No one screamed for it, but there were plenty of smiles at the “Sundaes On Sunday” ice cream social held this afternoon by co-hosts Debbie Rodriguez and Pat Bailey at Debbie’s residence.

Besides the co-hosts and “auxiliary host” Chuck Rodriguez, Andy and Kara Leyhane and kids, Roberto Martinez, Carol Orvis, April and Bill Dowd, Dick and Mary Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, and Ray and Lois Hannan got together on a beautiful summer afternoon to enjoy some cold desserts and warm conversations. The event was part of the “SRC Summer Casual” schedule.

Next up is a “Get-Together At the Clubhouse,” at The Spinney at Pond View’s clubhouse at 6 p.m. this Thursday, hosted by Ray and Lois Hannan. If you’d like to attend, please be sure to bring a small appetizer or dessert. And, of course, be sure to RSVP by email to Ray110b@yahoo.com no later than this Monday.

Here are a few  more scenes from today’s event:

 

While some parts of the Capital Region endured another rainy evening, the skies over Joseph L. Bruno Stadium somehow held their water long enough on Wednesday for a small SRC contingent of Rotarians, familiy, and friends to enjoy our annual pavilion picnic and ValleyCats pro baseball game. (The home team won, 8-7, by the way.)

This was yet another event on our “SRC Summer Casual” schedule. Next up is this Sunday’s 4 to 6 p.m. “Sundaes On Sunday” ice cream social at Debbie Rodriguez’s residence, co-hosted by Pat Bailey.

Meanwhile, here are a few more scenes from the ValleyCats event:

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OK, you should have received our message about making reservations for our August 12 “Sundaes On Sunday” event either via website, Facebook, or email. Now, we’re asking for RSVP’s for another event — the “Picnic at The Spinney Clubhouse.”

This “SRC Summer Casual” event is yet another family-friendly gathering, this one to be hosted by Ray and Lois Hannan at the clubhouse at The Spinney at Pond View complex where they recently took up residence.

The address is 2500 Pond View Drive, Castleton, located just ½ mile from Exit 10 off I-90 East. The time and address: 6 p.m. Thursday, August 16. The reservation deadline is Monday, August 13 (contact the Hannans via email at ray110b@yahoo.com)

The menu will be a tasty one — chicken teriyaki, fingerling potatoes, vegetable, and tossed salad — augmented by attendees’ dishes as everyone is asked to bring an appetizer or a dessert. The gathering will be BYOB. The Hannans will provide non-alcoholic beverages.

As we near the end of our “SRC Summer Casual” calendar for July and August, we strongly urge all SRC members and families to make a real effort to interact with their fellow Rotarians and get to know each other even better in this growing organization dedicated to public service and fellowship.

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We’ve had our account with the Clynck recyclable container service for just a few months, but we’ve already topped the 2,000 mark!

The graphic above shows the environmental impact of turning in that number of deposit cans and bottles for redemption and recycling. And, in the bargain, we’ve earned well over $100 for the SRC general treasury with lots more to come — assuming the liquid-consuming days of late summer create more returnables.

We handed out a lot of of the official recycling bags and bar code stickers — both of which are mandatory for SRC to get credit for the returns — at the Mac-Haydn Theatre night out, but we have plenty of more. Just let project coordinator Bill Dowd know what you need.

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Who likes ice cream? Probably only you … and, your significant others … and your kids and/or grandkids … and maybe even a few friends.

Take advantage of their good taste to enjoy another good taste — a family-friendly “SRC Summer Casual” social event called “Sundaes On Sunday,” to be co-hosted by Debbie Rodriguez and Pat Bailey from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, August 12, at Debbie’s residence.

We need to know by email whether you plan to join us, or whether you are declining the invitation, no later than this coming Tuesday, August 7. (Debbie’s email address is debannrod@yahoo.com and Pat’s is pbailey7@nycap.rr.com.) While this is not a dinner event (note the hours) they still need to know who’s planning to attend so they can shop for all the goodies for the make-your-own ice cream sundae bar.

This looks to be a fun, kid-friendly event that won’t take much time and, given that it is scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, it will allow those who have difficulty participating in our weekday events to reconnect with our Rotary family, something we strongly encourage.

We hope to see you there!

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The latest “SRC Summer Casual” event, our annual visit to the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, worked out beautifully Thursday evening despite the threat of rain.

