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WEDDING BELLS ISSUE AUGUST 23, 2025
VOL. 6 NO. 7
CASH OR VENMO?
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
On Thursday the new owner of the Rustic Roots Event Center, Tara Pickett (with an assist from hubby Brad) provided an enthusiastic overview of the plans for the event space. The retail is gone, more restrooms, separate bridal and groom suites (upstairs), paved parking lot with better lighting, upgraded sound system, you get the picture. Tara has big plans to create a premier wedding space. All the work is being done by local contractors. The current staff will continue to be employed, including the recent owner. Seating will probably be about 150. The space can be rented for all sorts of events with pricing determined by the day and time needed. Take a look at the Rustic Roots Facebook page for updates to the space.
Birthday wishes go out to SherryT (yesterday), TomS on the 25th, MikeK-26th and KristenB-27th.
The sign-up sheet for the Soap Box race on Saturday September 6th is making the rounds. We need members to staff the crosswalks. It's a fun event and good exposure for our club.
Early birders included-AllenH, LoriP, DianeS and MarkSp.
RodneyD distributed what he called the paper version of Sominex. In reality, it was the analysis of our Global Grant application. See his email from Thursday outlining our progress toward raising the money to fund our dental project in Eswatini Africa.
"Volunteer" MarkSp was in the house sporting shorts, for the first time in his 50+ years as a club member. Old dog, new tricks? off to Greece!
We welcomed two guests from the Riverbend club, Jeannie and Matt.
The post-nooner list included GeorgeM, PaulH, CoryG and MikeK.
PattiA reported that our Color Run is "off and running", pun intended. We are actively looking for sponsors and runners. September 27th is the date. You can access the event flyer and sponsorship form via our Facebook page (or scan below). Patti hopes to have well over 100 runners for the event. Share the info on your social media.
The SRI (slide right in) crowd featured WendellR, CherylM, PaulH and GeorgeM.
DianeS had a shameless plug for the Party in the Park family event to be held in Roxana Park on September 11 from 4:30-7. It's all free, but you must RSVP to attend.
SAA RickH recruited GlennB to handle the lugmeister duties. A happy birthday serenade greeted CoryG and MikeK. We answered 3 out of the 4 trivia Q's correctly. Like the Weather on Thursday? Pay a $.
We had 21 members dining on beef 'n noodles, steamed baby carrots, sliced ham, salad and fudge.
BradP and Prez Mark couldn't find the joker. The $82 jackpot rolls. PaulH found the scratch-off.
Opening duties were covered by JeremyP, MarkSp, who scrambled the 4-Way and MarkA who offered prayer for our continued passion for service.
16 members forgot to take a look at the last issue of the Eastender News.
RUSTIC ROOTS, TELL ME MORE
PRE-MEETING CHATTER
READY, SET, SHARE, RECRUIT
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
Cricketers in England have cvome put swinging against balls they claim favor batsmen. What are the leather orbs nicknamed?
A-Cherries
B-Peaches
C-Plums
D-Pommies
(The answer is found near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Sponge Cake Day
Which river forms the border between much of Washington and Oregon?
Snake River
Colorado RIver
Columbia River
Yukon River
The 1,240-mile Columbia River flows south from British Columbia and winds through Washington before turning west (forming the boundary between Oregon and Washington) and flowing all the way to the Pacific. The river's final stretch encompasses the Columbia River Gorge — a deep canyon known for its scenic drive among waterfalls. The Columbia is North America’s largest river that flows into the Pacific Ocean.
ROTARY RACING IN E'VILLE
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Eastender News, Make-Up and Banner newsletters
August 2019
The EA club heard a presentation from MadCo School Superintendent Rob Werden. The WR club learned about the Gallatin Awards for sports from Bill Roseberry.
MikeK was seeking program ideas.
LoriP announced that week one of Baseball Mania produced two $10 winners. Our net to date was $1,485.
The possibility of a co-sponsored art auction/beer tasting event was being explored by JeanK.
MarkA was off to visit his Cali based daughter.
LindseyH was advocating for a donation to the CASA program.
The Soap Box Festival was slated for September 7th.
Happy Fines were paid by PatA and MikeK.
JoeS provided an update on the Eastgate Plaza development.
