Rotary Club of Eureka Burl 6-24-2017

Ken Stodder led us in the flag salute and Tom McMurray gave the invocation, mentioning that he thought God is a hound dog and so was our president.  He liked that.   It was Matthew Owen’s last meeting. Keith Crossley came forward to accept a Paul Harris donation from Virginia Bass. There were awards for Nancy Dean and Carlton Nielsen, Rotarians of the Year. 

Matt Murrish got a plaque for delivering  200 Dictionaries single-handedly.  We cruised down memory lane together, remembering the 10.000 we gave To Betty Kwan Chin, the 110 frozen turkeys we gave to the Rescue Mission, and the 40 bunk beds we had put together for The Rescue Mission and Betty. 

Then the Debunking began, led by Jay Bahner.  Will Kay , as Comey, and Paul Brisso as himself accused Matt of not following the four-way test.  Owen was escorted out of the room and came back dressed as Hillary Clinton, the candidate for whom he had guaranteed a win last November.  Chuck Ellsworth had a Trump mask on, and repeatedly demanded that Hillary be jailed. The assembled Rotarians voted him guilty, and he was handcuffed and left the Elks Lodge in the back of a police car, sirens and lights going.

That was it in a Nutshell.

Hank Ingham

Matt Owen dressed as Hilary walks to the waiting Police Cruiser.

Rotary Club Of Eureka June 19, 2017

Boys and Girls Club check

Brad Mettam, loser.

Our Presenters

Matt's Daughter Molly



Paul Harris Fellows

Rotary Club of Eureka June 12th meeting

Three meetings remain (including this one) in the tenure of our esteemed President Matt Owen. Such a pity: we won’t be having another program about the Rose Parade. Jim Davis led us in the flag salute and Carlton Nielsen gave the invocation.

Dennis Hunter

Greg Seiler was recognized for having attended the meeting. We obviously have lowered the bar on recognitions - and attendance for that matter. Al Crnich was celebrating his 69th Wedding Anniversary, John McBeth his 50th, and Alicia Cox was honored for her 15th year in Rotary. “I love Rotary” she exclaimed. Keith Crossley came to the podium to award some Paul Harris Fellowships. Neil Carnam got his 3rd PHF. Michael Cunningham got his 8th. Then Michael’s mother Mary Cunningham got her first. Carly Robbins said that Food For People’s Produce Market is starting up this Thursday. It’s like the farmer’s market, except that the vegetables are free to low income folks. Food For People is located at 14th and Summer Streets in Eureka.

PHF recipients

Recognitions: Ken Stodder $100 for his 3rd great grandson and 3rd great granddaughter, Dennis Hunter $100 for his grandson. Jay Bahner won $50,000 at Blue lake Casino and sold 13 RV’s last week. Not a bad week. Hank Pierson is celebrating his 80th birthday and his son Greg got married -$120. Ilan Firpo brought in a filled change canister. Good for her.

Rosa and Milia

Our presenters were Rosa Dixon and Milia Lando childhood best friends and the owners of Natural Decadence, a wholesale bakery specializing in Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, peanut free, non GMO desserts.

 They started the business because their children had allergies and problems with gluten, and they have been quite successful. 8 months after they opened Whole Foods approached them and asked to carry their pies. Now they have 28 products and distribute to half of the country. Last year business more than doubled. Apparently there is a strong market for gluten free vegan pies, their best sellers. They brought in some samples of their cookies, which were great.



Alicia Loves Rotary

Submitted by Hank Ingham

Captain Hank

Rotary Club of Eureka June 5 th 2017 Meeting

Matthew Owen is down to his last four meetings. Thought you would want to know. Marine Corps staff Sergeant Jason Wattle led us in the flag salute. Dan Heinen gave the invocation. Lots of people have birthdays this month. Wayne Wilson, Frank Yeager, Keith Crosby, and Greg Pierson, to name a few. Keith Crosby, speaking for Paul Harris, thanked Paul Brisso, Don Smullin, and Jay Bahner for completing additional Paul Harris Fellowships.


Clara says goodbye.

Our exchange student Clara from Italy is going on her Western Safari trip soon and then hops on a plane to Italy. She’ll be back to attend college. Matthew is having another “Done In A Day” project this Saturday. 9am at 14th and Williams. Bring a lawn mower. Jack Reike finally picked up his NCAA winnings-$125.00 –for a $1200 investment. Gregg Gardiner came from Hawaii for a rare visit. His wife Cathy is in remission and doing well. Dan Heinen boasted that he had been in Mexico.

