A summer evening at the marina

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SRC Minutes Logo“Summer Casual” Riverside Dinner
Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina
New Baltimore, NY
August 4, 2016

Members Attending (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyane, Bill Dowd, April Dowd, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Dick Drumm, Geoff Brewer, Terry Brewer, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown.

Guests (4): Mary Drumm, Maggie Forth, Jeremy Forth, Betty Brewer.

The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was picturesque, the food was tasty, and the company was jovial.

If you are getting the idea we  had a great time dining alongside the Hudson River at Donovan’s Shady  Harbor Marina on Thursday night, you’re correct.

We have just three outings left on our “Summer Casual” schedule, and reservation deadlines are upon us. Don’t miss out. Here’s the lineup:

August 11 — Wine tasting and orchard-inspired dinner at Goold Orchards in Castleton. Reservation deadline is this Saturday — and we need to know your entree preference between chicken and fish when you make your reservation. The price is a mere $20 for everything. Send your RSVPs to SRCrotary@gmail.com

August 18 — Pavilion picnic plus ValleyCats baseball game at Bruno Stadium in Troy. Reservations closed on Thursday — and we have 54 people joining us, but if you suddenly have an opening on your calendar and would like to attend, check directly with Terry Brewer who is coordinating the tickets to see if any more are available.

August 25 — An opening night performance of the comedy play “The Addams Family” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham. Reservation deadline is Tuesday, April 9. Send your RSVPs to SRCrotary@gmail.com

Meanwhile, here are some images from the Shady Harbor outing.

The Dirty Dozen + 5
Thanks to an anonymous young man who volunteered to help us out, we actually got everyone in one photo!
Moorings
Pleasure craft helped set the maritime scene.
Drumms
Dick and Mary are the picture of riverside relaxation.
Roberto & April
Roberto and April share a hearty laugh.
Brian Bauhofer
Chef Brian Bauhofer joined us for a few minutes after the dinner buffet (shown below).
A sampler of the buffet spread …
… and the buffet lineup itself.

RLI’s fall workshop registration is open

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RLI logo

How would you like to have an interesting experience for free?

May we suggest you enroll in the Rotary Leadership Institute? Your club pays the tuition charge. All you have to do is show up.

One-day workshops will be available for first-timers as well as for those who have experienced other RLI levels and are looking to add to their arsenal of information, tips, and training.

RLI courses again this year will be offered at Siena College in Loudonville. That’ s the venue; the college does not do the training which, instead, is done by accredited RLI faculty. But you’re not limited to that venue. Courses also are offered throughout the Northeast, and some people even have attended them while on the road for business since much of what you learn can be applied to your careers. For example, this year’s Graduate Course (for those who already have completed RLI Parts 1 through 3) is titled “Effective Public Speaking,” something a lot of people will find helpful.

The session at Siena College is scheduled for Saturday, October 22. The deadline for registering is October 17. The workshop runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Details about the various workshops are available online. And, you can register through that connection.

 

‘Next Generation Rotary Summit’ announced

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Screen shot 2016-08-04 at 2.38.11 PMThe “Next Generation Rotary Summit” is as important as its title suggests. The event will “consider the Next Generation of Rotary -— the generation of young professionals who will move Rotary forward for the next 30 years.”

As organizer Fred Daniels puts it, “What do they believe? What do they think about ‘Service Above Self? How will they impact Rotary? What are their needs? What kinds of service projects excite them? How can Rotary attract and retain them? Can young professionals help answer the other 257 questions we have about the future of Rotary?”

The summit is one of just 19 being held in the U.S.

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 24, at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. It is being organized by current young Rotarians from throughout District 7190 with support from a grant provided by Rotary International.

The summit is one of just 19 being held in the U.S. Each will reports its findings and ideas to RI as part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure the future of Rotary worldwide. Although it will be open to all Rotarians, its organizers note that it is “perfect for presidents, presidents-elect, membership chairs, membership committee members, and young “or younger thinking” Rotarians.

Summit details — including speakers, breakout session topics, and resources that clubs will be able to use as part of their membership and community efforts — will be announced as soon as they are finalized. And, registration will open soon. Meanwhile, save the date on your busy calendars.

 

Today in history

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On August 4 in …

1693 –- This is the date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon’s invention of Champagne, although it is not clear whether he actually invented the wine. However, most historians concur he was an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine.

1783 –- Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people. The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.

1889 –- The Great Fire of Spokane destroys 32 blocks of the Washington city, prompting a mass rebuilding project.

1977 –- President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the federal Department of Energy.

1987 -– The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rescinds the “Fairness Doctrine” which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues “fairly.”

Today in history

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On August 3 in …

1852 –- Harvard University wins the first boat race with Yale University, the first American intercollegiate athletic event. The racing series continues to this day.

