Have you ever been to a hybrid meeting that wasn’t? Well, eight of us had that experience tonight. Anthony, Wayne, Allan, Nora, John, Rudy, Byron and Stephen met at Timms but no-one joined in on zoom. The cameras were ready, the screen was ready, and so were we. We sang O Canada well enough to have someone call out, “Good singing.” For the first time in a long time we sang the birthday song, wishing Allan a happy 79th on his upcoming birthday.
A short executive meeting within the meeting approved Byron Cooke for membership in our club. President Stephen welcomed Byron and we will arrange a proper ceremony some time in the (near) future. At that time we can properly induct Gertrude as a member also. Stephen reported that we will be able to use the RIC for our meetings once a month, but they were having a hard time finding the paperwork describing the terms of our agreement. Allan has a copy of the key to RIC and informed the Township that this key is now our property. We won’t have to arrange to pick up and then return the key for each meeting.
We discussed the LRCCF (Rotary Langley Clubs Charitable Foundation) and the possibility of funding some improvements at the arboretum through this avenue. We thanked our club members who volunteered time at Ribfest: John, Wayne, Allan, Nora, Rudy, Manjit, Gertrude as well as Kadonah (prospective member) and Katrina (Wayne’s granddaughter). If other club members participated, please let us know so your efforts can be officially appreciated as well. It is estimated that 37 000 guests visited Ribfest, making our event the largest Ribfest in BC. Ribbers ran out of product, the Rotary Cookhouse sold out most of its items, and the Rotary Tavern was down to only two choices near closing time on Sunday. The entertainment from the stage was nonstop and offered a variety of performers. Unfortunately, when you’re working double shifts you get no opportunity to sit and relax and enjoy the shows. However, thousands of people did.
The 50/50 sales continued on site, and the total jumped from $215 000 to around $292 000 making this a huge success. The book sales, new to the event, brought in another $1800. The event was a great way to bring the community together and offer a range of pleasant experiences for families. We should have a good profit to share among the clubs once all bills have been paid.
BBQ Update
John gave us a BBQ update with 18 people already on the list to attend, with 14 steaks needed. He intends to order extra steaks. He says he has plenty of chairs and the pool is ready. Contact Lana if you plan to attend. Please note, this event happened on August 20.
Other updates
Happy and sad dollars for Polio Plus were donated for: a son out from Boston and enjoying high tea at The Empress; the Ribfest experience and sharing volunteering with his granddaughter; Ribfest and a story about saved biodegradable bags which were biodegraded when they went to use them; great time at Ribfest, though it was hard work; working at Ribfest all three days; and for our new member, Byron.
We closed with a toast to Canada and wished each other a good evening. We will continue with hybrid meetings and encourage more members to attend in person again.
.png)
