With President Stacie Cook away, President Elect John Mayfield rang the bell and started the meeting. David Hartman led the invocation with a heartfelt prayer. After The Pledge of Allegiance, David Spencer led the club in A Bicycle Built for Two. After singing we greeted each other with warmth and enthusiasm.
There were no guests or visitors today.
We had no birthdays to celebrate this week.
Reported for our Sunshine Report, Andy Kocher’s mother-in-law is recovering from open-heart surgery at Encompass and David Gately is at Encompass to build his strength. Please keep them in your prayers.
Benay Ayers was recognized by the chair and presented a Paul Harris pin with 2 Sapphires to Barbara Lyne and a Paul Harris pin with 3 Rubys to Rod Tieken. Congratulations to Barbara and Rod.
For our brag bucket we continue to celebrate. Dave Hartman bragged on Josh Phillips continuing to knock it out of the park as program chairman. Carla Dowlen’s nephew continues his baseball season with another great game.
Josh Phillips introduced one of our own, Chip Filer, to present a program on Hotter ’N Hell Hundred. This year will be the 42nd event that has come to define our city in more ways than we can count. It started out as a way to celebrate our WF centennial in 1982. Luckily a proposal from a New York firm to have a Rocking Chair Marathon wasn’t chosen. Also, the name of the event was put in stone by an offhand remark by Mark Davis when he said that in late August, it will be hotter than hell. This event gives Wichita Falls four days to put its best foot forward.
There is the HHH Bicycle Endurance Ride, USA Cycling Bicycle Criterium Races, Off Road Mountain Bike Race, Off Road Trail Run 10k and Half Marathon and Gravel Grinding Ride. We can expect about 10,000 participants and they will impact our local economy to the tune of up to $8 million dollars.
The number one thing that is remembered by visitors and participants are the rest stops. Twenty rest stops are manned by groups that are very serious about ensuring that the event goes well.
Money raised by Hotter’N Hell is donated back into Wichita Falls and the organizations that help put on a great reminder for everyone of the great times that can happen in Wichita Falls.
As Chip said, people make it happen.
The speaker’s gift will be a book donated to the library at City View High School.
There was no Rotary Minute.
After the Rotary 4 Way Test, President Elect John Mayfield adjourned the meeting.
It is better to fail
in originality
than to succeed
in imitation.
Herman Melville