the 85 Rule.  Please see John Beal at check-in or send a check to the club.

Essex Golf Tournament

Essex Rotary Club members Dave Johnson and Bill Murdoch visited the club at this meeting to thank the Charlotte-Shelburne Club for sponsoring two teams to their 17th Annual Golf Classic on June 12.  They netted $20,000 at this tournament, one of three fund-raisers that they hold. The other two are the corn-on-the cob booth at the Champlain County Fair (Net about $6,000) and the Vermont High School All Star Hockey Tournament. They presented our club, one of 8 Rotary teams, with the Rotary Low Gross trophy.  Our club has won it seven or eight times since the trophy’s inception in 2003. (Team members were Ric Flood, Robert Maynes and William Wisell).

The Essex Club has 55 members and meets at noon on Wednesdays at the Inn at Essex.

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Shelburne’s 250th Anniversary      

Bill Deming gave a brief schedule for August 16-18:

Friday – a brief cruise on Shelburne Bay – there are 300 tickets and 100 have already been sold. If any member wants to go, they ought to contact the town offices soon.

Saturday – Shelburne Day with a nighttime street dance and music by Rick and the Ramblers at the Shelburne Shopping Park; and

Sunday - The Shelburne Museum will be dedicating their new building followed by a BBQ on the Parade with games and music. The Dutch Mill will be cooking the BBQ at 4PM and will be needing volunteers to help serve. A picture of the townsfolk will be taken on the Parade at 3:30. A list will be circulated next week for BBQ volunteers.

Tickets for all events and goods are $10 except for caps which will be $12.

Linda Gilbert announced that the club will be manning a Hands to Honduras booth again this year at Shelburne Day on August 17th.  Linda is soliciting volunteers to help man the booth and cook the corn and other BBQ items. This is a recurring need for the club. 

She also announced the need for eight or nine volunteers to help prepare, serve and clean up at the Charlotte Senior Center Annual Summer BBQ on August 23rd. This has been a annual requirement and has always resulted in our members having more fun than the attendees. She will be circulating a list.

Rotary T-Shirts

John Hammer showed the club the new club T-shirts.  They are dark blue with the name of the club encircling the Rotary wheel in gold. They will go on sale for $7 at the meeting next week in time for the Camp TaKumTa sortie.

Financials

The club voted the gift of a $250 check to the Town of Shelburne to support Shelburne Day and a $500 check in support of the 250th Anniversary activities.

Jim Spad’s Party

Ric Flood stood to recognize the work that went into Jim Spad’s Farewell Party last Friday night. The party, to celebrate Jim’s 41 years of membership, was a raging success. It was a great roast and celebration. He reiterated how much Jim has done over the years. The picture of a “stunned” Jim driving through the ranks of members lining the drive is below. Jim said it was a complete surprise. He went on to say that over all his travels he has repeatedly been reminded that “this club is the best in the district. I’m proud to be a part of it.” He said he will be back to visit. He intends to get a picture with the President of Rotary International who lives in Oklahoma City and send it. “Thank you.”

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Jim Spad’s Humor

A father walks into a restaurant with his young son.  He gives the boy three nickels to play with and keep him occupied.  Suddenly, the boy starts choking and becoming blue in the face. The father realized what had happened and began slapping him on the back. Up came two of the nickels but he kept on choking. The father panicked and started to shout for help. A well-dressed, attractive woman in a business suit was sitting at the coffee bar. She casually looked up and noticed the tableaux. She casually lowered her coffee cup, got up, folded her newspaper, placing it on the counter, and came over to the boy. Reaching the boy she quietly dropped the boy’s pants and takes hold of his testicles, starting to squeeze gently and then more firmly. After a few seconds, the boy convulses and coughs up the last nickel, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand. Releasing the boy’s testicles, she turns to the father, gives him the nickel and returns to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word. After the father had recovered his composure he made his way across and begins thanking her profusely. “I’ve never seen anybody do something like that before. It was fantastic, are you a doctor?” To which she replied, “No I’m with the Internal Revenue Service.”

Sergeant at Arms –

Happy Fines

Today’s automatic fines were assessed from all who were blond, are blond, or wished they were blond.  There were many persons who averred* as to their blondness or deep down desire to be blond. There were many, many others who paid a fine in honor of Jim’s membership, friendship, and service to the club.

Howard Seaver – His wife had once considered being a blond.

Alan Hathaway – Related to a discussion with a building sub-contractor about Jim Spad. This person, who is an “excellent cabinet maker,” was most complementary about Spad, who is a general contractor.  This person had described Spad as being “very fair, professional, and very demanding.”  Alan noted as to the fact that it is very rare in his experience to hear a sub complementing a general contractor. Well done, Spad.

Denny Bowen – For a birthday and a nice trip to Charlotte, NC.

Terry Kennaugh – For a 52nd wedding anniversary.

Jim Spadaccini – “This club has been great!”

Joe Obuchowski – Something about Spad’s cooking so many wieners and buns at innumerable Shelburne Town parties. (This was from the party’s shenanigans.)

Linda Gilbert – For the look on Jim Spad’s face as he drove down the Flood driveway to the party last Friday night. The picture is above.

John Dupee’s number was called and he drew the 10 of Diamonds.  Roll over.

Speakers – Today was Club Assembly, however, Michael Dabroski and Sofia Hirsch of Burlington Ensemble appeared to tell about their programs.

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The Burlington Ensemble (BE) will be performing a series of ten concerts this summer, many of them here in Shelburne (at the Farms and the All Souls Interfaith Gathering). They have become Vermont’s first Artists in Residence at Castleton State College and will begin their programs on August 9th, but they will be covering the state with programs from now on. The important part about what is happening this summer is the raising of funds to pay the artists who perform during the winter.  During the winter, 90% of the profits from the concerts played will go to partnering charitable organizations. Ten percent will go to the artists.  During the summer, 90% of the profits will go into the fund to pay the artists over the winter and ten percent will be spread to the partners. Since the BE depends almost entirely on ticket sales, it is important for them to build an audience.  To that end, they have partnered with Shelburne Farms for the first three concerts (July 23, 24 & 25) for their opening concerts.  Twenty-five percent of the gross ticket sales for these concerts will go to Vermont FEED.  

The BE will produce 18 concerts over the period of next November, January  and February. During this summer they will be providing a music camp for eight inner-city youths where they will learn rudimentary violin and partake in many summer activities.  There is also a string quartet composition program to which Vermont Public Radio has dedicated a show. Later in the year BE will be collaborating with a program over thirty weeks in which 200 young inner city students will learn basic violin in a program which will help them stabilize their lives.

Information can be found at www.Burlingtonensemble.com

 

Definition – averred, past participle. –state or assert to be the case.