May 5, 2014

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka
May 5, 2014 

Buenos Dias e bien venudo a Rotary. Fue el Cinco de Mayo y Bob Palmose pidió liderar el juramento a la bandera. Steve Justus dio la invocación. We were asked to include Steve Beckman in our prayers. He’s no longer able to attend meetings.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we had two Mexican favorites: Chicken Cordon Bleu or Beef in sauce over fettuccini, su elección.

Announcements
Two Interact students came up to announce that they are raising money to go to Rotary Exchange. The club is paying them $1,500 to scan all the old Rotary Burls before they disintegrate. They offered to scan some of our older members for the same reason.

Gregg Gardiner gave a Fireside attendance report. 40% of the club signed up, but only half of those showed up. There are a few more Firesides this week.

President Ziggy had been called this morning at the last minute to drive the St. Joseph shuttle, so he was not organized.

Recognitions
NCAA fundraiser winners, Bruce Emad and Jay Bahner, got Ziggy’s special $150 Rotary t-shirts. Then Ziggy started picking on losers and Don Leonard and John Winzler got t-shirts. Bill McAuley got one for just showing up, as did Jay Reed. 

We had the drawing, and I didn’t win.

Speaker 
Then it was time for our speaker, Debbie Farber-Bush- her topic: Arcata Main Street’s 24th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. This popular summer event draws 10,000 to Arcata in the month of June. Oyster lovers come from near and far. This annual event is a Humboldt County tradition. 

Over 70% of the fresh oysters consumed in California are grown in 450 acres of Humboldt Bay, where the conditions are ideal. Currently there are five companies raising both Pacific Oysters and Kumomoto oysters for export and the restaurant trade. On average, it takes 18 months from "seed” oyster to harvest. June is a peak month for oyster harvests in Humboldt County. These little gems of the sea are now farmed in bags tethered to posts in the Arcata Bay and no harmful dredging of the bay is necessary for their capture.

Ms. Farber-Bush is from a company called Greenway Partners that supplies temporary managers for such projects as Reggae on the River and Arcata Main Street. She took over the festival after last year’s controversial fence incident. The festival will not be fenced off this year. Otherwise it would be a “fencetival.” It will feature more local vendors. The samba dancers are coming back. Five local bands will play. They are putting a barrier in front of the local bars and limiting the number of exits to control crowds. Popular contests are returning, including “Shuck and Suck” or maybe that’s one of the bands. It’s the 14th of June, just before Father’s Day.

Scrito por Enrique. Yo soy un hombre sincero, de donde crece la palma.

Aka: Respectfully submitted,
Hank Ingham