Here’s the remainder of our “Summer Casual” calendar for July and August.
See anything you like that hasn’t been sold out? If so, submit your RSVPs quickly because, as always, reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
And please, for the comfort and safety of all, be sure all adult attendees have been fully vaccinated.
Each summer, the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club participates in a drive to provide school supplies for students in the Rensselaer City School District. That time has arrived once again.
Why Rensselaer kids? Besides the fact they all reside in SRC’s area of service, of the approximately 1,034 students, 64% qualify for either free or reduced price lunch program — a number much higher than the state average of 52%; and, 28% of the kids live near or below the poverty level, compared to the state average of 21%.
Due to the high cost of preparing a child for school, Circles of Mercy, the Rensselaer-based family services organization we team with in projects all year ’round, has a program available in which low-income parents may pick up free school supplies for their kids. The project is known as “Cate’s Kids Back to School Program” and we need your assistance again to help us help others.
Our new president, Debbie Rodriguez, is looking for a volunteer to coordinate SRC’s role in this drive that focuses on pre-school and grades 9-12. But, even before such a person steps up, we can began buying supplies from the following list. For example,Target has a back-to-school sale this week. Rotarians can stockpile items now, and collection times and times will be forthcoming as soon as we get a volunteer coordinator.
The preferred shopping list:
• Pencils (regular lead #2 and color)
• Pencil sharpener
• Erasers for pencils
• Pens (black or blue)
• Markers (dry erase)
• Sharpies (assorted colors)
• Pocket folders (assorted colors)
• 3-ring binders (2” and 3” sizes)
• Loose leaf paper (college ruled)
• Graph paper
• Spiral subject notebooks (1-, 3-, and 5-subject, all college ruled)
• Notebook subject dividers
• Plastic zipper pencil cases / boxes
• 3”x5” index cards
• Yellow highlighters
• Rulers (regular with metric)
• Facial tissue packets
• Hand sanitizer (small bottles)
• Post-It notes
• Backpacks (no rollers/wheels)
• Hole reinforcement labels
• Combination lock (for gym lockers)
• Electronic items such as flash drives, computer ear buds, scientific calculators
Circles of Mercy has requested that all donated items, or checks in lieu of supplies, be delivered no later than August 23, so SRC will be collecting items and/or checks through Friday, August 20. Our eventual project coordinator will take care of collecting donations and getting them to Circles in time for families to pick them up.
July 8, 2013: Picnic at the Browns’ residence.
Members Attending (11): Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Maggie Forth, Murray Forth, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey.
Guests (3): Mary Drumm, Jeremy Forth, Jack Bailey.
A planned outdoor get-together was driven indoors by inclement weather, but SRC members and guests alike enjoyed the fellowship and a dinner of chicken marsala, lasagna, and salads from La Bella’s Restaurant, Bar & Pizzeria of Valatie, plus finger snacks and desserts brought by guests. Members expressed their thanks to Debbie and Peter Brown for hosting the “Summer Casual” kickoff event.
Next up on the “Summer Casual” event is a sitdown dinner at the Calamaras residence. Reservation deadline is today, July 9, so please contact Dean or Doris if you would like to attend but haven’t yet replied.
Meanwhile, check the schedule for remaining “Summer Casual” events and reservation deadlines, and keep scrolling down for some views of Thursday’s event captured by Roberto indoors and in the garden.
HOT OFF THE PRESS (appropriate for summer, if not for today’s cool, rainy weather), we have details of another “Summer Casual” social event for members, family, and friends of SRC.
President Debbie Rodriguez and Secretary Pat Bailey will co-host a “Pizza & Ice Cream Party” at the Rodriguez residence, 121 Lape Road, Nassau, at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 29, for all fully-vaccinated adults and their kids.
The pool and other child-appropriate stuff will be available for this family-friendly event.
Please RSVP to Debbie (debannrodyahoo.com) or Pat (baileyps26@gmail.com) no later than Monday, July 26.
P.S. If you’d like to attend the Browns’ event on Thursday, RSVP by today if you haven’t already done so.
Here’s the updated “Summer Casual” schedule:
Well, here we are in July, the first day of the 2021-22 Rotary Year and the official start of our “Summer Casual” period that carries us through the summer. A perfect time to get reacquainted in person after the long lockdown.
