“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!” These words from a well-known song by John Denver seem to have summed up the feeling that was with us this evening. A beautiful weekend and a picture-perfect day have given us all a little lift from the “Winter Doldrums.” Bruce provided us with an image of The Flag and we joined Pres. Matt in reciting The Pledge. Susan gave The Blessing. “Let us pray,” said Susan. She went on to thank The Lord for the beautiful afternoon, and she reminded us to keep Karen and her family in our thoughts and prayers.
In addition to the 24 members in attendance, we welcomed Sharon, one of our “regulars,” Sue Dickinson, whom we would induct as a New Member this evening, and Dan and Margo Ulmer. Dan was the Program Presenter tonight. Another regular was Graycen, Micah’s son.
“Good Evening everyone!” exclaimed Matt, who informed us that he had sneaked home for a quick run before tonight’s meeting. He promptly thanked Bruce, who is responsible for the technical part of our weekly Zoom Meetings. He echoed Susan’s sentiments in asking for healing for Karen and her family. “We’re here for you!” said Pres. Matt reassuringly.
Tom gave us an update from the Awards Committee. (Evidently, John had turned Tom’s notes into paper airplanes, but Tom did very well extemporaneously!!) He thanked the Committee for getting things ready. The process has been pulled together for the selection of the Robert Allen Award Recipient, and the Paul Harris Fellow. He explained the requirements for the Robert Allen Award. One can nominate up to three persons for this distinction. All members with at least three years under their membership belts are eligible for the award. A contribution of $1000 will be made to Rotary International from the Club for each of the two Paul Harris Awards. The membership offers suggestions, and the previous Paul Harris Fellow Recipients narrow that down to two individuals. Tom reminded us to check our E-mails for further updates and detailed instructions. Thanks to Tom and the Committee for all your efforts in planning these awards!
Next on tonight’s agenda was the Induction of our newest member, Sue Dickinson. Sue, who was sponsored by Jodi, has attended some of our meetings recently. After Matt’s opening remarks, eight members, (Pat, Skip, Karen, Matt, Nancy, Jack, Bo, and Judy), each read a portion of the Induction Ceremony to welcome Sue. Jodi gave a brief background on Susan, telling us that she had first met Sue through yoga. They have gotten to know each other over the years. Sue said that in addition to Jodi, she had come to know Jack and Sharon through her son, Josh. She is semi-retired from the Nursing Profession, and she wants to do things for the Naples Community. She feels that being a part of Rotary would help to fulfill this desire to serve others. “We are honored!” said Matt, “and we are thrilled to have you with us, making a difference!” We extend Susan a warm welcome!
Micah and Sherry reported on the progress of the Trout Derby, and Matt noted that it was a “nice bridge to the program.” Lots of donations are coming in. The Raffle at Caruso’s Café is ongoing, and the first winner was Bill Trude! Forty-nine people have signed up so far! Today happened to be Micah’s little boy, Graycen’s 2nd Birthday. Graycen was attending and was having his customary supper. Our songster, Jack sang a hearty rendition of Happy Birthday to him, per Micah’s request!
This evening, we were treated to a very interesting program called “The History of the Rainbow Trout,” given by Dan Ulmer. It couldn’t have been a more timely program with Naples Trout Derby just around the corner! The first Trout Derby took place back in 1961, and Margo shared that her sister Andrea won the Ladies’ Division that year! Seth Green, who grew up in the Rochester Area, had always been interested in fishing, and he learned hunting and fishing techniques from the Seneca Indians. Dan told us that our trout came from “steelhead” out west, and were shipped to New York State by rail in the 19th century.
Dan found it fascinating to climb a tree, from where he could watch the salmon spawn. It triggered his “fish culture,” and with interest sparked, he began “stalking” trout. Dan said that every country has rainbow trout, except the Continent of Antarctica. When the temperature is just right, they swim toward the mouth of a river. He explained how the fish mate and produce. Their spawning period is between December and May. It takes about 120 days for the egg to grow into a fish! They spend about two years in the creek.
Dan explained how he fishes for the rainbow trout, and then he releases them. When asked by Matt what he typically uses for bait, Dan said that he used to use salmon eggs, but trout egg sacs work well too. He would go into Eelpot, and he would find a small area where, preferably, he couldn’t see the fish. That way, he knew they couldn’t see him either! Nightcrawlers work well as bait too! But Dan personally prefers flyfishing, however. Jack added that there was a question on Jeopardy, recently, about Seth Green, and the Fish Hatchery in Caledonia! Nancy noted how she used to tie “millions” of egg sacs, and she included the fact that Bob ran the Trout Derby one year! Skip asked about the “Seth Green Rig,” and as a matter of fact, Sutton’s Spoons were used! Thank you so much Dan (and Margo too), for a great “Fish Story!”
Lots of Happy Bills were offered tonight, as so many of us enjoyed Dan’s Program, and it was great to see Margo, as well! We are delighted to have Sue join Rotary! We’re sure that she’ll be a great addition to our ever-growing group! Jack and Graycen each have a birthday this week! Brenda and Robin had missed some meetings. Jack was pleased that Dan had mentioned his place by Naples Creek. John was sorry he had “folded” Tom’s notes! Matt appreciated the abundance of sunshine that we’ve had over these last few days!
Cindy, one of our newest members, was asked to give the Rotary Moment this evening. She chose the perfect topic “Service to Others” as her theme, and in so doing, she did a bit of research. She left us with some worthwhile quotes from famous persons to ponder. Here were a few that Cindy shared. “What are you doing for others?” Martin Luther King. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help” by Ronald Reagan. “Give your hands to serve and your heart to love” by Mother Teresa.
The evening ended with a heartfelt message from Our Karen. She thanked everyone for the cards, food, phone calls, visits and kind gestures given her during this time of need. Let us continue to lift Karen and her family in prayer, and to reassure her that we’re here for her.
Here’s hoping that everyone will have a great week, and that you are enjoying this unusually warm weather! We’ll gather next week, for our Noon Zoom Meeting. We’ll hear from Angela MacAllister, and she’ll be talking about the Canandaigua Lake Wine Tour.
