President Mary called the meeting to order promptly at 10:00 a.m., more or less, followed by the pledge of Allegiance.
Gary Young provided another sterling invocation.
Fellowship with Bob F. There were two birthdays to announce, Mike Gordon and Paul Blanchard. Neither being present the club was denied an opportunity to regale them with a rousing version of Happy Birthday. No one seemed much diminished by this. An unsubstantiated rumor holds that a bootleg CD of our club’s favorite tunes will soon be available for purchase. The genesis of the rumor is unreliable and according to anonymous sources might be a thespian. For fellowship, Bob recounted the contentious history of the first Confederate monument erected at the Gettysburg battlefield site. Those wishing a more detailed analysis of this controversy can visit History News Network. https://historynewsnetwork.org.
President Mary reminded those affected that there is a board meeting on Wednesday, October 14. The landscape around the Peace Pole will be enhanced. Club members were invited to attend the Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour in New London. Volunteers offloaded boxes containing thousands of masks at Parade Plaza on Wednesday. This was the last stop in the tour, during which masks were distributed through Rotary clubs in all six New England states. Have a potential speaker? Contact Bob F. or Kevin!
Happy Dollars with Jen Granger! Jen was happy about purchasing a piece of property adjacent to their home and even happier that a tree fell on a cabin situated there before they owed it! She was also thankful for the assistance lent by social services during COVID-19 testing. Five hundred tests were conducted in 3 days. Erin Gizio thanked Bob Reed and Susy Hurlbut for their participation in the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Virtual Walk. Erin also noted that a close friend was so intrigued by the Goat Project that she bought two and named one for her late husband Jeff (Akers.) Following up on today’s Fellowship, Barry spoke of President Lincoln’s arrest of the Maryland legislature to keep them from voting to secede from the Union! Gary Young thanked UCFS for their service to the community and alluded to the salad dressing served with today’s meal! former president Mike Cooney made casual reference to finding a cord. Members exchanged alarmed glances following this news and speculated on its implications for humanity and the starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Barry enthralled those assembled with a lavish description of the ARC Classic Crunch Chocolate Chip cookies he offered as an auction item. The bidding was typically heated and decorum occasionally breached. After calls for civility were ignored president Mary emerged as the winner by default.
The lottery proved more sedate but none the less dramatic. Barry, Gary, and Nancy failed to select the winning card. The resulting cries of anguish and disappointment were reportedly heard aboard commercial fishing vessels in the North Sea.
President Mary wielded the gavel and adjourned the meeting.