We hope all fully-vaccinated adults and healthy small kids will be joining us for the variety of picnics, sitdown dinners, diner visits, etc. on the schedule (two field trips involving baseball and theater already have been sold out.) To participate, simply check out the schedule below and RSVP to the appropriate folks by the deadlines to save a seat.
A picnic at the Browns’ residence in Castleton is next up, on Thursday, July 8, so be sure to RSVP to Debbie or Peter no later than this Friday, July 2, so they have an accurate headcount.
And, Dean and Doris Calamaras have just provided details of the July 15 sitdown dinner they are planning at their East Greenbush residence with RSVPs needed by July 9. Here are the details and the menu for that gathering:
Social hour 5-6 p.m., dinner at 6. Dean and Doris are covering the cost of the appetizers, dinner, and deserts, but are asking attendees to donate would they would like to the club treasury — $15 to $20 per adult and $5 per kid suggested.
Please RSVP to 518-477-4694 or to dcalamaras@verizon.net with the names of all attendees, your phone number, and your hard- and soft-drink preferences. Reservations limited to the first 18 guests to sign up.
The Menu:
• Hors d’oeuvres
• Fresh fruit salad
• Baked glazed ham with little new potatoes, and green bean casserole
• Bread & butter
• Dessert selections, including cakes, pies & brownies
• Iced tea
MEMBERS ATTENDING (14): Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Bill Dowd, Pat Bailey, Maggie Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan.
GUESTS (Numerous): Mary Drumm, Stewart Wagner, Lois Hannan, Jeremy Forth, various Leyhanes and Drumms, etc.
The torch, figuratively, has been passed.
Charter member Dick Drumm closed out his presidential term by turning over the club reins to Debbie Rodriguez for her second go-round at the club presidency during the annual Presidential Changeover picnic at the Drumm residence Thursday evening.
Debbie officially takes office on July 1 for the 2021-22 Rotary Year. The remainder of the Board:
President-elect: Kevin Leyhane
Vice President: Terry Brewer
Immediate Past President: Dick Drumm
Treasurer: Murray Forth
Secretary: Pat Bailey
At-Large Directors: Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Dean Calamaras, Becky Raymond
• ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR — During the business portion of the event, Dick provided a brief synopsis of his year, thanking everyone for their support during a particularly difficult period. He also cited Bill Dowd as the club’s “Rotarian of the Year,” selected for his ongoing work as the club’s webmaster and social media coordinator, his efforts to maintain club continuity through a program of Zoom sessions, acting as our ShelterBox coordinator and fundraiser, Adopt-a-Family coordinator, and various other support efforts.
• FINANCIAL UPDATE — Treasurer Murray reported that the club has, through both club and individual members’ donations, given more than $18,000 this year to various charities and organizations. He also reported that our new donor advised fund (DAV), formally called The Dr. Richard Drumm Fund, has a $22,000 principal and total worth of $22,463.
• MEETING VENUE RESEARCH — Murray said our former meeting venue, Quigley’s Food & Drink, is close to finalizing a sale, according to owner John Walsh who has retired from the restaurant business. … We still are looking into possibilities with the East Greenbush Fire Department and the Crisp Cannoli restaurant or will discuss possibilities with QUigley’s purchaser. We also are considering alternating in-person and Zoom meeting beginning in September.
• NEXT MEETING — We are off next week leading into the Fourth of July weekend. Our next get-together is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 8, a picnic hosted by Debbie and Peter Brown that kicks off our “Summer Casual” schedule for July and August. Please be sure to contact them ASAP if you are fully vaccinated and plan to attend.
Scenes from a picnic:
Outgoing President Dick displays his plaque and Rotary fleece gifts
Outgoing club President Dick Drumm will be handing over the gavel to President-elect Debbie Rodriguez on Thursday, June 24.
Dick and Mary Drumm will be hosting the 6 p.m. event at their Valatie farm, but they need to have an accurate headcount for catering purposes. Please email them at rmdrumm176@aol.com or call them at 518-339-7459 ASAP to (a) let them know if you plan to attend, and (b) whether you plan to bring one or more guests. Please, fully vaccinated visitors only.
Meanwhile, the chart below lists our “Summer Casual” events that we have planned for July and August. Only two dates are open, so if you would like to reserve one of them to host or arrange an event, please let Debbie know (debannrod@yahoo.com) and/or Bill Dowd (billdowd4troy@gmail.com) ASAP to secure the date.
