THE KASPER REPORT
Last Friday, Craig Newman provided a report on our Exchange Student Kasper Troelsen. On Kasper's behalf, he thanked everyone who made it to the Beach Party/Welcome Barbecue at Moonstone Beach. Kasper also recently caught up with a friend who recently returned from an Exchange year.
SPECIAL DAZE
Karen Burgesser and her husband recently celebrated their anniversary. The festivities included a trip to the beach.
Amy and Steve Bohner "ran off to Vegas" four years ago to get married. For their anniversary, they view photos from the event on their flat-screen TV.
Kathy and Bill Fraser celebrated their anniversary recently, and Kathy asked, "Who can guess where we went?" We knew it had to be her favorite celebration spot - Benbow. Bill got her an iPhone for the event - she has it working to the point that she can receive e-mail, but not send.
THE RETURN OF THE WHOO-HOO!
Finemaster Jessica McKnight has returned from her Rotary Trip to Southeast Asia, and she shared a few observations. She noted that on one side trip, her surroundings had been "like the Disneyland Jungle Cruise ... only real!" The group was at a location with a huge waterfall, and they were offered elephant rides. But this was not a few laps around a corral - they rode through the waterfall.
Jessica also said that the dedication ceremony for the Vangtang Village School was quite impressive. The villagers even killed a buffalo for the celebration feast. Jessica had several strings tied around each wrist, and she told us that each of the people at the ceremony said a prayer as they tied a string on the travelers' wrists.
"I recommend traveling with Howard [Stauffer]," Jessica said. "He will get you into the middle of nowhere."
Jessica then went into Finemaster Mode, asking Charlie Jordan to stand. Charlie is in the midst of a career change. She is leaving her position as General Manager of Los Bagels, and moving to Tomás Jewelers in an executive role.
Mark Bruce has been traveling a bit. He and his son recently went to Southern California. Mark does a radio show on KPFK Radio in Los Angeles, and he was down recording several shows. The show is the Poets Cafe, and it airs on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, at noon. For more information, check out the Poets Cafe description and the KPFK website.
Bryan Reeser didn't believe the contractor when he said the more remodel would take five months. But it will. Part of the reason is that "we're adding something to every room in the house".
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Scott Heller reminded us of the upcoming Adopt-A-Highway Samoa Boulevard Cleanup scheduled for next Sunday (September 21). The sign-up list is a little light at the moment, and the outing may be postponed. Let Scott know if you'd like to help as soon as possible.
President Mark read a thank you note from the seventh and eighth grade students from Orick School who journeyed to Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Our club made a donation to help them on their way.
Mark also reminded us that we will not have our regular morning meeting this Friday - the evening fellowship event at Dogwood Estates in Willow Creek will take its place. We will return to the Days Inn for a Foundation Final Friday meeting on the 26th.
BRENDA BISHOP ON ARCATA'S 150th BIRTHDAY
Sunriser and Arcata Chamber of Commerce President Julie Vaissade-Elcock introduced us to the Chamber's new Executive Director, Brenda Bishop. Brenda earned her degree in journalism, and she worked for the Times-Standard and for St. Joseph Hospital. She was hired by the Chamber this summer.
Brenda said that the Chamber operates the California Welcome Center on Heindon Road. It is one of only 13 such centers in the state. In August alone, 1,500 people visited the Center. She also said that Redwoods National Park was recently ranked as the fourth best vacation destination in the West, trailing only Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon.
Brenda's main topic was the celebration of Arcata's sesquicentennial. The festivities took place last Saturday, and included a "walk-through history" of Arcata, with several thematic displays on the Plaza. The Humboldt Historical Society, Humboldt State University, Clarke Historical Museum, and Blue Ox Millworks were among the organizations that contributed information and displays. There was also a dance that evening that featured live music, a silent auction, and a birthday cake for the city.
