Winter peeped its beautiful head through the dry leaves this morning, as we awakened to a light blanket of snow, and it reminded us that Autumn days are dwindling. Though the warm sunny days are behind us, we can be assured that happy Winter times lay ahead!

"Good Evening, Naples Rotarians and Guests!" chimed President John, as he welcomed us to the first Evening Gathering of November. After John led us in The Pledge to Our Flag, Rose gave the Invocation. She asked The Lord to guide us in heart, and mind, and to provide us with the will to do good wherever we go, and with whomever we are. Pres. John stepped in for Jack, who was on Zoom tonight, and he also led us in song. Bo warmly greeted everyone as they came, and we were delighted to have such a great turnout of Members join together. There were 28 of us, with Blanche, Jack, and Kevin checking in with us via Zoom. Cindy introduced Trish Lambiase of the Naples Historical Society. Karen introduced Mayor Brian Schenk. Lisa and Mitch were introduced by Tom, and Bill and Carrie followed with the introduction of Raul. Tonight's Program was given by Tom, President of the 2022 Naples Grape Fest. He gave a complete and detailed Summary of how this year's Grape Fest fared. Patrice would do the Rotary Moment at Meeting's end.

Pres. John shared a "Rotary 101" Tidbit with us. He recently met a friend, named Bernie, from the Syracuse Area Rotary. Bernie, who is in his 90's, happened to be wearing his Rotary Pin, which John spotted. "Bernie is a champion recruiter for Rotary!" exclaimed John. "It's important to wear your Rotary Pin!"

A sweet picture of Holly, and brand-new Granddaughter appeared on the screen, for which we all clapped! Welcome Amelia Hope, who was born on Veteran's Day, November 11th! Warmest congratulations to the New Grandparents, Holly and Tony!!

Operation Santa is back! John read a letter from Elementary School Nurse, Kelly VandeSande, describing the traditions of OS, including donation options. Stay tuned for further details!

"Tis the season!" Skip passed out Flyers describing the Naples Rotary Christmas Dinner, which will be December 5th at Engine 14 Brewery! The meal sounds sumptuous! The Naples High School Jazz Band will entertain us, and there is an optional Gift Exchange. As has been customary, donations for the Open Cupboard are welcome. Thanks, Skip! A memo like this puts us right in Spirit of the Season!

Carrie passed around charming Thank You Letters from the Third Graders, who were quite pleased with their new dictionaries! It's always a delight to read their letters, and to see what great writers these youngsters are becoming!

John talked about a Fundraiser that is being conducted to help Raul with some of the expenses incurred in the Senior Trip. One can order lovely Christmas plants and wreaths for the Holidays at very reasonable prices! Carrie had an Order Form, which she passed around, for those of us who wished to place an order.

Another photo that appeared on the big screen included PDG Janet with the message that it is possible to order and acquire Rotary License Plates!

Pres. John continued with his announcements in letting us know about important upcoming dates for the calendar. Upcoming events on our Naples NY Rotary Calendar can be found on Club Runner. There will be a Board Meeting on Nov. 21st from 10:30-11:30. (Anyone who is interested in being on the Naples Board of Directors should express his/her interest to VP Liz.) Following that Meeting, there will be a Rotary Foundation Meeting from 12:00-1:00. Kristin Hanggi will talk about Hanggi's Tree farm on Nov. 28th. That carries us through the month of November!  

"Good Evening, Everyone!" said Tom as he strode to the podium. "It's great to see a full crowd!" Tonight was the "Wrap-Up Meeting" and Tom proceeded to give us a very detailed, sequential account of what has been deemed, "The Best Grape Fest Yet"! Tom began by giving a brief synopsis of previous Grape Fests, noting how things were in the past. What was perceived as a "Negative Environment" had been turned around this year because of the determination, creativity, and vision of Tom and his crew of workers in the LLC. Tom shared the Mission Statement with us, focusing on transparency, accountability, celebrating the community, funding and protection. He introduced Lisa, JoAnne, and Mitch, each of whom was very instrumental in bringing about the success of GF 2022. With that, he displayed the Layout of the Executive and Operational Teams, with his being the LLC President.

