Rotary Club of Eureka, California

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka

September 16, 2013 

President Ziggy, lacking a bell, shouted us to order on a sunny Monday afternoon. He then explained the absence of the bell by reading a letter from a member with the Southwest Club; the brigand had stolen it and they were holding the bell ransom. President Ziggy agreed to pay the money to free the bell because he (or someone) forgot to lock it up.

Pledge and Invocation 

Jason Eads led the pledge of allegiance and Greg Williston during the prayer encouraged us to depend on miracles. President Ziggy would appreciate prayers for his wife Ruth who is currently in St. Joseph Hospital.

Student Guests 

Our exchange student, Dan “Smith” from Russia greeted us warmly –in English—mostly.

Visiting Rotarians 

Mary Ann Rhodes from Eugene, Oregon Airport Club came with her brother-in-law and guest Hon. Christopher Wilson and Father Centurio Olaboro from Tororo, Uganda.

Guests of Rotarians 

Greg Williston introduced Don Smullin new Executive Director of Eureka Chamber of Commerce. 

Kim Bauriedel introduced Tom Strickland who is director of the Boys Scouts of America Pacific Rivers District. 

Tom McMurray introduced his niece, Ainsley Duncan.

Greg Gardiner brought three guests: Kitty Poteract, Arnold Klein and Dean Herst.

Jason Eads introduced his guest, John Ford, of AAA.

Announcements 

Greg Gardiner asked Nancy Dean to come up and be recognized. Nancy has been very generous to the Rotary Foundation and got a special pin, having donated over $5,000.

Mary Ann Rhodes introduced a good friend from Uganda where people from her club now visit every year with an ‘adopt a village’ program. Her friend is Father Centurio Olaboro from Tororo, Uganda. Father Olaboro, a Roman Catholic Priest, is also a commissioner for peace and justice in Uganda. He said we can become partners and make children smile; this can happen if we use intelligent means to resolve conflicts and establish meaningful relationships.

Recognitions 

John Bradley will soon receive the Boys and Girls Club Man of the Year award. He was humble about being so recognized, nevertheless he bought a tee shirt. Carlton Nielsen had a water heater blow and could not make it, and others like Jesse Evansizer were also absent. Growing frustrated, the President seized upon Bruce Rupp, who confessed to visiting a recently  born grand child (in England no less) and paid $50. Will Kay was also fined for giving stingy counsel to Bruce.

Program 

Tony Smithers has worked with the Tourism Bureau since 1999, having grabbed the baton from Don Leonard. His assignment is to market Humboldt County as a tourist destination, in other words to help us compete with places like Portland and Las Vegas. In order to do that a new assessment on hotel rooms in Humboldt has been levied to help us market our county. He mentioned that Humboldt tourism is pushing toward 320 million dollars per year. (About 50 million of the revenue is from the lodging sector). Tony and others with the Tourism Bureau assembled owners in the lodging industry thus forming the Humboldt Lodging Alliance; it was created to keep track of the funds from the assessments (see their web site at www.humboldtlodging.com). This ‘tourism’ assessment amounted to a 2% surcharge. Add this to the 10% bed tax on the price of a room in Humboldt and this means 12% is added to the price of a room each night. Is this too steep for the customers? Apparently not, he said.

Of the assessment monies, 25% of these funds are set aside for local use. For example, environmental tourism is a new market niche, and buses are now driving around the Bay Area that say, “Get away to the Redwoods.” Females are especially targeted since they are the chief planners of vacations. Shoulder season (fall and spring) tourists are especially needed because summer tourists tend to keep our lodgings occupied. The Community Tourism program is one way the 25% of these assessment funds are used. For example, among other things, these funds can be used to encourage ‘pet travel.’ Dogs are big when it comes to traveling with a non-complaining sojourner.

The Bureau was approached by Stanford University who wanted to get some Chinese tourists and exchange students here to see the redwoods. Recently 38 provincial Chinese leaders from Guangdong Province came here to see the redwoods. They went to Founders Grove and fell in love with our big trees. They also visited the Gem and Mineral Shop, oyster beds (and bars?) and other venues. All of this leads to the conclusion that China is an exciting prospective market for Humboldt County.

If you know of someone who would make a good Rotarian, bring him or her to lunch, said President Ziggy in closing.

Respectfully Submitted,

Dan Price