Sergeant Wattle

Our presenter was Staff Sergeant Jason Wattle, local Marine Corps recruiter and son of Virginia Bass.(our president’s main squeeze). Sergeant Wattle has spent the last 16 years in 32 different countries including Afghanistan in 2009. He talked about the Afghanis making their own home-made explosives and the various anti-personnel devices they created. He was happy to be stateside and doing recruiting. He said his biggest challenge was getting applicants to pass the urinalysis test. What a pisser. A celebration of Ray Wickel’s life will be held this Saturday 1-3pm at Baywood Golf and Country Club.

Penned by Hank Ingham

Would someone wake Don?

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting May 22, 2017

. Lunch Menu: salad bar, chicken thighs, tri-tip, roasted potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, dessert. Called to order by President Matthew Owen at 12:15pm. Our speaker Rob Arkley led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Invocation was led by Mike Cunningham. BIRTHDAYS: Larona Farnum, Robert McLaughlin, Matt Murrish

ANNIVERSARIES: Jennifer Budwig (Robert), Chris Freeman (Diana). ROTARY   ANNIVERSARIES: J Hockaday 15 years, Greg Pierson 17 years, Neal Carnum 25 years, Mike Martin 28 years, Bill McAuley 29 years, Craig Hansen 30 years, Al Abrahamson 38 years, Dave Dillon 50 years.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jay Bahne announced a meeting after the meeting for all Past Presidents in preparation for Matthew’s last meeting. Almost President Bruce Smith said that the social last Friday at the Ingomar Club was a great event with 15 people attending.  He’s planning on doing a social every other month and would like more people to attend.  President Matthew reminded everybody that Guido (aka Matthew) will be calling soon if you have not yet given $120 to the Foundation and Polio fund for this year.  They are hoping to have 100% participation.  If you have questions call or email Keith Crossley. Bruce Smith and Carly urged all Rotarians to review the email asking for corrections/updates for the roster.

 

RECOGNITIONS: Annalise Von Borstel has officially changed professions from banking to … Real Estate.  She is now a broker with Ming Tree Realty.  Dennis Hunter recently returned from an Elks convention in Pam Springs.  President Matthew noted that his wounds from a recent fall were healing nicely.  John Burger commented that Eureka High School’s team recently won the Big 5 and is now going to the next level!  Bruce Rupp plugged the Eureka Symphony’s recent performance.

 

SPENGLER-HOWARD RAFFLE:  1. Silver dollar to jay Bahne, Jitterbean Gift Certificate to Mike Cunningham, $10 in cash to Anthony, Motorcycle Care gift card to ???, Jim Davis- Chance to win a gold ingot ($203 value) but he drew a 2 of hearts. 

 

GUEST SPEAKER: Our guest speaker was Rob Arkley from Security National. Rob spoke about 3 topics… state of affairs nationally, at the state level, and locally.  Nationally he said it’s interesting to see the truth vs what is being reported.  Consequential achievements are being made by the Trump administration although he said the country is brewing for a civil war. The democrats are being forced to the left by their activist base.  Trump is getting things done administratively. He’s making changes at the judiciary level that should last for a generation.  He’s dealing with the deficit and dealing with entitlements. Trump’s own party is challenging him. It’s not a friendly group.  The economy is doing well.  He doesn’t see the recession others are forecasting.

 

The economy seems stable.  He was in a meeting that forecasted that over 5,000,000 truck drivers will be losing their jobs because of automation. Those are big numbers of people who will need re-training. Change is happening rapidly in today’s world.  He feels that Trump is cutting back on regulation which is needed. He would compare the relationship Trump has with the press to the Nixon era.  California is having a hard time. The deficit is huge and there are problems.  He decided to skip to the local area.  Locally Rob sees opportunity.  His daughter and other young people are choosing to relocate here.  He said it’s a myth that all kids want to live in an urban environment.

 

The reality is that 80% like small town environment. He’d like to see more home ownership locally.  Will see homes torn down locally due to infrastructure aging. He moved to Baton Rouge to make money and he did.  He’s now selling Baton Rouge off and is investing locally as well as a few other states he feels are economically poised for growth. He likes College of the Redwood’s program. Pot industry is a problem. The Feds will be dealing with it. It’s illegal, you can’t ignore the laws.  Homeless he’s seen some good changes. Chief Andy Mills is doing a good job. The Oyster industry here will be bigger than anyone here realizes.  150 jobs expected.  They will be building 60,000 to 100,000 feet of space at the Balloon track. Office/Warehouse most likely as that is what is in demand.  Questions and answers followed. President Matthew Owen closed the meeting at 1:16pm with a reminder that we will be dark next week for Memorial Day weekend.

