Our Inbound Exchange Student from France, Alexandre (Alex) Rialet-Micoulau, made it to Humboldt County in the wee hours last Wednesday/Thursday. He recovered from any jet lag, at least to the point that he was able to attend our Friday meeting. President Jessica presented Alex with a present from the Club - a gift certificate to the Arcata High School Student Store.
President Jessica then discussed on the Board of Directors meetings that took place last week. It was reported at the Club's board meeting that our July attendance was 64.97%, and that two committees are developing a formal policy regarding leaves of absence.
The Foundation Board discussed a new "SWOT" Team project (SWOT = Serving With Our Talents). The target nonprofit for this makeover is the Boys & Girls Club in Eureka. Barbara Browning is coordinating with two Rotary Clubs in Eureka, and we will be looking for commitments from various RCAS committees and individual Sunrisers to make this happen. The Board also talked about the "Every 15 Minutes" program scheduled for this spring. The meetings have begun, and we are looking for a Sunriser to serve as our liaison to the planning committee. Finally, the group noted that our District has strict guidelines for Rotarians who work with minors - through Interact, Youth Exchange, and other Club/Foundation activities that bring us in direct contact with young people. For example, if you plan to invite our Youth Exchange Student Alex along on your family's weekend adventure (and you should), you'll need to go through a clearance process with the Youth Exchange Committee.
Committee reports for both the Club and the Foundation can be found in the agendas for each Board. If you didn't pick up a copy at Friday's meeting, keep a close watch on the sidebar to the right of the Spirit - I'll be posting links to these documents soon.
The Youth Exchange Committee is looking for host families for the 2014-2015 Rotary Year. We need at least one more family to commit by September to ensure our ongoing participation in the program. If you are interested, please contact one of the members of the committee.
Romi Hitchcock Tinseth reminded us that on Saturday, August 24th, Humboldt State University will hold its 100th Birthday Party on the Arcata Plaza. She said that there are other reasons to celebrate HSU - this year, we will see both the largest group of incoming freshmen and the largest group to transfer from other institutions.
President Jessica reminded us that the theme for this Rotary Year is "Engage Rotary, Change Lives", and she said that one of the most important ways to be engaged in Rotary is to attend meetings. Twenty-six members had 100% attendance for July, and Jessica randomly rewarded four of those with a very large homemade cookie. The winners were Craig Reed, Kyle Visser, Janice Newman, and Barbara Browning. Remember, if you can't make a meeting, do not despair - do a make-up!
Recognitions
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| Craig Reed's Lucky (?) Jersey |
The photo at right shows a quilt that Terri Clark is working on. It's hanging in her sewing room, so (for now at least) her cats Westminster and Waterloo can't lay down on it. Westminster is almost a year old; Terri adopted him at the end of March, and she describes Waterloo as "the funniest cat I've ever had".Ceva Courtemanche said that she and her husband Doug have two anniversaries - one for when they were married and the other for the courthouse version. One of those two took place on August 11th. She said that they didn't do much for their actual 6th anniversary, because they had just returned from a trip to Tennessee.
Praj White thanked his son Logan (our soon-to-be-Outbound Exchange Student) for reminding him of his recent 19th anniversary. Praj rounded up his wife Alisa for a last minute trip to Lake Tahoe. While there, they took a 14-mile ride along the flume trail, which gave them some beautiful views of the lake. It was "absolutely gorgeous".
On August 4th, Terri Clark celebrated a "significant birthday" - the number ended with a zero. Her sister came up from San Diego for a visit, and they discovered that Terri may have an allergy to tequila! She said it was a great day - and "I remember most of it"!
Tomas Chavez's birthday was exactly one week later. He said that he and about 12 of his closest friends celebrated at a cabin, where they endured thunderstorms and a loss of power. It was all worth it when the storm passed, though - the air was clear and fresh, and they had a great time.
About The Creamery District and the Creamery Festival
Jackie Dandeneau and David Ferney of the Arcata Playhouse had three things to tell us last Friday. First, they wanted to review the aftermath of our SWOT Extreme Makeover in 2011. Second, they wanted to discuss the creation of the Creamery Arts District in their neighborhood. Finally, they wanted to talk about the Creamery Festival, which will take place this weekend (August 23rd through the 25th).
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| David & Jackie with Lanterns |
The neighborhood upgrades have led to the development of the "Creamery District". The Playhouse has been looking at ways to connect local businesses with the arts, and develop a unique identity for the neighborhood. One goal is to establish the district as a tourist destination. To that end, the group commissioned five artists to create works for the area. In addition, they are working on a bike trail and doing lots of planting - "more green". Holly Yashi recently purchased the old Recycling Center property, and hopes to integrate that into the Creamery District vision.
This weekend, the district has scheduled the first Creamery Festival, which it is billing as "A Neighborhood Celebration of the Arts". The event will kick off Friday with Elemental, an "outdoor pageant with a community lantern procession", which will be followed by a showing of the Buster Keaton silent movie "The General", projected onto the side of the Creamery Building. Dancing to the salsa band Ponche will complete the evening. The next two days will include music, arts, comedy performances, and other artistic endeavors. The event promises arts and crafts booths, food, and lots of fun for all. David said that the festival will complement the celebration of HSU's centennial (see Announcements above).
