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SEASON'S BEST ISSUE DECEMBER 10, 2022
VOL. 3 NO. 26
CHRISTMAS WISHES FROM THE DUDE
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
Look for the next issue of your Eastender News to arrive in your mailbox on January??. Here's wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. Appreciate what you have, you never know what the future will bring. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Back in '23.
Our Christmas party is this Thursday at MikeK's Cracker Factory penthouse in Alton. Doors open around 5, with dinner served sometime after 5:30. BYOB. As of Thursday there were 24 folks planning to attend. Fun for all! There's no noon meeting that day.
There will be a weekly meeting on the 22nd.
Thanks to the 13 "elves" who assisted with Tuesday's Christmas Wonderland event. Special thanks to our lead elf ,BillP, and to Santa himself, MarkA. We collected $1019. 4 million lights can really dazzle.
Today is our Salvation Army bell ringing opportunity. We will be in front of the Wood River Wal Mart grocery entrance. If you signed up, show up. Thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Prez Robin pointed out that it may be a dreary day outside but the Rotary fellowship made for a great day inside.
Birthday greetings go out to DaveA and ChrisH, today, and SteveD on the 27th and JimH on the 31st.
Happy Fines were paid by TylerL for the very successful park sponsored Christmas event and by MarkA who celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with Nancy.
LoriP presented Prez Robin with a lapel pin signifying her completion of the Rotary Leadership Institute program.
Early arrivals included LoriP, WendellR and BradL. GeorgeM was proud to announce that Thursday was the one meeting a year where he arrived before noon. Woo, hoo!
The buffet featured Chicken Alfredo, Rotary G-beans, salad, garlic bread and cookies.
Rotary service anniversaries include RandyN 7 years and BillP 9 years.
Our meeting census included 16 club members.
It's worth noting that ScottL had high praise for the Our Lady of the Snows Christmas light show.
According to Chef Bob the price of food take away containers has gone through the roof.
RodneyD reminded everyone that the Roxana Nazarene Community Theater will be hosting plays the next two weekends. This weekend it's Meet Me In St. Louis and next weekend it will be The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Both performed by local community theater groups.
BillP covered for SAA LeonardB and fined those who did not assist at our Christmas Wonderland event and not sporting club swag (badges did not count).
Opening duties were handled by Prez Robin, MarkSm and MarkA.
Well, it had to happen. After LoriP and Prez Robin failed to claim the $253 50-50 jackpot, SherryT performed a deck audit and found that there was NO JOKER to be found amongst the few remaining cards. Oh my! So...a new deck, including a joker, will be in play starting on the 22nd. Bill won the scratch-off.
Ciao! Have a fine and dry weekend.
Au revoir!
ANGELS OR GORGOYLES?
WE CAN ONLY GUESS
TRAILER PARK BOYS & GIRLS
Type caption here
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
The Canadian town of Churchill, know as the Polar Bear Capital of the World, is home to almost as many bears as people. What province is it in?
A-Alberta
B-Manitoba
C-Ontario
D-Quebec
(Answer is found near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Dewey Decimal System Day
What continent is home to the Carpathian mountain range?
North America
Europe
Africa
Asia
Think of European mountain ranges, and you might think first of the Alps, the famous mountains full of yodelers and scenes from “The Sound of Music.” But there are other incredible mountain ranges in Europe, including the Pyrenees, the Urals, and, of course, the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians wind through Central and Eastern Europe, the third-longest of Europe’s mountain ranges (after the Urals and the Alps). Romania is home to much of the range, which also runs through many other nations, from Austria and the Czech Republic in the West to Ukraine in the East and Serbia in the South.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Make-Up and Banner newsletters
Mid-December 2012
DaveA was thanked by fellow WR members for a job well done with the dictionary distribution to Central and South Rox Elementary schools.
"Cousin Jeff" Dyer visited the EA club and told everyone that the Bethalto club is in "vagabond mode". Their temporary meeting place was now at the Bethalto Water Building.
Three Junior Rotarians from EA-WR HS visited the WR meeting-Scott Miner, Levi Harmon and Ashley Robinson.
ChrisH reminded fellow EA members that he was still collecting toys for students at Lincoln Elementary.
HenryS failed to pull the Queen of Hearts and collect the $274 jackpot. JoeS had the same results while trying to find the joker. The $99 EA jackpot rolled.
PaulG lead the WR club in singing Good Old Summer Time.