 

Respectfully submitted,  Alicia Cox

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting May 15, 2017

Only 7 meetings left in the term of our exalted leader, Matthew Owen. Fixin’s for lunch included Chicken casserole, beef hash, fried chicken wings, and lemon cake for dessert. Guest John Harper led us in the flag salute. Bruce Rupp gave the invocation. It was Carlton Nielsen’s birthday, so we sang the Happy Birthday song. Then it was revealed that our exchange student Clara turned 18 today, so we had to sing again.

Clara is 18

Our exalted leader

President Elect Bruce Smith reminded us of the opportunity for fellowship this Friday March 18 at the Ingomar Club main floor bar. It starts at 5:15pm and Bruce is buying the hors de oeuvres. You’re on your own for drinks. During the “Boast, roast, and toast” segment, Pat Folkins said that the Eureka High baseball team won the Big Five Championship. Nancy Dean and Carlton Nielsen had just returned from a District Conference for Rotary exchange students in Lake Tahoe. They took 38 exchange students with them. Glenn Goldan received a check for $630, his winnings from the Rotary NCAA raffle. Ilan Firpo and Jason Chand announced that they just got married, and also that Jason had the leading role in a local production of Beauty and the Beast at Ferndale Repertory Theater. George Owren and Greg Williston saw the play and gave it two thumbs up.

Ilan Firpo and Jason Chand

Glenn gets his check

Our presenters were Rotaract members Matt Zendejas and Megan McCallister. They talked about Rotoplast, a team of doctors, nurses and volunteers who do clinics in underdeveloped countries. They had recently returned from Bangladesh. They spent two weeks there helping the team do reconstructive surgery on burn victims and repairing cleft palates. There were 70 surgeries in that 2 week period. They worked from 7am to 8pm. They were distressed by all the people who they had to turn down. Finally Past President Jay Bahner announced that there would be a past presidents’ meeting next week to make some plans for Matthew’s debunking. Meeting adjourned.

Matt and Megan talk about Rotoplast

Submitted by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting May 8, 2017

There are Seven meetings to go in the presidency of Matthew Owen. Sue Bosch led us in the flag salute. Matt Messner gave the invocation.

Matt Murrish needs some help delivering the Dictionaries we give to 3rd graders every year. Active weeks are 5/22 and 5/29. It was Alicia Cox’s birthday. Craig Hansen won $75 in the NCAA raffle and immediately signed it over to the Rotary Polio Plus fund. President-elect Bruce Smith announced that Fireside Meetings were coming up. Then, in unusual move, President Owen retired from the room and Rotarians at each table formed groups to express their opinions about the club and how things were going. That took about 15 minutes. Bruce Smith announced that there would be a Club Social Friday May 19th at 5:30pm.

Finally, after the drawing, Matthew told us our scheduled program presenter couldn’t make it . So no program about Rotoplast in Bangladesh. Instead we were treated to a re-run- The history of the tournament of Roses parade. Someone asked how much the early leaver fine would be, and Matthew raised it to $20. everybody stayed.

Briefly recorded by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting May 1 2017

President Matthew Owen gleefully reported that he had only 8 weeks left on his term.  Don Leonard led us in the flag salute.  Greg Pierson gave the invocation, reminding us how lucky we are to live in Humboldt County with its magnificent rivers, trees, and verdant hills.  Never mind what makes the hills so verdant.

Fred Van Vleck gave a Rotary Scholarship report.  We have distributed $24,500 in scholarships to Eureka High school, CR, and Humboldt State students. Guest Al Costaldi announced that there would be a celebration of the life  of Ray Wickel, Green Beret, aviator and long time Rotarian on June 11^th 1-3pm at Baywood Golf Club. The done in a day project at Food for People is this weekend, not last weekend Show up at 9am and bring gardening gloves. Matthew presented a check for $1,000 to Tom Faso of Redwood Teen Challenge.  They help adults 17 and older with substance abuse problems.

During the Boast Roast and Toast interval, Tom Schallert was recognized for attending a Blood Centers of America conference in Florida.  He caught a Sheep’s Head, and ugly but delicious fish.  Owner of 5 local McDonald’s locations Jessie Klair gave his craft talk.  He came from India to the U.S. at age 14. He worked at a McDonalds and learned English, then kept giving 150% as he continued to be promoted from cook to store Manager, then Supervisor.  16 years later he bought his first McDonald’s Franchise. He reminded us that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. Jessie brought some new sandwiches with him for us to try out. They were good. 

