Our weekly hybrid meetings have gotten better, and some early difficulties have been ironed out.  The meetings are more like our pre-COVID meetings, starting with the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation, followed by about 20 minutes for Shrine Club attendees to eat their lunch while Zoom attendees have a chance to socialize in small breakout rooms.  The guest speaker then gives their presentation, followed by announcements and Sergeant-at-Arms.  Some audio problems at the Shrine Club have been solved; thank you John Golden.  There's still plenty of room at the Shrine Club if anyone wants to attend there; proper precautions are being observed (masks, social distancing) and catered lunch is available by reservation.  And please remember to send any happy dollars, sad dollars, announcement dollars, and fines that you owe to Jill. 

 

With Daylight Savings time ending on November 1, this would ordinarily be the time for our Fall Pancake Breakfast.  Because of the COVID situation, we will not be doing it this year.  Normally each member buys $40 worth of tickets and gives out most or all of them out to friends and colleagues.  In that sense it is essentially a $40 contribution, since very few of us actually eat 10 pancake breakfasts.  So I would like to suggest that everyone donate $40 in lieu of the usual pancake breakfast event.  This money goes to supporting local food pantries and is particularly needed right now.  If you can donate, please send your check to Jill at 116 Union Street, Belfast 04915

 

We had looked into having a Lobster Roll Drive Thru event in October.  Unfortunately there weren't enough pre-orders to support it and it would have been a rush to properly put it together in time.  We might still consider something like this next Spring.  There was a lot of discussion about what constitutes a proper Maine lobster roll (everyone seems to have an opinion) and whether we should have hot dogs for the children (which would complicate preparation).  Since we have several months to think about how to do this, please spend your winter days locked in your house with nothing else to do thinking about such a fundraising event.  Depending on the state of the economy, we may also have our usual Spring Fundraising/Golf Tournament in May.  And if conditions improve, we may be able to do a Spring Pancake Breakfast.  Also, Marjorie is working on a greatly modified version of the 100 Fund for Christmas 2020 and will be announcing it to the club shortly.

 

For those who might be interested, the District General Assembly for our District will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 2:00-4:00 on Zoom.  This event is similar to our local Club Assembly.  The agenda includes review of district finances, district committee reports, and updates on the various district projects.  Anyone interested in attending please let me know and I'll send you the Zoom link.  Also, the Rotary International Convention will be held June 12-16, 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Taiwan, and it’s worth going, if for no other reason than the best Chinese food in the world.

 

Have a wonderful month, enjoy the fall colors, and be well.

 

Yours in friendship and service,

Richard