And, if you’d like to get ahead of the curve, you can let Debbie and Peter Brown know if you plan to join them when they host a picnic at their residence on July 8 after the Fourth of July break. Email them at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com or call 518-732-7178.
Meanwhile, we have two Zoom meetings scheduled — this Thursday and next — at which we will have our 2001 SRC Rotary Scholarship winners joining us. As always, simply go to the website calendar page and click on the link for those dates to access the meeting.
UPDATE AS OF 11 P.M. WEDNESDAY: Requests for reservations for our proposed August 5 dinner-and-theater outing are going fast. We’re limited to 12 spots (see story below) and on the first day have received seven. So, just five spots left, so if you want to participate, better act quickly.
For the second straight summer, we will have to forgo our traditional dinner-and-a-show outing to Chatham where the Mac-Haydn Theatre remains iffy about a production schedule because of the problems the COVID-19 pandemic caused with its planning.
However, all is not lost. We can travel approximately the same distance (from EG) — to New Lebanon — to enjoy the same sort of “Summer Casual” outing for dinner at a local restaurant before a show at a professional summer theater.
I’m looking into the possibility of setting up such an event for Thursday, August 5, but need to know how many people would be interested in participating. At the moment, I’m limiting it to 12 people on a first-come, first-served basis since so many facilities continue to impose crowd size restrictions for various reasons (state guidelines, staff availability, etc.)
Here are potential details:
DINNER — At Mario’s, an upscale Italian-American restaurant that has operated for nearly 60 years on Route 20 in New Lebanon. You can access its current menu by clicking here. I have spoken with the owner and they can accommodate us at two tables near each other.
THEATER — At The Theater Barn, a professional seasonal venue now in its 37th season. It is presenting “Night and Day: Love Lost and Found Through the Eyes of Cole Porter.” The beloved songs of the iconic American composer have been arranged into a romantic musical set in a Berkshires mansion, circa 1930. This regional premiere is only the second production of the show ever mounted. Tickets are in the $30+ range. I’m awaiting a response from the box office manager with specifics. NOTE: The theater is admitting only fully vaccinated guests who will be asked to provide proof of vaccination.
What I need to know in fairly short order is:
(a) How many people would like to attend the theater performance, and
(b) How many would like to have dinner before the show.
It is NOT a package deal, so I could make reservations for theater-only for anyone who prefers that. However, to be sure of guaranteeing one or both options, I need to hear from all interested parties no later than Thursday, June 10. To expedite responses, simply email your reply to SRCrotary@gmail.com. And, please, only fully vaccinated people.
Thank you,
Bill Dowd
We already have the first month of our July-August “Summer Casual” social calendar filled, but we need your help rounding out the August dates.
We have the possibility of resuming our annual picnic-and-baseball game outing to see the ValleyCats play at Bruno Stadium (tentative date Thursday, August 19), but we need your feedback very quickly. The two packages available:
• $30 for adults/$25 for children under 12:
Each person would receive a game ticket, souvenir, BBQ chicken, pulled pork, hot dog, pasta salad, coleslaw, dinner roll, soda or water.
• $15 package for all ages:
Each person would receive a game ticket, souvenir, hot dog, chips, soda or water.
What we need to know from you is (a) Will you attend? (b) Will you bring guests, and how many? (c) Which package would you prefer?
Please send your feedback to event organizer Debbie Rodriguez (debannrod@yahoo.com) ASAP so we can ascertain the potential size of our group and what package the majority prefers, and can reserve the date with the ValleyCats office.
Meanwhile, the chart below shows what we have scheduled so far. If you wish to host or arrange an outing on any of the remaining August dates, please let Debbie or webmaster Bill Dowd (SRCrotary@gmail.com) know so the date can be reserved for you.
As so often happens, a District 7190 event conflicts with SRC’s meeting schedule. But, in the spirit of unity, we advise you that the District Presidential Changeover is scheduled for Thursday, June 24.
That is when Rich Griesche passes the gavel to Bruce McConnelee for the 2021-22 Rotary Year. A link to the virtual event will be distributed to Rotarians in the District closer to the event.
Meanwhile, save the same date for the SRC Presidential Changeover when Dick Drumm passes the gavel to Debbie Rodriguez at a 6 p.m. outdoor picnic event at the Drumm residence for all fully vaccinated SRC members and friends. Closer to the event we will be sharing details as well as asking for your RSVP.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 