 

Clara Pazzaglia

Don Leonard introduced our exchange student from Italy, Clara Pazzaglia.  She comes to us from Milan, where she lives in an apartment with her parents and a dog.  She shared pictures of her family and scenes of Italy.  She said her hosts were like a second family to her.  She’s having a fundraiser this Friday from 5:30-7pm at the Faith Center in Eureka. There will be two kinds of pasta and two Finnish Desserts.  Tickets are $30. The money is to help defray the costs of a cross country trip exchange students go on.  While this was going on Don Smullin’s phone rang and he was fined $100.  Jack MacDonald’s phone rang three times.  He was nicked for $300.  Not a good time for phone calls.

Penned by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka April 24, 2017 meeting

Our presenter Carol Vander Meer was asked to lead the flag salute.  Bill McAuley gave the invocation asking the entire assemblage to pray for the Giants.  He then quoted Vince Lombardi “ Winning isn’t everything, it’s wanting to win.”

Carol Vander Meer

 Our exchange student Clara mentioned that she’s having a fund raiser this week at the Faith Center to help pay for a cross country tour with her host family. It’s $30 a head but she didn’t say what time it started.  President Matthew Owen touted his “Done in a Day” work project this Saturday at Food for People.  You can go and help them re-landscape the grounds.  Weak coffee and turnips will be served afterwards.

Our exchange student from Milan

The 11^th annual Brew at the Zoo is happening Saturday May 6^th.  It’s a 21 and over Beer Tasting.  You get a souvenir beer glass and there are three Pub Grub venues plus live bands.  Tickets are $30 for zoo members and $20 for designated drivers. Tickets are available at the Zoo gift shop, The Works, and Wildberries.

Linda Wise donated 6 tickets plus a parking pass to tomorrow night’s game.  Matthew tried to auction them off, but there were no bids. It was short notice and more difficult to get to San Francisco with 101 out.  Plus the Giants are 6 and 13 as Dennis Hunter observed when Matthew noticed him wearing his Giants jacket.  The final straw was that Bumgartner the scheduled pitcher fell off his dirt bike and is out for 8 weeks.  Bill McAuley was fined $150 for taking a vacation in Maui. CPAs Jay Reed and John Fullerton were welcomed back for returning after tax season. Matthew then did a blatant commercial for Leon’s Mufflers.  Dale can do warranty work on cars and trucks.

Rick Littlefield introduced our guest speaker Carol Vander Mere who gave us an update on the Humboldt Bay Trail.  When complete the 13 mile-long trail will run from south Eureka through Arcata.  This non-motorized trail will increase road safety, provide a low cost travel alternative, and promote healthy active transportation. The Humboldt Bay fund was established at HAF to provide a mechanism for private donors to assist in the continued development of the HBT by focusing on the critical need for trail maintenance funds.  All donations up to $25,000 will be matched by a $25,000 donation by Eureka Natural Foods. Send your checks to HAF. The menu for today’s fascinating meeting was scalloped potatoes, ham slices, manicotti, corn, muffins with black specks in them, and salad bar.  Dessert was fruit cobbler.

Submitted by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka April 10 2017 Meeting

The menu was spaghetti, meatballs in gravy, chicken Cacciatori , bread and salad bar. President Matthew Owen called the meeting to order.  Past President Greg Pierson led us in the flag salute.  Matt Murrish gave the invocation.  There was a larger than usual crowd because State Senator Mike McGuire was scheduled to speak.  Owen had a picture of Dale Warmuth’s outfit for the the fundraiser High Heels for Healing.  He came dressed as Dorothy in an outfit that would make the Wicked Witch of the West pour water on herself.  Christian Hill announced the winners of March Madness.  Jack Reike and Jay Bahner fared the worst.  They invested $1400 each and got checks for $125.  Greg Bowen was recognized for coming to the meeting.

Our speaker was California State Senator Mike McGuire.  He grew up in Healdsburg and was a Sonoma State graduate.  At 19 years of age he won his first election-to the School board- and was subsequently elected the youngest mayor ever (of Healdsburg).  He became a senator in 2014.  He said his grandma’s helpful hints were 1.  Work Hard.  2.  Assume everyone is smarter than you. 3. Never take “no” for an answer.  He said spending is up because lower income people are making more money but they can’t afford to save.  California leads the nation in job creation.  Our schools need additional funding. The state has 22% of the country’s homeless and a quarter of them are veterans.  He’s going to bring back the nursing program to Humboldt State. Things to be proud of: Humboldt Del Norte, Lake and Mendocino counties account for 60% of the pot grown in the US.

