1st ‘Summer Casual’ event of 2021 is in the books

July 9, 2021 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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.

RSVPs needed for ‘Summer Casual’ events

July 1, 2021 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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

Sign up now for ‘Presidential Changeover’ picnic

June 8, 2021June 8, 2021 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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: Dinner-and-show spots going fast

June 2, 2021June 2, 2021 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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’re lining up our ‘Summer Casual’ schedule

May 8, 2021May 8, 2021 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Traditionally, each July and August we suspend our weekly formal meetings in favor of a “Summer Casual” schedule.

For those of you who are among our newer members, that simply means we like to socialize, renew acquaintances with members’ families, and share a picnic, a drink, a game, a field trip, or anything that works as a summertime activity.

In normal times — remember those? — we have had pool parties, picnics and a baseball game at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, an evening of summer theater at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, etc. This summer, we’ll be pressed to come up with some alternatives, given the state’s pandemic-era restrictions. (However, the ValleyCats will be playing this summer in the Frontier League, and Mac-Haydn says it will have some sort of season starting in mid- to late-summer rather than in May as usual.)

What helps is that, to the best of our knowledge, all club members have been fully vaccinated. According to the latest CDC guidance, people who are fully vaccinated can associate with other fully vaccinated people with only “miniscule” chance of a COVID problem. Thus, we’re asking anyone who wishes to attend any events — significant others included — to do so only if fully vaxxed.

We have four Thursdays each in July and August to fill. We already have word from Debbie and Peter Brown that they will host an outdoor get-together at their home and from Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane that they will do likewise at one of their residences. No specific dates have yet been announced, but we now know we have at least six dates open.

If you would like to hold some sort of “Summer Casual” event or to plan an outing for the club, please let incoming president Debbie Rodriguez and/or webmaster Bill Dowd know so the date can be reserved and publicized.

The July-August schedule:

JULY

01 — Holiday lead-in, no meeting

04 — Fourth of July holiday

08 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

15 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

22 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

29 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

AUGUST

05 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

12 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

19 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

26 — Summer Casual event (TBD)

Mac-Haydn Theatre cancels summer season

April 23, 2020 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2020-04-23 at 3.19.01 PM One activity that traditionally has been on SRC’s “Summer Casual Calendar” will not be found there this year.

Among the many arts organizations cancelling their scheduled summer seasons is the Mac-Haydn Theatre. The Chatham institution had been planning a seven-production lineup for what would have been its 52nd season.

John Saunders, Mac-Haydn’s producing artistic director, said in an announcement today that the plays planned for this summer will be moved to 2021: “Pippin,” “Urinetown,” Man of La Mancha,” “42nd Street,” “Parade,” “Rock of Ages,” and “The Sound of Music.”

“This decision did not come lightly and has weighed heavily upon me since this crisis began,” Saunders said in his announcement. “I am nothing if not an optimist, but I have realized that the most important thing is the health and safety of our audience, artists, volunteers and staff.”

Also Thursday, the company announced a fundraising campaign to offset projected financial losses from canceling the season. Called the Bright Future Fund, it takes its name from what was the theme for the 2020 season: “Bold Vision, Bright Future.” The $250,000 campaign represents 20% of Mac-Haydn’s annual operating budget.

Patrons who have already paid for this year’s subscriptions may visit machaydntheatre.org/tickets for refund, postponement or donation options.

Other artistic organizations in the region that already had cancelled or delayed their seasons:

CANCELLATIONS

• Dorset Playhouse in Dorset, VT

• Opera Saratoga in Saratoga Springs

• Jacob’s Pillow dance festival in Becket, MA

• Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA

• Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, MA

DELAYS

• Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield and Stockbridge, MA, delayed until August.

CHANGES

• Park Playhouse in Albany has canceled its main summer production. “Evita,” but currently plans to present “Matilda: The Musical,” performed by Park Playhouse students, in August.

‘SRC Summer Casual’ finishes with dessert

August 16, 2019August 17, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-08-16 at 8.21.12 PM We finished our “SRC Summer Casual Schedule” with an ice cream social on Thursday, hosted by Pat Bailey and Debbie Rodriguiez at Debbie’s abode.

Attending, in addition to the co-hosts, were Rotarians Becky Raymond, Murray Forth, Maggie Forth, Jim Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Dick Drumm, Roberto Martinez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Phil Kellerman, and Carol Orvis, and guests Rod Rodriquez, Jeremy Forth, Paige Johnson, Mike Stangl, and Mary Drumm.

We now have a brief hiatus before resuming our weekly Thursday dinner meetings at Quigley’s on September 5. (Note this is a change from the long-published schedule, getting us back into the regular rotation a week earlier than previously planned. Be sure to check the website’s Calendar page for the evolving events listings and program assignment chart.)

Screen Shot 2019-08-16 at 8.21.01 PM