We have no luncheon meeting this week. Instead, we will gather at Brick and Barn Realty in Quechee for a social gathering hosted by Emily Bristol. No speaker, no raffle, and no birthday and anniversary announcements… but lots of good fellowship. 

 

 

Tom Csatari introduced Jennifer Eastman and Steven Brynn who were attending their third meeting, qualifying them for membership. He gave a rundown of important dates and information from the Board meeting, reminding us that the Auction will be held on Thursday, November 7 and that (as noted above) we have no luncheon meeting this week). He also announced that we collected $3,400 for the Pancake Breakfast and that the Philanthropy Committee decided to issue 23 grants worth over $59,000 to non-profits in the Upper Valley. He urged members to plan to attend the Awards Reception on May 14 at 5:00 PM at the Downs Racklin offices on Etna Road. Details were sent out earlier by Heidi Postupack and will be included in the next two newsletters… but saving that date now is imperative! 

Dave Allen urged members to show up for the work party that was scheduled last Saturday in order to complete the work quickly and to impress Rotary International… BUT… as members realize, the work party was cancelled due to the downpour we experienced that morning… SO… we’ll have a chance to do it again this Saturday.

 

Julia Griffin apologized for missing her opportunity to share information in advance of the Town Meeting but offered her thanks to Marty McMillan for stepping in and offered to respond to any specific questions from club members regarding the items to be considered by the Town on May 14. 

Denise Dahlberg was the raffle winner and she gets to go on a hike of her choice with Bob Boon. I’m guessing it will be happening in a few weeks once the trails are free of mud. 

 

 

There was a time when our exchange students would send us handwritten letters to be read at our meetings by members of the Committee… but in this digital age we now learn of our exchange student’s experiences through blog posts! While the letters have a certain charm, I found Julia Cook’s post to be both charming and full of great pictures…. Here’s the link: https://juliacookfr.wixsite.com/jenesaisquoi/blog/ciao-sicilia 

 

 

Tom Csatariintroduced Joe Clifford, the Executive Director of the Lebanon Opera House. Joe shared that he is very familiar with the entertainment scene in the Upper Valley having worked at the HOP for 17 years. By way of background, he reported that the Lebanon Opera House operates as a non-profit and gets no funding from the town, though it is only charged $1.00 per year for rent. The venue was built in 1924, seats 803, and began as a vaudeville/movie house. The Opera House is the home of over a dozen local arts and performance groups, the most recent being the Revels. He reviewed the scheduling algorithm the Opera House uses, noting that student groups get first rights for performances followed by community groups and then nationally renowned performers. He noted that June will be a particularly busy month in terms of national acts. Due to a streak of good fortune in terms of bookings, the Opera House will feature the Mavericks, David Crosby, Keb Mo, Anouska Shankar, and an improv group Whose Live Anyway.

In response to questions from club members, Joe emphasized his lean staffing, which consists of an Assistant Director, Facilities manager, and Box office manager. The Opera House relies heavily on volunteer help in the house and uses union help behind the stage. One of the impressive factoids was that Lebanon School District has students who speak 52 different languages! In response to this reality, the Opera House is trying to bring diverse international talent to the Upper Valley. 

 

 

May 8 - Rubi Simon introduces Tom Badowski, the district’s coordinator for Exchange Programs and will also introduce our current exchange student. 

 

May 15 – Julie Stevenson will introduce a quartet from the Hanover High Jazz band

 

May 22 – We’ll hear from Dartmouth’sDaniel Chamberlain, the Associate Librarian for Digital Libraries.

 

May 29 – Heather Drinanwill introduce Lee Webster, who will tell us about the green funeral movement.  

 

June 12 – Back by popular demand!!!Rubi Simon and the Howe staff will do 30-books-in-30-minutes. Bring your notebook, stopwatch, and a bag to carry home some books to read during the Summer break. 

 

Wayne Gersen