Early Rotary Wheel. Past Presidents with Red Badger

Penned by Hank Ingham.

Rotary Club Of Eureka April 3 2017 meeting

Our Speaker for the day, Dennis Scott, President of the McLean Foundation, led us in the flag salute. Dan Heinen followed with the invocation. President Owen called Scoutmaster James Dement to the podium to present him with his red badge. By the informality of the exchange I can only guess that he had had his membership ceremony last week and Matthew forgot to give him the badge. Carlton Nielsen reported that our exchange student in Paraguay is unaffected by the recent riots and attempts by protesters to set fire to the parliament building. Of course no one had heard about riots or knew where Paraguay was. Some thought it was a big bird that lived in the jungle. Nancy Dean and Carlton had just returned from the District Conference in Ukiah, where they taught classes about youth exchange. It was hat day for baseball fans. Dennis Hunter in his Giants cap announced that the Giants were 0-1 in spite of the fact that their pitcher hit two home runs. Pat Folkins also had a Giants hat on. Ken Stodder had a Boston Red Sox hat on and his team was up 5 runs. Christian Hill didn’t have a hat but he said the NCAA raffle raised $9,015 for Rotary. Klark Swan reminded us of the Rotaract Fundraiser April 22 at the Women’s Club in Eureka. Tickets are $50.

Then it was time for Boasts, Toasts, and Roasts. Jay Bahner roasted Matthew Owen for calling him on his cell phone at ten o’clock at night and asking him “where’s the party”. He’d intended to call Carlton Nielsen, but got his numbers wrong. We never found out where the party was. Other notable events: Annalise ran her first 5 K.. Matthew took his daughter Molly to her first wine tasting in Sonoma. It used to be free, but now it costs $80 a head.

Our presenters for the day were Dennis Scott and his fund raiser Sabrina Delashma from theMcLean Foundation. The Foundation was started by Mel and Grace McLean. They owned a chain of grocery stores and Eel River Sawmills. He left 20,000,000 to the foundation. The latest project that they are providing seen money for is the Fortuna Community Health Center. It will open in June of 2018. 30,000 square feet of Health care space. It will be under the aegis of Open Door Clinic, which has 660 employees. They will add 9 new physicians and a Dental Clinic. They still need money, so they are asking for donations. For more information call 707 725-1722 x 103.
Penned by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club Of Eureka March 20, 2017 meeting

Menu: Turkey Rolls, pork cutlets, mashed potatoes, ménage of vegetables, and chocolate cake. Matthew Owen opened the meeting by asking Jim Davis to lead us in the flag salute. Craig Hansen followed with the invocation. He asked for a moment of silence for long time Rotarian Ray Wickel, who passed away recently. Ray was an ex green Beret Army Ranger as well as a civilian pilot and instructor with 5700 hours in the air. He’d been active in Rotary for 50 years. Will the exchange student outbound for Belgium said he had cupcakes to sell to raise funds for his trip. Glenn Goldan was recognized for a ringing cell phone during the meeting…

Other guests included Mayor Virginia Bass and Jim Christenson of the Ink People . Christian Hill had raised $8,000 the previous week and still had six squares to sell for the NCAA March Madness fundraiser. President elect Bruce Smith was recognized for his photo in the TS presenting a check to the science fair. Alicia Cox got a big thank you from Pat Folkins on behalf of the club for garnering so much publicity for our Rotary club that the other clubs were jealous. Nancy Dean returned from Calgary in Canada for a Rotary Student Exchange convention. President Owen reminded us of the Rotary District Convention to be held April 1st at Mendocino College in Ukiah. Dale Warmuth drew the joker in the Spengler Howard Raffle and won 430 dollars, which partially recompensed him for having bought Duke for $800 only to see them lose in the 2nd round.

Our Speaker was John Henry Ford Planning and Building Department Director. He started off defending his staff, saying they were not incompetent as a recent newspaper article suggested. He said the deluge of Cannabis Cultivation Permits was taking time away from other projects. There were 2300 applications, but only 18 of them were completed and approved. He’s going to restructure the department and get a new computer program to keep track of things. The General Plan is 50 days away from being put out for public comment. Matthew said there were 12,000 growers in Humboldt County, and 11,982 were out of compliance. Craig Hansen said we should spend more time going after the growers and less time nitpicking timber harvest plans. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Penned by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club Of Eureka Meeting March 13, 2017

Lunch Menu: salad bar, corned beef, potatoes, swiss steak, boiled cabbage, steamed carrots, rolls, dessert. Called to order by President Matthew Owen at 12:15pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Assistant District Governor, Lori Breyer. The Invocation was led by Tom McMurray (special prayers for Ray Wickel who passed away recently). VISITING ROTARIANS: Pat Tracy, Brian Lovel, Lisa Fryrear-incoming president for Arcata Rotary, Matt Nielsen- incoming President for Southwest Rotary, Lori Bryear Assistant District Governor. GUESTS OF ROTARIANS: Greg Pierson introduced John Day from Pierson Co., Linda Wise introduced Jim Christiansen from the Ink People.

