Wednesday January 11, 2023

 

Opening:

President Heidi promptly opened the meeting at 6:00pm by thunderously ringing the bell as the scribe sipped on Merlot.

 

Welcome:

We warmly welcomed our guests and visiting Rotarians who possibly walked hundreds of miles, in the snow, in the dark to attend. John introduced Tom and Representative Matt Coker to a round of applause.

 

Pledge:

Our group enthusiastically recited the Pledge of Allegiance with a special emphasis on being indivisible and inclusive.

 

Prayer:

Dan invited us to be moral, ethical and neighborly in his spirited prayer.

 

Did You Know:

The current American flag was designed as a school project earning at B- which was then changed to an A. Congratulations!

 

Announcements:

Bill clearly reported on Fishing Derby. Merchandising, expertly led by Betsy and Wendy, is moving well with the possibility of a Rotary web page for ordering and paying before the Derby, with delivery to members and shipping to customers. Sales are down 6% with the ice challenge, but that only represents 61 tickets, and we can make it back quickly. Marketing includes an interview w/ Pat of Pulse of NH and a poster at the Meredith transfer station. Signup sheet is available to volunteer and then will be posted as well. The Weekend w/ Yankee show is moving forward and we’re looking for guide for the host on Derby day, please let Bill know if you have friends excited about earning their 15 minutes of fame. Now, all we need is weather and ice and the last couple days were getting colder. Remember “A watched pond doesn’t freeze.”

 

Altusa is sponsoring a presentation Sat Jan 28 at 2pm at the senior center on Ukraine. Plymouth Rotary is conducting a fundraiser for Ukraine the Sat PM of Derby at Church, more to come. Guys and Dolls is coming to Flying Monkey and the announcement was sent via email.

Finally, Rick was called up to the front of class, not to go to the corner like what happened to him in second grade, but to honor him as a Paul Harris level three.

 

Dinner:

Dinner was professionally served by our favorite staff at Harts.

 

Thank You:

We received a thank you for the Inter-Lakes Spirit Program from the Principal. We also received a call from the Historical Society that they have boxes of Rotary things, so we’re looking for volunteers for the Club Historian Committee to preserve our history.

 

Speaker:

Our special guest tonight was none other than Matthew Coker who is serving his first legislative term in the NH House of Representatives. Matt knew about the Fishing Derby although he is still waiting to catch a winner. His first career was in aviation, since his 20s, climbing the ladder, reaching his dream job in 2019 as an airline pilot based in Boston. He’s been in Meredith for 5 years where he met his wife and fell in love with both her and the town. During Covid he needed to find a hobby and was watching a county delegation putting together a budget and thought there would be a better way. So, he ran for a seat in Meredith as being right in the middle of the two political parties, a radical place to be- “An extreme moderate.”

 

He believes action can occur at the county level and by breaking down barriers to people getting along and talking with each other- “A community-based approach.” Since the NH House is currently 201 Republican and 198 Democrats, it’s an opportunity to work together. His priorities include fairness for first responders, investment in community mental health, clean water including Lake bacteria, efficiency in procurement, adopting technology in a responsible way, quality childcare, additional options for secondary education such as trade schools, and funding the local economy. Further discussion centered around air and train services, broadband infrastructure, Lake speed limits, taxes, and the political landscape. Comments welcome at MattForMeredith.com.

 

Happy Dollars:

Dick is recovering from pneumonia and remembered his friend. Bob is happy that the Giants won the playoffs and he’s seeing a Harvard game. Tom is happy to be back. Kevin is celebrating 43^rd wedding anniversary, 70^th birthday and might be possibly retiring, maybe. Jim is getting a new car. Chuck noted that names are coming in for the memorial committee at the Library. Dan prays for the Ice God. Bruce enjoyed Nacho who is going to his next host family. Rick shared that the Four Way speech contest is moving ahead.

 

50/50:

Ray collected $17.

 

Adjourn:

We concluded with our usual Four Way Test and the meeting was adjourned at 735pm.