George M distributed invoices for the July-September period.
LoriP reminded everyone about the the PM social scheduled for August 30th.
MikeK, LoriP and AllenH each had an opportunity to claim the 50-50 jackpot.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
Larry A. Lunsford selected to be 2027-28 Rotary International president
(last week DG Bill announce that a Rotarian from our Rotary Zone had been selected as RI President for the 2027-28 Rotary year. )
Larry A. Lunsford, a member of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri, USA, is the selection of the nominating committee to become Rotary International’s president for 2027-28. He will officially become the president-nominee on 15 September if no other candidates challenge him.
Lunsford attended Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, on an academic scholarship, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. He first encountered Rotary when he received a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship to spend the 1981-82 academic year at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
A certified public accountant, Lunsford spent seven years working for Ernst & Young before joining a family-owned business, Bernstein-Rein Advertising, in 1990. He is currently executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Bernstein group of companies. He has held positions on the boards of the Kansas City Spirit Festival and the Variety Club as well as serving as director of a local bank and treasurer of the Epilepsy Foundation for the Heart of America. He has also served on Truman State University’s alumni and foundation boards and received the university’s Distinguished Service Award.
Lunsford joined the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza in 1991 and has since served as district governor (2001-02), RI director (2013-15), and trustee of The Rotary Foundation (2021-25, vice chair 2024-25). He has been a member of RI committees, including the Executive Committee (chair 2014-15), Membership Growth Committee (chair 2016-18), and Nominating Committee for President of RI (chair 2023-24). He also has served on The Rotary Foundation’s Executive Committee (chair 2023-24), Finance Committee (chair 2022-23 and 2024-25), and Participant Experience Committee (chair 2023-24).
Lunsford has been awarded The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award, The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, and the RI Service Above Self Award. He and his wife, Jill Lunsford, have two children and one grandchild. They are Major Donors, Bequest Society members, multiple Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation, and Sustaining Members.
AND I QUOTE
“When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn."-Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Away, you scullion, you rampallian, you fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe."-Falstaff in Henry IV (Shakespeare)
"Middle age is when you go to bed at night and think you’re going to feel better in the morning. Old age is when you go to bed at night and hope you wake up in the morning."-Groucho Marx
"The pessimist is one who reckons things couldn’t possibly get worse, and the optimist is the one who chirpily insists that of course they can."
SMILE
The reason that alien have never visited us is beacause our solar system has received terrible reviews. We only have one star.
The man who invented the Ferris Wheel never met the person who invented the merry-go-round. They traveld in different circles.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown had two sons. One was named Mind Your Own Business & the other was named Trouble. One day the two boys decided to play hide and seek. Trouble hid while Mind Your Own Business counted to one hundred. Mind Your Own Business began looking for his brother behind garbage cans and bushes. Then he started looking in and under cars until a police man approached him and asked, "What are you doing?" "Playing a game," the boy replied. "What is your name?" the officer questioned. "Mind Your Own Business." Furious the policeman inquired, "Are you looking for trouble?!" The boy replied, "Why, yes."
A teacher asked her students to use the word "beans" in a sentence. "My father grows beans," said one girl. "My mother cooks beans," said a boy. A third student spoke up, "We are all human beans."
THE NUMBERS
In a federal survey of students who were 13 as of 2023, 14% reported reading for fun almost every day, down from 27% in 2012 and 35% in 1984
As of 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics categorized more than 10% of the U.S. labor force as “contingent workers”—a category that includes contractors and on-call employees
Including work accounts, the average person needs around 255 different passwords-according to a 2024 NordPass study
More than a quarter of the ~205 million gamers in the US are 50 or older. Almost half of all baby boomers play some kind of video game every week (Candy Crush counts), as do 36% of people in their 80s-Entertainment Software Association
Every year, falls among older Americans result in about 3.6 million emergency room visits and 1.2 million hospital stays, at a cost of roughly $80 billion. Nationwide, 41,000 senior citizens die from falls annually-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
47% of people in the U.S. have listened to a podcast in the past month, including nearly 60% of people who are under 35, according to Edison Research
(Trivia answer-A)
OBJECT OF ROTARY
The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First:The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
Second: High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
Third: The application of the idea of service in each Rotarian's personal business, and community life.
Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