ROTARACTORS: Jamie Carroll, Matthew, Ray, Christine Tyson. It is Rotaractor week. Our Rotaractors told us that Rotactors was founded in 2010 and the Rotary Club of Eureka founded Lost Coast Rotaractors in 2010. They have a food and wine fundraiser coming up at the Eureka Women’s Club on 4/22. Proceeds will benefit Ugandon Women. They also brough St. Patrick’s Day cookies for $5 a bag. STUDENT GUESTS: Claire, our exchange student from Italy is doing some fundraising for a Western Safari Trip with dinner and silent auction. They are looking for auction items. Please let her know if you can help. ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Matthew Owen showed photos and talked about the Done in a Day project that took place on West Wabash last Saturday. It was a huge eyesore that has now been cleaned up thanks to the 10 Rotarians that showed up. A special thank you to John Day from Pierson Co. who ran the bobcat that saved a lot of time and energy. John was presented with $100 in gift certificates from Jesse Claire at McDonalds and a $100 gift certificate from the Rotary Club of Eureka to Bayfront restaurant. There will be another Done in a Day project on March 25th. We will partner with Pacific Outfitters Pac-Out team to clean up Broadway.

Rotary’s District Assembly is coming up on 3/31. If you haven’t registered yes, please do. RECOGNITIONS: Dennis Hunter and other PP recognized Matthew Owen for leaving his credit card at the check-in desk. There was no photographer present and Matthew Owen requested help from the audience. Kim Bauriedel extorted a fee of $50 from Matthew and agreed to help out. Incoming President Bruce Smith presented a check Melanie McGuire from the Humboldt County Office of Education with a check for $5,000 to help send local high school students to the State Science fair. Kim Bauriedel introduced new member, Julie Benbow, executive director of the Sequoia Zoo Foundation. Pat Folkin gave the Past President’s address. SPENGLER-HOWARD RAFFLE: Rotary Coin: Matthew Owen. $10: Brad Mettam. Dale Warmuth drew a card for a pot of $400 but alas did not win.

GUEST SPEAKER: Christian Hill ran the annual auction for NCAA Division men’s basketball championship. Bidding was lively and nearly $9,000 was raised in a very short time. 1Ž2 of the money will go back to the top winners of the pool and the rest will go back to provide benefits to the local community. MEETING ADJOURNED: 1:40pm.

Respectfully submitted, Alicia Cox.

Rotary Club Of Eureka March 6, 2017 Meeting

The menu was deep fried chicken or pork, mashed potatoes, white gravy, and chocolate cake. President Matthew Owen asked Harold Hillficker the fourth to lead us in the flag salute. Carlton Nielsen then gave the invocation. Dale Warmuth stood out more than usual. He was wearing a lime green wig that made him look like a parakeet. It was left over from Bowl For Kid’s Sake, which he said raised $80,000 that previous weekend. President elect Bruce Smith just returned from the PETS (Presidents Elect Training Seminar) and was inspired. Jeff and Don Leonard were recognized for the pictures they took at the recent Rotary raffle Mardi Gras with a Papoose. Hank Ingham was awarded 3rd place at the recent Redwood Art Association Juried show. He gained some prize money, then he lost it to Rotary. The check’s in the mail. Klark Swan brought her six week old baby” Lincoln.” President Owen reminded us that the Rotary District Conference starts March 313 in Ukiah. Still room at the Inn if you want to attend.