The many fun and festive events that encircled the Historic Naples Grape Fest provided a variety of opportunities for community involvement for all ages! The Pie Graph which Tom displayed was indicative of the positive feedback that stemmed from the Naples Community regarding the many enjoyable events. In terms of feedback from the community regarding the events, the "Pros" seemed to overshadow the "Cons". Generally speaking, people seemed to enjoy the innovative and fun-filled activities. Thanks to the efforts of many, the Community Events broke even.

The second Opportunity of Engagement was the Gala Dinner, which proved to be a "hit" among many! Not only was it a novel idea, but it brought many of us together for an evening of festivity and fellowship! Once again, regarding the Gala Dinner, the "Pros" seemed to outweigh the "Cons" in terms of feedback.

Financial results were shared from the Community Events and the Gala Dinner.

Finally, the Third Opportunity was the Grape Fest itself! So many wonderful aspects were combined into this two-day event, that in retrospect, it prompted Tom to say that people love our village! Once again, a Pie Graph Analysis revealed that the GF in general was well-received this year!

The GF Merchandize Sales proved to be profitable, and the Breakdown of the GF Financial Results reflected a great return! Tom said that JoAnne brought wonderful results, and that there was an increase financially in many areas! The "icing on the cake" was when a check for $19,082 was presented to John French (Naples NY Rotary), and a check for $19,082 was presented to Trish Lambiase (Naples Historical Society). 

JoAnne thanked everyone and noted that kindness, trust, and gratitude are key elements! "It's been an incredible ride!" added JoAnne. "She is signed up for next year!" noted Tom. He thanked everyone for making this the best Grape Festival ever! With that, we gave Tom a standing ovation! Jodi stood to convey her thanks to Tom and Brian. "People are impressed with how we support each other!" Jodi concluded. Indeed, we do, and that what makes Naples so special!

The Ace of Hearts had climbed to a rollicking $38.00 tonight. Ticket #3838 was drawn, and you can imagine my surprise when I realized it was mine! By gum, didn't I retrieve the Ace of Hearts from Jo's hand! (Happy Camper, here!)

The Happy Bills were flowing tonight, as we had many reasons to celebrate. We are grateful for Tom, and JoAnne. We're looking forward to our Christmas Party at Engine 14. Holly and Tony have a new little granddaughter. Liz and Clyde have a new Black Lab puppy named "Teeterhop". Our Naples Cross-Country Runners, Drew Reigelsperger and Jude Rischpater, did so well at the State Championships over the weekend! Charlie Grove got a 13-point buck! (Mom and Dad are proud!) We're glad that Raul is doing better too! Laurie is grateful that justice for Justin has been achieved!

The Rotary Moment, given by Patrice this evening, was about Interact. November marks the 60th Anniversary of Interact! A bit of research into its past showed that the first Interact Club was begun in 1962 in Melbourne, Florida. Interact, which is a combination of "International" and "Action", provides a pathway for teens to develop leadership skills as well as in affording them the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their community. Beloved Rotarian, Joyce Doran, had hoped for Naples NY rotary to have an Interact Club, and due to the efforts of many, especially Marty and Jill, (who are the liaisons between Rotary and the School), this dream has come to fruition! NCS Foreign Language Teacher, Annalisa Chapman is the Moderator, and Charlie Grove is the President of this newly formed club. Already, the Naples Interact Club has been making a difference!

In "Wrapping Up", Pres. John explained the origin of the "Happy Bills", as it connects to Bill Vierhile, longtime Naples Rotarian, who had 63 years of Perfect Attendance! John recalled when the 2 Bills, (Bill V. and Bill C.) were teaching each other how to use their Smartphones!

John concluded the Gathering by having us review and recite the Four-Way Test. His parting words tonight were "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen!" by Ralph Waldo Emerson