Your Weekly Get Up & Go Has Been Updated!

     Good morning fellow Rotarians of the Sunrise type.  This is your most senior reporter writing one of his last copies for this prestigious publication.  Yes, I go back to the Dick McCapes days of the GU&G published weekly on legal size colored paper (I still have some stock). It has been a fun ride for the last 17 years, but my domicile is in Nevada now, and the administration and I are trying to figure out an ex-pat arrangement.  The editor may allow me to write an occasional visiting reporter column when I drop by for a tax season presence.

     So the meeting this week was a Club Assembly meeting what with various officers and former presidents making presentations about what we are doing these days.  President Gary Johns opened the meeting in the classical manner.  Dave E. Morse got his fingers tangled on the piano accompaniment (a rare and fun event) but the joyous members sang right through it.  Visitors included the wife, Karen and grandson Ander, of a Rotarian whose name I didn’t write down (I didn’t say I was the best reporter, just the most senior). Bob Poppenga introduced his daughter Zoey, and Rick Stromberg introduced a former member Elma Gardner.  Back in the day, Elma owned a business on D Street, By Design, and when she was done with your home, Sunset and Architectural Digest would fight to feature it.

    So Meaghan Likes distributed the Oktoberfest tickets for Club members to sell to real, live attendees.  (Editor’s note: In the Oktoberfest spirit, tickets were distributed by dirndl wearing, hair braiding, ticket wenching, Helga & Olga, not to be confused with their alluring alter egos Meaghan & Vanessa). Former-Prez Dennis Lindsay reminded the club that we are less interested in the money for the tickets and more interested in the attendees.  The Oktoberfest work signup schedule was also available for volunteers who want to participate in the function of the event.  This reporter review of names revealed the usual suspects and some new recruits.  If you haven’t signed up yet, please remember to take care of that next meeting.  Rotarian Dick Berry arose to announce that the Oktoberfest wish list of gift cards and “items of utility” for the silent auction needed attention by the club members.  See Dick if you don’t have a wish list matrix.

     Former-Prez’s Dave Heard, Dennis Lindsay, and Tom Read made a cogent presentation of the planning and hopeful execution of the 2015 Oktoberfest Event.  This year, some things will be the same, but other elements will be more efficient from the “lesson learned” file.  This year, the Oktoberfest will be held on Saturday, September 26^th from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and the food will be served from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.  The Central Park venue is the same, but will be expanded for anticipated additional attendees, and better security and identification of the designated partition of the park complex.  The entrance fee this year (ticket) is only $15 which will get you a meal and three “fest bucks” (FB) and that many FB’s will get you a 14oz beer.  Walk-in participants will pay a $20 fee for entry and a beer. You may purchase FB’s from Dennis Lindsay at all the Club meetings leading up to the Oktoberfest.  Of course FB’s will be sold at the event.  Rotarian Irena Asmundson noted that issuing FB’s is a clever addition, as script is seldom completely redeemed.  Dennis spoke to the hope that this year’s attendance would be 800 folks and the anticipated net revenues would approximate $20,000.  Last year the attendee headcount was approximately 600 and the net revenues was $16,000.  Ratio variances are due to unknowns for the new approach to the FB function, auction, and raffle. Tom mentioned that the featured breweries this year would be Yolo Brewing, Rubicon and Black Dragon.

     The Sergeants then took over the Club Assembly and Dennis Lindsay was the master of ceremonies.  Nikki Grey Rutamu was happy and a hearty thanks to Don Morrill for some specific act of kindness.  Ted Puntillo forgot to make an announcement that he had Oktoberfest signs to distribute, so he said that he was happy about it.  Chuck Cunningham was happy to see Julie back with ten pounds of bacon.  Don Morrill is a new grandfather and is pleased beyond words that Kaleb has joined the family.  Meaghan Likes joined Ted Puntillo in making a happy announcement regarding the Oktoberfest wine glasses and sponsorships for same. Tim Daleiden was happy for an extended fishing trip to British Colombia.  And Dick Berry was happy for his granddaughter traveling to Alaska with her dad, former Sunrise Club member, singer Carl Schwedler.  Fines were levied on Vic Bucher ($10!) for soliciting testimonies of good character for the Nevada Board of Accountancy. One recipient for a statement was John Carbahal who commented that he would sign anything that would get Vic out of state.  And Bill Kopper was fined a sawbuck for riding his bike the wrong way and in the pedestrian lane of the Golden Gate Bridge.   He tried to explain, but was asked to seek competent counsel.

     President Gary Johns then treated us to a travel log of his trip to Sao Paolo, Brazil for the International Rotary Conference.  Like the Olympics, there were three venues, so Gary & spouse saw quite a bit of Brazil.  His stories were entertaining and the pictures were better than normal.  I didn’t fall asleep.

     The draw of the day was won by Dr. Michael Lairmore, a fellow reporter, but he won a free breakfast instead of the $600+ bucks that are sitting in the pot. And that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Vic Bucher, signing off.