Hooray! It’s May, and that means that there are many exciting things to look forward to, as this beautiful month unfolds! We had an excellent program today, and next week’s program sounds interesting too. This coming Saturday is the Great Grape Race, and the Chicken Barbecue, followed by the Watershed Clean-Up, which is the 15th. Seeing this `Rotary Moment at the meeting’s end. There were 24 members in attendance.
There were a handful of memos that Pres. Matt shared. This is National Teacher Appreciation Week, thus Matt thanked retired Teachers Marianna, John M, Laurie, Sharon, and Patrice for their service. He thanked retired college professors Frank and Andy, and active college professor Marty for their service. Many thanks to Carrie too, who is serving the students at Naples Elementary. Matt added a quote that linked dedicated teaching to the amount students learned, and it certainly made sense!
Jill gave us a Great Grape Race update. The Sign-Up Sheet looks good in terms of volunteer help. The “Grapes” will be launched in the creek behind Joseph’s between 1:00 and 1:10. The Race will end behind the Village Barn. If one hasn’t done so, he/she may mail his/her ticket stubs and payment to Jill and Marty, or they can be delivered in person. All are encouraged to attend this annual event, which has taken on a slightly different theme this year!
Liz gave an update on the Chicken Barbecue that will parallel the Great Grape Race. The helpers will meet between 10:00 and 10:30 on Saturday across from Joseph’s. Fortunately, a sufficient number of helpers became available during the meeting! One can plan on staying about 3 hours until the chickens are sold out. The cost of the Chicken Dinner is $12.00. The Grove Boys always do a splendid job, and we’re hoping for a sunny Saturday, and that these birds will go quickly!!
Many thanks to Bruce M., who will be doing posts and videos on Face Book, and with help from John F. and Tom, there will be a “Live Feed” to chronicle Saturday’s events!
Mark your calendars! Jack has noted that the Watershed Clean-Up will take place on Saturday, May 15th, from 9:00-11:00. The region covered will extend from Reservoir Creek down to an area behind Jack’s and Sharon’s residence. Another portion will include the area by the bridge at the Community Park, and it will continue upstream. Jack will be in touch with those who have volunteered to help, and he and Sharon have promised that refreshments will be served afterwards!
Rose talked to us about a “Blessing Box”. A Blessing Box is a small cupboard which contains food items and essentials that people from the community need and could use. The idea is to “take some and leave some”. There is one of these boxes located in South Bristol. Mary Makepeace has offered to have a Blessing Box be installed by her home. Hopefully, this will become a realization for the Naples Community!
Tom, our Awards Committee Chairman, had details to share about the Paul Harris Award. The ballots will be sent out to the Membership tomorrow, along with further information, the list of those who are eligible, for example. Our Club will donate $2000 to the Rotary International Foundation, honoring two recipients. After the E-mail is sent to us, we can E-mail our choices back to Tom.
Judy was “all about jeans” today, as she talked to us about her business, Finger Lakes Denim, or FLX Denim. Many of us donned our denim, as we sat back and enjoyed her interesting presentation. Having enjoyed sewing since she was a girl, Judy was inspired by an article that she read, entitled “Make Your Own Jeans”. She felt the prices of the store-bought jeans were high, and they didn’t always fit well. She informed us that denim purchased at the mall is processed to reduce “break-in time”. She decided that she would make her own! Her goal to acquire machines and make jeans has evolved into a productive business! Her shop includes ten sewing machines and one rivet press, which are all part of the process. Judy can make a pair of jeans in about six hours! She has two women who help her, and this involves making repairs as well.
The fabric she uses is American-made denim, and she has been getting her material from American manufacturers. She has made various accessories such as totes, vests, hats and especially masks this past year. Her shop is located on a hillside on Route 21, just before the fork in the road that divides into Routes 21 and 64. A step inside her “boutique” is sure to please any denim enthusiast, as there is a variety of lovely indigo items to choose from! Judy will produce a pair of authentic denim jeans that will fit perfectly, as they are “made to order”, and made to last! Having made about 200 pairs of jeans, it is easy to see why Judy loves what she does! FLX Denim, which is part of the Naples Studio Open Trail, offers “regional clothing”, and it certainly is worth a visit!
Three major reasons steered the Happy Bills this noon! We enjoyed Judy’s program about Finger Lakes Denim. We’re looking forward to the Great Grape Race this coming Saturday! Thank you Marty and Jill! The Chicken Barbecue will be a tasty treat! Thank you Liz, and thanks to the Grove Boys!
With a bit of time remaining, Matt sent out a prompt for any additional News Items. Susan said that Sir Reggie’s Puppy Training begins this Friday. Blanche said that Candy Chapman was the winner of the Barn Quilt made by Deb and Frank Lindbloom. Around $2400 was made by the Historical Society from this Raffle. Matt admitted that he became lost while hiking this past weekend at the top of Bristol Mountain, but it all ended well with tasty fare from Brew and Brats! Tom joked that John should pay a Fine for having forgotten the name of the musicians that played at B and B last Saturday night!
Since Jack was “on the road”, we couldn’t expect him to sing “Congratulations” to the May Folks, but warm wishes are being sent to the following members. Here are the May Birthdays: Cindy (4), Robin (9), Andrea (16), Penny (17), Shanna (27), and Sherry (29). Mike and Meg celebrate their Anniversary on May 21st.
Skip provided the Rotary Moment this noon. He reminisced about the Lucky Ducky Derby, which took place for many years, marking the end of an era. This year, the Great Grape Race will be the start of a new era. Many happy memories will continue to be made!
Hopefully, many of us will see each other this weekend at the Race and the BBQ, as we continue to work together and have fun, as Naples Rotarians know how to do! 😊