Our presenter was Harold Hillficker IV owner of Hillficker Pipe, which is having its 100th anniversary. His Great grandfather came from Switzerland and arrived in Humboldt in 1890. By 1902 he was married and had started a business hauling gravel and making well casings, burial vaults and ornamental bird baths. In 1910 the family started a concrete plant and over the years accumulated 42 patents on retaining walls. They do about 20% of their business locally, and the rest is shipped as far away as Chile. They make concrete and corrugated steel pipe, and wire retaining walls. It’s still family owned. “ The work can be draining”, Harold said” but what was once a pipe dream is now concrete.” They still have the bird bath mold if you need one.
Extruded by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting February 27, 2017

President Matthew Owen asked the oldest WWII veteran to lead the flag salute. That would be Ken Stodder. Dan Heinen gave the invocation. President-elect Bruce Smith gave a report on our most recent fundraiser, “Mardi Gras with a Purpose”. As you may recall from our last episode, the prize winners were determined by hiding sugar medallions in the cupcakes. Someone unknowingly ate one of the medallions without realizing he or she had just consumed $2,000. There was no getting it back. Bruce put the names of those who bought tickets in a hat, and drew a ticket. The lucky winner was Ziggy Ziggenfuss. Bruce thanked Clark Swan, Jerry Reece, Nancy Dean, and a host of others who helped with the raffle.

Boast, Roast, and Toast entries included Dan Heinen, who was named a Champion of Hope by his company for his charitable endeavors. Steve Allen went on a trip to Maui. Not to be outdone, Matt Messner went to Panama and Russia. Jack MacDonald received recognition because he didn’t know how to turn his cell phone to vibrate. Jerry Reece said his son just completed a short cartoon for Nick at Night or some network. Then Matthew said he flew to Washington D.C. for 11 dollars round trip. He saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Smithsonian Museum.

Betty Chinn was our speaker. She is an advocate for the homeless and works so hard that she only sleeps 2 hours a night. She has a homeless center . She finds jobs and housing for the poor and unfortunate. She gives them “a hand up, not a handout. She was presented with a check from our club for $10,000 dollars.
Briefly penned by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club Of Eureka Meeting February 13, 2017

President Matthew Owen rang the bell, which hasn’t been stolen by another club for a long time. What happened to the good ole days? The menu was ham slices or ribs, scalloped potatoes, vegetable medley, and fruit cobbler. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that. Vanessa Christman, new head librarian at the Humboldt County Library, was asked to lead us in the flag salute. Nathan Nilsen gave the invocation. Susan Johnson got up and announced that they we putting on a play called “ Jane Doe in Wonderland” at Ferndale Rep on March 11st. The play is about human trafficking. They are raising funds so that they can continue to perform the play at high schools. Jerry Reece and Bruce Smith were both wearing Mardi Gras costumes. Jerry reminded us that the annual Rotary fundraiser, Mardi Gras with a Purpose, is this Friday at the Sequoia Conference Center. $4,000 is hidden in the cupcakes but you have to attend to get a cupcake. There is a 250 dollar prize for best costume.

Then, as a complete non-sequitur, Jerry said that in Vegas if you bet that Lady Gaga wouldn’t show cleavage in the Super Bowl half time show you could have won 185 dollars. He’s losing it. Christian Hill prognosticated about March Madness. We’ll have the usual bracket bidding for teams as a fundraiser. Glenn Goldan was recognized for showing up, Dennis Hunter donated 100 to polio plus because he was celebrity auctioneer at Mardi Paws the Sequoia Humane Society fundraiser. Elan Firpo brought in a canister of change. Change is good. Carlton Nielsen said that his son was going to Switzerland as a Rotary Exchange Student.

Our speaker was Vannesa Christman, new head librarian at the Humboldt County Library. She said the three questions that annoy librarians are “you must not be very busy, no one is reading anymore” “Libraries are still around? Aren’t they obsolete because of new technology?” and “you work in a library. It must be so relaxing to be around books all day” She refuted all of these. Our library has 99,000 card holders. They check out 500,000 books a year. The library has internet connections and staff to help you access it. They have audio books. They have language CD’s. They even have e-books. The future of the library is as a community gathering place. They are open 12n-5pm Tuesday through Saturday and stay open til 8pm on Wednesday. They need more funding.
In remembrance of the Dewey Decimal System, Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka Meeting February 6 2017

The Menu was breaded fish cutlets, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and banana pudding. Our president Matthew Owen was back from his fact finding tour of Hawaii. Hank Pierson led us in the flag salute. Greg Williston gave the invocation. Matthew then queued up a longish video that Lost coast Outpost made about the new bunkbeds at The Eureka Rescue Mission. He was prominently featured along with his wife Virginia. It wasn’t near as funny as the Saturday Night Live clips he shows. Jerry Reece reminded us of the upcoming Rotary Fundraiser, Mardi Gras with a Porpoise, Friday 2/17 at the Sequoia conference center. Specialty drinks include the bourbon street sour, Big Easy martini, and Hurricane Bruce. There will be beer and wine and music by the Dixieland Gators. Lisa Slack announced that the Clark Museum is holding a Tea Party at 3pm on February 12th. Come see their new 1960’s exhibit. Matthew said our Rotary Club gave away $60,000 in scholarships last year.

