Presiding-President Mike of stern demeanor and tender mercies;
Invocation-Keith Caplet;
Fellowship-Nancy Gentes Nancy enlightened those assembled with a bevy of Presidential Trivia.
Birthdays: Kathleen Stauffer!
Rotarian Anniversaries: None sighted.
Rotarians with guests: Mike reintroduced his mother Diane. Gary Young welcomed Zachariah Stover.
Visiting Rotarians: A congeries of visiting Rotarians was acknowledged; Assistant District Governor Kevin Reich of East Hampton; Terry Congdon and Deb Martin of the Colchester Club. Our guests were subjected to an imperfect interpretation of the Rotary welcome song.
Announcements: A rapturous audience thrilled to President Mike’s exhortation to submit suggestions for the Native Son and Daughter Award. A date and location for the carnival remain pending. There is a board meeting scheduled for next Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
Club guests provided several enlivening announcements: Zachariah invited members to the Race Equity program at Otis Library that evening at 6:00 p.m. and the Multicultural Variety Show on Friday, March 11. To wit:
“The Norwich Rotary Club and Norwich Sunrise Rotary Club, in conjunction with Sankofa Education and Leadership Inc., Norwich Free Academy, and the Norwich Area Clergy Association invite you to join us for an evening of fun as part of Celebrate Cultural Diversity! All proceeds to benefit the homeless teenager population in the Norwich area.”
Terry and Deb described the Colchester Club’s winter dance on February 29 and invited all interested parties to visit the district web site for further salient details.
Happy Dollars: With Rodney! Rodney described his grandsons’ great good fortune as they regularly improved their job situations and opportunities for outstanding pensions. Bill Champagne invited club members to that evenings program at Otis Library, Raising the Consciousness of Race, Part 1: Black and White. Bill complimented Zachariah work on the program flyer. Additional programs are scheduled for March and April. Barry recounted his personal odyssey as he tried to meet his mother-in-law’s flight. Delays, including the absence of a pilot-a serious omission-prevented a timely arrival. Instead of arriving at 8 p.m. the flight arrived at 11! Andy Nollman enjoyed the Super Bowl despite the absence of the Patriots. Gary Young welcomed our guests and offered special encomiums for Zachariah. Kathryn Tracey is bound for Florida; Esteemed President Mike welcomed his mother and related his successful ploy of showing a video of last year’s Super Bowl to quiet the children. Jeff Brining proudly described his son’s successes at foul shooting followed by 3 baskets! Huzzah! The visitors from Colchester marveled at the elevating and periodically inspiring contents of Happy Dollars. Mrs. Cooney expressed her pleasure at attending the meeting and pride in our exalted president.
Auction: Metaphorically sitting on the edges of their chairs club members experienced Nirvana as Rich Pascal described the virtues of the popcorn and popcorn popper offered as this week’s auction items. Recovering early from her state of bliss, Mary Richardson emerged as the successful bidder.
Lottery: Stan-No;
This week’s guest, Kyle Seitz – Yes! Members joined in unrestrained revelry as this week’s guest speaker selected the Ace of Spades. Order was restored within the hour.
Program: Kyle Seitz presented an illustrated introduction to Disc Golf. A group of Norwich resident has successfully approached the city council for permission to construct a course at Mohegan Park. The sport is played much like traditional golf, but rather than balls and clubs, players use a flying disc. The sport originated in the 1970s, and like traditional golf, the goal is to complete each hole in the fewest attempts. In disc golf, a disc is thrown from a tee to a target, or “hole” normally an elevated metal basket. The committee estimates the cost of installing the course at $10,000. Funds will be primarily raised through donations, with the remainder coming from the Mohegan Park development fund. Rotarian Andy Nollman made a generous contribution as a founding member!
The meeting thus concluded on a high note.