MarkA proudly proclaimed to the EA club that he and wife Nancy are celebrating 40 years of wedded bliss.
DonnaK served as the WR meeting greeter and JeanK was the program chair.
BradL announced to the EA members that he was a nominee for the December Illinois Veteran of the Month.
NEW WORDS
Words that were listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary for the first time in
Rotary club members (standing from left) Laurell Richey, Ashley Kasprzak, and Charlene Santala Gearing visit Kate Gordon (in bed) with Richey’s pet alpaca.
By Ashley Kasprzak, president of the Rotary Club of Longmont Twin Peaks, Colorado, USA
Rotary members in Colorado showed what it means to create a welcoming club experience of comfort and care, one of Rotary International President Jennifer Jones’ initiatives for this Rotary year.
I was a small part of an effort to help longtime Rotary member Dennis Gordon and his wife, Kate, this spring. Every spring and summer since they had married 46 years ago, Kate had planted and cultivated brightly-colored gardens. But this year, she was in bed with a terminal illness which prevented her from doing so.
Dennis (Denny as he prefers to be called) is amazingly positive and agile even though he is a triple amputee. As a Vietnam veteran, a successful accountant, and a competitive cycler, not much stops Denny. But gardening is one of the rare things he doesn’t do. He shared with his friend and fellow Rotary member Charlene Santala Gearing that it would be wonderful if the club could help brighten up Kate’s view.
Charlene asked Denny if it would be ok for the club to get things looking nice for Mother’s Day, when his children and grandchildren would be visiting. Charlene then contacted members to help. Kirsten Pellicer donated flowers, and Beth Shipp a truck. Half a dozen members and friends cleaned up flower beds and planted.
Kate watched from her bed as we gardened. At the end of three hours, shrubs and trees were trimmed. Flowers were planted and everything was spiffed up. One member, Laurell Richey, even brought her pet alpaca, Dobby, who thanks to double doors, was able to come inside and say hello.
Everyone shared smiles, laughter, and a bit of joy. Rotary volunteers were able to bring some moments of distraction and levity to Kate and Denny during a sad time. Kate passed away on 18 May. Denny faithfully continues to attend Twin Peaks Rotary Club every Thursday at noon in Longmont, Colorado, USA.
AND I QUOTE
"Knowledge exists to be imparted."-Ralph Waldo Emmerson
"Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.”- Louis L’Amour
"A wise man gets more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."-Baltasar Gracian
"I don't think you can spend yourself rich."-George Humphrey
SMILE
If the guys in the mall aren't really Santa, but instead just one of Santa's helpers, does that make them Subordinate Clauses?
Out of all inventions in the past 100 years, the dry erase board is probably the most remarkable.
What did the mama cow say to the baby cow? It's pasture bedtime.
I've got a new job working shift work making chess sets. I'm on Knights next week.
My daughter pointed at a spear and said "Daddy look it's sharp". I said that's the point".
Waiter: "Do you want a box for your leftover food?" Me: "No thanks, but I'll wrestle you for it."
Which country's capital has the fastest growing population? Ireland. Every day it's Dublin.
ENJOY YOUR HIKE, YIKES!
BY THE NUMBERS
Year-over-year restaurant prices were up 8.6% in October-U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. job postings requiring at least a bachelor’s degree were 41% in November, down from 46% at the start of 2019 ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic-Burning Glass Institute
The U.S. imported about 18.3% by value of its food and beverages in 2020, up from 13.2% in 2008-Agriculture Department
People plan to buy an average of nine gifts this year compared with 16 last year, according to Deloitte consulting’s 37th annual holiday shopping survey of 5,000 respondents in September. Total anticipated spending per household was $1,455, down from $1,463 a year ago
Rite Aid lost $5 million dollars to shoplifters at one store in New York City in the last quarter. Read that again. Target estimates shoplifters are costing it $400 million a year.
15% of Americans wear smart watches, up from 12% in mid 2020-Kantar
(Trivia answer-B)
Rotarian Code of Conduct
The following code of conduct has been adopted for the use of Rotarians:
As a Rotarian, I will
1-Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life
2-Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect
3-Use my professional skills throughRotary to: mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people's quality of life in my community and in the world
4-Avoid behavior that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians
5-Help maintain a harassment-free environment in Rotary meetings, events, and activities, report any suspected harassment, and help ensure non-retaliation to those individuals that report harassment
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