Our meeting this Friday will be graced with the sounds of fiddlers! Our own Amy Chipman (photo) is a member of The Fiddle Ensemble, and along with 10-12 other members will be on hand to entertain us. Our meeting starts upstairs in our regular Abromson Center spot for lunch and then we'll head downstairs to Hannaford Hall on the first floor for the music. It's going to be a hoot!
The Fiddle Ensemble is a community orchestra (501c3) comprised of more than 170 musicians of all ages and abilities, playing a wide range of acoustic instruments including fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, harp, and accordion. Each year, we arrange tunes and songs across genres such as Celtic, swing, bluegrass, folk, blues, country, and Cajun music.
Originally rooted in NH, the Ensemble now has a strong presence in Maine, partnering with the City of Westbrook for rehearsals at the Community Center and performances at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center. TFE support nonprofits through benefit concerts, offer youth programs like the Acoustic Roots Orchestra, and build lasting connections across generations through music.
Each spring, all Ensemble groups come together for a concert season that is more than just music. Kids tell jokes and hula-hoop while playing, a 75-year-old woman rips a bluegrass solo, a 50-year-old teetotaler belts an Irish drinking song, and teenage girls sing folk tunes. One of their shows is scheduled for June 7 at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 2pm. Click Here For Ticketsfor the June 7th show.It's great fun for all ages!
BITS AND PIECES | By Tom Talbott
TRASH TALK: A baker's dozen Portland Rotarians met at the Riverton Trolley Park in Portland to give the area a good spring cleanup, netting a trailer load of....fugly stuff. The team fanned out on the trails, open areas and traversed the hillsides. Thanks to Peter Goffin's magic long stem tweezers we handled what ever it was that needed to be picked up and secured in the trash bag. Back in the turn of the century the park was a site of community events and musical entertainment with a unique outdoor amphitheater. You could visualize what it must have been like with some imagination. As we went about our work, park visitors out for an afternoon walk would stop and thank us. It was very appreciated, and we advised them that we are Rotarians, not wards of the State on a court-ordered assignment. We packed up and headed over to Definitive Brewing for some pizza and a few cold drinks. Combining community and fellowship, always a good time!
MORE ELBOW GREASE NEEDED!
Two more chances to flex our Rotary team muscles.
SALVATION ARMY CAMP SEBAGO - Saturday May 9th, 9am. Our annual opportunity to help the SA clean up what winter leaves behind, and get everything looking great for the incoming summer campers. We start at 9am and you can help as long as you want. If you stick around, a lunch will be served. You are advised to bring extra tools - shears, rakes, clippers, even a tarp to throw brush and debris on to haul away. Jim and Barbara Willey are leading the charge, so if you can join,email them at by clicking here. It will help with the head count for lunch. Bring the family - all are welcome to help - the more hands the better! Address: 360 Baker Road, Standish.
Next up.. DISTRICT WIDE
Rotary EPIC DAY OF SERVICE
Saturday, May 16th, every Rotary Club in the District will have a local community project. Our club is partnering with the Portland Recovery Community Center for a massive sweep to clean up the streets and parks of Portland. Details on exactly where we will work are forthcoming. For now plan on 9am at the Salvation Army parking lot, 88 Preble Street, Portland. Coffee, donuts, pizza will be served.
What is a Donor Advised Fund(DAF)? A charitable savings account that gives you or your successor the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to TRF and other qualified charities. An initial investment of $10,000 or greater is required to create a family legacy of giving.
Speaker Schedule
May 1 - Amber Caron, Wreaths Across America
May 8 - TBD
May 14 - Club Social
May 15- No Meeting
May 16 - EPIC Day of Service (Saturday)
May 22 - No Meeting (Memorial Day)
May 29 - Bill Merchant, Revolution Fitness
June 5 - TBD
June 12 - Randall Liberty, Maine Commissioner of Corrections
Club Executives
Co-Presidents Bowen Depke, Laura Young President Elect Justin Lamontagne Vice President Jake Bourdeau Treasurer Dick Hall Secretary Niki Merrill Board of Directors Dick Hall, Patty Byers,
Art Howe, Niki Merrill, Bill Milliken,
Bruce Moore
Sergeant-At-Arms Zach Newell
The Windjammer
is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
SALVATION ARMY CAMP SEBAGO - Saturday May 9th, 9am. Our annual opportunity to help the SA clean up what winter leaves behind, and get everything looking great for the incoming summer campers. We start at 9am and you can help as long as you want. If you stick around, a lunch will be served. You are advised to bring extra tools - shears, rakes, clippers, even a tarp to throw brush and debris on to haul away. Jim and Barbara Willey are leading the charge, so if you can join,
What is a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? A charitable savings account that gives you or your successor the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to TRF and other qualified charities. An initial investment of $10,000 or greater is required to create a family legacy of giving.