Autumn sure put forth its glory this past weekend, with the abundance of sunshine, and the emergence of color here and there! Hope many of you have had a chance to embrace and enjoy these beautiful Fall days! At today’s Noon Meeting we enjoyed having a nice turnout of 25 members, along with 4 guests. Two of our members, Blanche and Brenda, were with us online, as were Judy and Mary Hawkins.
The meeting convened just after 12:00, as we joined Pres. Matt in saying The Pledge. Bruce M. gave the Invocation, as he asked The Lord to strengthen our leadership, and to guide us in our service to others. We welcomed guests, Micah Moore, Sharon Fredericks, Chris Buchar, and Jun Liu. Today’s program, entitled “The Victorian Garden at Maxfield Inn”, was brought to us by Naples Rotarian, Wayne Buchar, along with Jun Liu.
“The streak is alive!” announced Pres. Matt, as he admitted to being without his gavel again this week! He welcomed our guests, Micah, Sharon, Christine, and Jun. He highlighted a few general points from today’s Board Meeting. Bruce M. and John F. will monitor questions during FB Live Meetings. We are prompted to repeat our questions/concerns, and voice them louder at meetings, so all can hear (above the heater or AC). The (financial) gap is being closed for this year. We can sign up for a single or a double when making our reservations. We’ll still try to keep our number at around 25. We are looking into a Night Meeting, possibly next month, if we can convince a noon presenter to switch to evening.
Patrice gave a summary of today’s Board Meeting. Our financial gap is being closed due to donations from members. Liz and Shery have developed an Ad Hoc Fundraising Committee to help raise more monies. They will be meeting soon to discuss ideas.
We discussed how the In-Person Meetings are going. It appears that members are enjoying the live meetings, and the greeting/entry procedure, however, we still need to keep safe practices going. Adding another microphone was suggested, as a means of being better able to hear the proceedings. Shanna will be happy to continue measuring distances between tables, as we continue with safe distancing protocol.
We want to reach out to those members who have not been to the meetings in quite some time. Matt will send out a listing, and we can choose to contact one or two members whom we’ve not seen in a while. We can take it upon ourselves to invite them to a meeting, and “bring them up to date” on what’s happening in the club. As mentioned earlier, if one feels comfortable being at a table with another member, (whom they are not necessarily related to), he/she may sign up for a double when making a reservation to attend the meeting.
We talked about resuming Night Meetings, in the hopes of bringing back some members who have not attended the Noon Meetings. We are looking at a possible Night Meeting in October, if we can have a “noon presenter” switch to an evening instead. In order to keep members well-informed, there will be more information added to the Club Runner. October 24th is World Polio Day, which happens to fall on a Saturday this year. This could serve as another meeting. However, if this were to happen at Brew and Brats, a different date must be chosen, since this is on a Saturday. This year’s event is pre-recorded, and it may be “played back” at any time.
Here are a few reminders: Skip said that there are a few tickets out, and he has urged us to please return them. The Lucky Ducky Derby is slated for Saturday, October 10th. Regarding the Rotary Calendar, Sherry said that most ads are in, at this point. If there is anything more to be added, this Friday, September 25th is the deadline! There were greetings from both Blanche and Brenda via FB Live.
There is a little bit of “Paradise” in the midst of our little bucolic beauty of a town, and that would be at the Maxfield Inn, where one would find the Victorian Garden! Today, much to our delight, our own Wayne Buchar, owner of the Maxfield Inn along with Jun Liu, gave a wonderful presentation about the evolvement of the Victorian Garden, which has happened in a little over a year’s time.
Wayne introduced Jun, who has a PHD in Minerology, and who has worked at Eastman House Gardens and Sonnenberg Gardens, which has provided her with rich experience in horticulture. Wayne showed us a “before” and “after” picture of the Maxfield Inn grounds, and we couldn’t believe the transformation that has taken place within a year and a half! A historic garden branch was started by the Naples Historical Society, and led by Jun Liu, who lent her gardening expertise to this endeavor. Their goal was to make the Maxfield Inn “a viable business in Naples,” as Wayne noted.
What is a “Victorian Garden?” Simply stated, it’s a very formal structured area, that, of course, incorporates many variegated plants and flowers. Their goal was to design a garden that coincides with the Maxfield Building itself. Jun studied what the garden would look like from every angle/window. There is a heart-shaped area that will serve as a “Wedding Venue" as well! Wayne studied the area carefully, deciding which trees should be removed, so that the hedges could receive more sunlight. The 700-800 plants that were placed, required careful fertilization, and during this “first phase”, they have resulted in a myriad of color, all around the grounds! Roses are “exploding” along the wall, and this cascade of color can be enjoyed by anyone who would be willing to give Wayne a call, - to set up a time. Wayne talked about some of the plans that have been put in place for the “next phase,” and that includes installation of arbors near the round area, the introduction of more formal garden spots, adding a fountain, Victorian Gazebo, Bridal Walkway, and a Pergola! The Carriage House is being restored, and the Maxfield Inn is being sought out as a wedding venue! Wayne and Jun, thank you so much for such a beautiful presentation! We can see that you are so passionate about this project, and your love for the beatification of this area is certainly inspiring!
Many Happy Bills were donated today in appreciation of the program, and all the work that is being done by Wayne and his crew to add luster to our land! Bo had another hole-in-one! (Yikes! Now he has me beat!) Jack appreciated Caleb’s program last week, Wayne’s program today, and next week’s program which will be given by Josh Domonick. Wayne has missed some meetings, but we can see that he has been very busy! John F. paid for Sherry’s phone having rung during the meeting. Jack kicked in a few more bucks for the Ryder Cup this past weekend, and John F. did the same in praise of Bruce, who has monitored Facebook Live.
Alex had a “doggone” good Rotary Moment for us today! Evidently, her brother’s dog has made friends with Tom’s pup, Milo!
It has been wonderful meeting with each other in person these last few weeks! Hopefully, we can get some truly- missed members “on board” again, if we can take it upon ourselves to get in touch with some of these folks, and bring them up to date, preferably via a phone call! Let’s make it our mission to bring these great folks back into our midst! After all, we are a very unique and special club that cherishes each and every member! Have a great week, everyone! See you at noon on the 28th.