1921 –- Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis confirms the ban of eight Chicago White Sox players for allegedly fixing the World Series and earning the infamous nickname Black Sox, despite the fact the athletes had been acquitted by a Chicago court.

1946 –- Santa Claus Land, the world’s first themed amusement park, opens in Santa Claus, Indiana.

1949 –- The Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL)  finalize their merger to create the modern National Basketball Association (NBA).

1977 –- Tandy Corporation announces the availability of the TRS-80, one of the world’s first mass-produced personal computers.

A message from the Rotary Foundation

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RF Plea

If you haven’t seen this request from the Rotary Foundation, you haven’t been carefully reading your mail.

Each Rotarian has, over the past few days, received a mailing from the Rotary Foundation about its fundraising efforts in 2016-17, its 100th anniversary. It traces, in capsulized form, the history of the foundation and its global reach, and how you can help further its work on behalf of mankind.

If you’d like to get more information at your fingertips on the Foundation, simply click here.

 

Today in history

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On August 2 in …

1610 –- English explorer Henry Hudson, in the employ of Dutch financial backers, sails his ship the Half Moon into what now is known as Hudson Bay, Canada, thinking he had made it through the fabled Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.

1776 -– The Declaration of Independence is formally signed by representatives of the 13 founding states.

1923 –- Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the United States upon the death of President Warren G. Harding.

1934 –- Adolf Hitler becomes führer — a title meaning “leader” or “guide” — of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg.

1990 -– The Iraqi army, under Saddam Hussein, invades neighboring Kuwait, an action that touches off the First Gulf War.

Meet our exchange student for 2016-17

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• In case you missed this posting back in April, here it is again because it’s very timely now.

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Rafaella

Now that we are reviving our Rotary Youth Exchange initiative, it’s time to introduce the student who will be visiting Maple Hill High School for the 2016-17 school year.

Meet Rafaella Leal Câncio. She is a 16-year-old high school junior who lives in Ubá, a city of about 100,000 residents in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil about 75 miles north of Rio de Janiero.

Rafaella lives at home with her parents, Francisco and Marcella, and two younger siblings, Filipe, 11, and Heloisa, 7. Her father is a businessman, her mother a teacher.

She has studied English for five years, and grades herself as “good” in speaking and reading the language, but “poor” in writing it. This year, she is studying math, history, geography, physics, chemistry, sociology, philosophy, art, physical education and, of course English and her native Portugese. She also is a member of the student council, and has a strong interest in drama and movies and is considering studying drama in college.

So, what does Rafaella hope to gain from her year in the U.S.? As she said in her written application, she wants to “get more mature, open my mind, grow up as a person, and learn a new culture.”

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Rafaella with her family

2 (!) reservation deadlines this week

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The Goold Orchards and winery entrance (top) and a view of the Bruno Stadium field from the picnic pavilion.

A pair of upcoming “Summer Casual Schedule” events have reservation deadlines this week. Act now to avoid disappointment!

• The deadline is this Thursday for reserving seats for the ValleyCats Baseball & Picnic at Bruno Stadium (scheduled for August 18).

This is one of our biggest family outings each summer. It begins with a picnic dinner in the covered pavilion on the stadium’s first-base side, followed by reserved seats for a New York-Penn League pro baseball game between the homestanding Tri-City ValleyCats and the visiting Aberdeen (MD) Ironbirds.

Tickets are just $25 each, and are going fast. The price covers the meal, the game, and a souvenir baseball cap. Parking is free on the Hudson Valley Community College campus that is home to the stadium. Terry Brewer is coordinating the event, but RSVPs should be made only via email to SRCrotary@gmail.com as quickly as possible.

• The deadline is this Saturday for the wine tasting and orchard-inspired dinner at Goold Orchards,  scheduled for August 11. The price is a bargain at $20 per person, thanks to co-hosts Pat Bailey and Debbie Rodriguez who are making all the arrangements again this year.

When you RSVP to SRCrotary@gmail please be sure to (1) include the number of guests you will be bringing, and (2) indicate everyone’s entree choice. Here is the menu:

Entree choices
Stuffed Filet of Sole (broiled fish with a Fuji apple stuffing)
or
Harvest Chicken Breast (boneless breast of chicken, sauteed with cherries, sweet onions and apples, braised in an apple cider reduction

Accompaniments
Wild rice and grilled seasonal vegetables

Desserts
Harvest crumb-apple cranberry pie
Apple cider donuts

 

Today in history

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On August 1 in …

30 BC -– Octavian, later known as Augustus, enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.

1498 –- Christopher Columbus led the first European group to visit what now is Venezuela.

1774 –- British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by the German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

1876 –- Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.

1981 –- MTV begins broadcasting. Its first video is titled “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by The Buggles.