A group of 15 Rotarians and friends gathered at Yiannis at Chatham House for a pre-theater dinner — made all the more enjoyable by Jill, our pleasant and patient waitress. Then, it was around the corner to the Mac-Haydn for a performance of the musical “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” a colorful, rousing show chock full of big voices and a big cast.

This isn’t the last of our “SRC Summer Casual” events. Next Wednesday, August 8, we’ll be gathering at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College for a picnic in the pavilion followed by a ValleyCats baseball game. Registration has closed for that event (rescheduled from its original date after a rainout), but we have three other events on the summer calendar for you to consider participating in with your fellow Rotarians. Here they are. Please note the RSVP deadlines.

Important Note: We’re still collecting donations for our annual “School Supplies Drive” for needy kids in four local school districts. You can bring your items to the “Sundaes On Sunday” event or the “Clubhouse Get-Together.” Not planning to join us for either? Then  drop off your donations any time at the Greenbush YMCA, our partner in this effort. The deadline is August 18. (Although we have posted and distributed to everyone the preferred supplies shopping list numerous times, if you still aren’t familiar with it just click here for the details.)

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The Capital Region Nordic Alliance (CRNA), which SRC has been assisting for several years, is seeking financial help to send a team to the World Trail Orienteering Championships in Latvia.

What we are asking is that any Rotarians and friends or family interested in making a contribution do so via our treasurer, Murray Forth, at any of our next three “SRC Summer Casual” events — this coming Thursday at our Mac-Haydn Theatre outing, the following Wednesday (August 8) at the ValleyCats picnic and baseball game, or the “Sundaes On Sundays” event (August 12) at Debbie Rodriguez’s residence.

Checks should be made payable to “SRC Rotary.” After the event at Debbie’s we will cut CRNA a single check totaling the amount collected.

Russ Myer, founder of the adaptive sports organization serving veterans,  notes that CRNA continues to be a national leader in para-Nordic sports for such veterans by hosting local/regional trail orienteering camps at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar, and in Boston. It also is involved in Mountain Bike Orienteering competition in Windham, the paracycling/para-Nordic camp in Lewisburg, PA, and last year’s World Trail Orienteering championships in Lithuania.

The current Trail O team bound for Latvia consists of Sgt. Christ Rasmussen, an amputee who served in Afghanistan; Sgt Julius Schram, an amputee and decorated veteran, and assistant coach First Sgt. Pete Tiller, also a decorated wounded combat veteran in Iraq.

“CRNA’s current Veterans Administration Adaptive Sports Grant does not permit funds to be used to cover international airfare,” Myer explained in making the appeal. “CRNA respectfully requests donations to cover international airfare only ($5,000); 100% of donated funds will go to such airfare. Any excess funds will go directly to cover veterans expenses while representing the U.S. at the world championships and other local/regional/national competitions.”

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Tonight’s scheduled Tri-City ValleyCats game and pavilion picnic fell victim to the rains that have been pelting us for several days. However, we’ll have another chance to enjoy this annual outing next month.

Our re-do of the “SRC Summer Casual” event will begin with a picnic at 6 P.M. Wednesday, August 8, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, followed by the 7 p.m. game. Event coordinator Terry Brewer will take care of obtaining and distributing tickets in advance of the event.

For those of you who regularly follow the fortunes of the ValleyCats and their New York-Penn League cohorts, you’ll know the ‘Cats have a slight lead in the NYP Stedler Division, while their August 8 opponent, Hudson Valley — the defending league champs — are solidly in first place in  the McNamara Division.

 

Event coordinator Debbie Brown has made arrangements for a pre-theater dinner for SRC members and guests who will be attending next week’s trip to the Mac-Haydn Theatre.

We will be dining at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, August 2, at Yiannis at Chatham House, located at 29 Hudson Avenue in Chatham. You can get a look at the restaurant’s menu by clicking here.

Curtain is scheduled for 8 p.m. for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at Mac-Haydn, located at 1925 NY Route 203, Chatham. Debbie has obtained tickets for all who RSVP’d by the deadline. Please be prepared to reimburse her by check or cash and receive your tickets at dinner. Tickets are $39 per person, or $36.50 for seniors.

Important note: We are assuming everyone who made a theater reservation will be joining us for dinner. However, If you do NOT plan to attend dinner, please be sure to inform Debbie (mdbrown@nycap.rr.com) no later than this Sunday, July 29, so she can adjust the reservation size with the restaurant.

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The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club’s “SRC Summer Casual Calendar” has all its dates filled,  but it needs something from you — your RSVPs to the event hosts. Here’s what you need to know:

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