President George Weir welcomed all to the August 10th meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held at the American Legion in Brattleboro. (ED NOTE: President George’s bell ringing and microphone skills have greatly improved).Ted Kramer offered a meaningful invocation. This was followed by the pledge of allegiance.
As a luncheon of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, squash medley, mac & cheese, salad, bread and cookies for dessert was being digested, the meeting continued.
Guests: Buzz Schmidt (speaker)
TRIVIA QUESTION
Where was the nation’s first public library created?
(answer below)
JOKE OF THE WEEK
For our Rotary joke, Carl Lynde shared some presidential quotes:
''My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now when people wave at me, they use all their fingers.” —Jimmy Carter
“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” —Ronald Reagan
ROTARY MINUTE
For our Rotary minute, Joe Little told us about Rotary Little Free Libraries. Initiated by Rotarian Todd Bol in 2009, there are now more than 16,000 in 55 countries. Joe was inspired to build a model. He proposed that the club take literacy on as a project and build these wooden boxes that look like birdhouses and help distribute books. The material costs for each library is about $60. One idea is for the club to build 10 and ask artists to decorate. The painted libraries could then be auctioned to homeowners with the proceeds going to our literacy project. Stay tuned for more details from Joe. In the meanwhile, for more info about Little Free Libraries, click here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At our August 17th meeting, John Mabie will tell a joke or lead us in song, while Katja Matthews delivers a Rotary Minute.
NOTE: Weekly assignments are posted on club website.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
08/17 – Roger Allbee presents: Food Connects
08/24 - Club Assembly
NOTE: 2017-18 Weekly assignments (program, joke, and Rotary minute) are posted on club’s website.
FINES
Dave Twombly proposed fine to George Weir for not knowing where the flag was located during pledge of allegiance. George paid.
Carl Lynde proposed fine to Dave Twombly for not noting that there was an American flag in the direction of President George’s stare. Dave paid.
Carl Lynde proposed fine to Dave Twombly for not standing when addressing President George. Dave paid.
Carl Lynde proposed fine to Dart Everett for stealing the host’s guest during lunch. Dart paid.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
International Committee is gathering quilting material and notions for Pine Ridge. Click here for more information.
Brattleboro on Wheels is taking place on 8/26. If you can volunteer, distribute postcards or share FACEBOOK posts, contact Mike Mandracchia.
The club received a thank you note for its $500 donation to Winter Snow Sports
Sunrise Rotary has invited the club to join with them on its next Rotary Romp. This is an official notice to mark your calendars for the next Rotary Romp. WHEN: Monday, August 28th -- 5:30pm (exercise) / 6:30pm (social at Marina) WHERE: Meet in the Marina extended parking lot by 5:30pm to join others on the West River Trail WHAT: Run, jog, bike ride, walk your doggie, shuffle along... all at your own pace WHY: Not just an opportunity for exercise and fresh air with your Rotary brethren, but a chance to socialize after work with your cohorts as well. Please RSVP Alisa Barry if you think you'd like to join in on the fun.
Ana is looking for members who would like to rotate taking attendance. If interested, please contact Ana.
Club Advertising Opportunity:
The Brattleboro Rotary Club offers the following four levels of website sponsorship to make it affordable and beneficial for all who are interested in participating: (1) Ad that appears on the club bulletin only…$25/year (2) Ad that rotates on the homepage only …$40/year (3) Ad that appears on all secondary pages … $60/year (4) Ad that does it all — rotates on homepage, appears on all secondary pages, and appears on the club bulletin … $100/year. Each sponsorship ad links back to either the sponsor’s website or email address, whichever you prefer. For more information, please contact Martin Cohn. Thanks very much in advance for considering this invitation to be a website sponsor!
BRAGS
Dave Twombly– for his upcoming vacation.
Cindy Jerome – for having a Little Public Library in front of Bradley House.
Tom French – for his daughter Danielle having her Canadian barn wedding venue featured as a new show on Netflix, “Taste of Country”
Rick Manson – for Marty Cohn’s production of the weekly bulletin.
Rick Manson – for Marty Cohn editing the weekly jokes so that they come out better than at meeting.
Andy Rome – for Carl Lynde’s brother promoting Brattleboro on Wheels on sign board.
Andy Rome – for Marty Cohn’s production of the weekly bulletin.
Mara Williams – for Marty Cohn giving her a first day cover commemorating March of Dimes which in turn got auctioned for $1500.
Marty Cohn – for Jolene Belair and the folks at Hampton Inn for hosting club’s board meeting each month.
Bill Vermouth – for Joe Little setting a new bar for Rotary Minutes.
Bill Vermouth – for Tom French’s consistent donations to Gateway Foundation for his brags.
Bill Vermouth – for our newsletter being read by folks outside of the club who wanted to know more about Mara Williamsstreaking last week.
PROGRAM:
Wendy Harrison presented Buzz Schmidt, executive director of Retreat Farm Limited. He updated us about plans for the 180-year farm. To learn more, click here. To read a recent article about the project, click here.
Photo (l-r) Brattleboro Rotary Club President George Weir and Retreat Farm Limited Executive Director Buzz Schmidt.
REMINDERS
Bottles and cans can be brought to Putney Road redemption center to benefit Pure Water for the World.Please see Mara Williams.
It's a new year... If you like this newsletter, brag at next Club meeting. So far two members have acknowledged this rag.
This bulletin was respectfully submitted by Past President Martin Cohn who attempts to give a gist of the meeting. However, it is always better to attend. If you have any complaints about the contents of this bulletin....
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION
In 1790, Franklin donated a collection of books to a Massachusetts town that named itself after him. Though the town asked Franklin to donate a bell, he determined that "sense" was more important than "sound." Franklin residents voted for those donated books to be freely available for town members, creating the nation's first public library. For more info, click here.
