Dear Fellow Rotarians:

We are sorry some of you were unable to join us Thursday evening for a historic event — the induction of men and women new to SRC Rotary in 2017-18, plus charter members of the new Danes Rotaract club we sponsor at the UAlbany School of Public Health (scroll down for details). We had a strong turnout, including representatives from District 7190, for this first-ever joint induction in SRC’s 58-year-history.

However, you haven’t missed out on all the fun. SRC has several more unusual events coming up — save the dates! — that we hope you’ll definitely attend:

• On Thursday, May 17, Bill Dowd will host the “4th annual Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test” at Quigley’s, a fun event scored on the honor system, with prizes for the top finishers. Test your knowledge in such categories as television, American history, world geography, and odds & ends (let your imagination roam in that latter category). Have a friend or family member who likes trivia? Bring ’em along for the 6:15 p.m. dinner followed by the friendly, written competition. (Side Note: We have never had the same winner two years in a row, so the field is wide open.) Just be sure to RSVP when you receive your weekly dinner request on May 14 from Debbie Brown for that event.

• On Saturday, May 19, we will host “An International Wine & Cheese Tasting” that will include samples of eight unusual wine-and-cheese pairings, with a take-home program to help guide any followup purchases you may want to make in the future. The wines will be from Bill Dowd’s collection and the cheeses from The Cheese Traveler gourmet shop in Albany. Plus, there will be hearty hors d’oeuvres, other beverages, and things for the kids to make this a family friendly evening, beginning at 6 p.m. at Roberto Martinez’s residence. Please let Roberto know ASAP if you’ll be attending, and whether you are bringing adult and/or kid guests. so we can plan accordingly. Just $10 per adult (free for kids), with all proceeds going to support our many community service efforts.

We hope to see you at one or both events!