Our speaker was Doug McCorkle, Real Estate Marketing Director for the town of Scotia. Investors subdivided the company owned town and are selling off the houses. Most of them were built a century ago. The first phase has 40 homes, most with 2 bedrooms and one bath. Prices range from 150,000 to 200,000. They have all been inspected and will be ready to sell as soon as they form a community Services District. The hotel and restaurant are also for sale or lease. Eventually they hope to sell off all 270 homes. For more information go to scotialiving .com.
Scripted by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club Of Eureka meeting January 30, 2017

The menu was beef ribs, fried chicken, tater tots and mixed vegetables, some whom were in the audience. Who should we find at the podium but Linda Wise. Matthew Owen was out of town on another one of his free trips to Hawaii so she was acting President. Bruce Smith led us in the flag salute. Bruce Rupp gave the invocation. Dennis Hunter was recognized for being in Rotary 40 years. Jerry Reece reminded us that The annual Rotary fundraiser Mardi Gras with a purpose is to be held at the Sequoia Conference Center February 17th . You should already have gotten your tickets in the mail. There is a token in one of the cupcakes worth $4,000 so don’t swallow anything lumpy or you’ll have to wait a few days to see what you have won. Boast, Roast and Toast: Bruce Smith said that there was a bright side to being in the hospital. He lost 35 pounds. He donated $5 per pound to the foundation. That’s $175 in American money.

Our speaker was Dr. Don Baird from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. He talked about the increasing number of deaths from Opiates and Opioids. Oxicontin and fentanyl are widely available as well as designer drugs created by chemists. In 2012 -2014 Humboldt County had 33.9 deaths per 100,000 people. The state of California averaged 11.6 per 100,000. The median age for overdoses is 50-59. Mortality statistics are for drug users and don’t count those who mix alcohol with drugs. He said the area needs more treatment centers. Apparently there are none in Eureka for opiate abusers. Meth use is up an astounding 75% this year. He doesn’t know why. Houston, we have a problem.

Injected by Hank Ingham

Rotary Club of Eureka Burl January 23, 2017

The menu was Swedish meatballs, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, garlic bread and salad bar. There was a brownie for dessert. Matthew Owen showed up again so we had to let him be president and ring the bell. Nathan Nilsen led us in the flag salute. Tom McMurray Jr. gave the invocation, then ratted on Greg Pierson who was on a trip to see his new grandchild accompanied by his fiancé . There is a fine in his future. Jamie Carroll, president of Rotaract said that three of their members had just returned from a trip to Bangladesh. She reminded us that Rotaract was having a fundraiser dinner on March 11th at the Sequoia Conference Center. $25 gets you a ticket. Jerry Reece announced that the annual Rotary raffle dinner is coming up on February 17. The theme is “Mardi Gras for a Reason” and you should already have gotten your tickets in the mail. The main course is gumbo prepared by Mama Jennice. There will be specialty drinks, like the Big Easy Martini . A $4,000 cash prize is going to be hidden in the cupcakes so don’t forget to stick around for dessert and be careful what you swallow. Attendance is not mandatory, but buying the tickets is.

During the boast, roast and toast segment Pat Folkins bragged about taking a cruise with his family and that set him back 120 smackers. Bruce Rupp had (not literally) his 8th grandchild and his wife was going to England to see him. That reminded John Fullerton that he had a new granddaughter. In the “Young enough to have her own children “segment, it was mentioned that Rotarian Clark Swan was past her due date which was today. There’s still time, Clark! Sue Bosch admitted that she totaled her car. Finally Paul Nicklas shared that he caught footage of a butane fueled drug explosion on his drone camera. It remains to be seen why he was using his drone to cruise the neighborhood-unless of course the explosion was at his house. If you live in Arcata pull down your shades.

Our presenter was Connie Lorenzo from the Department of Health and Human Services. She is heading up Humboldt’s 2nd Chance program, (H2CP) which is a pilot initiative to get individuals under formal probation back to work with skills readiness training and subsidized wages during on-the-job training. Humboldt aims to serve up to 75 probationary job seekers during this one year program. Probationary participants are screened an then attend a 2 week readiness training course and a minimum of six weeks of vocational training. Work placements include 50% wage reimbursements to employers for up to six months as an incentive to hire. Services to the employer include access to ready-to-work job seekers motivated to perform. You interview and select as you would any other job seeker. There is the previously mentioned 50% reimbursement of wages for the first six months, and tax credits through the state’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program. She said they are no different than any other employee you might hire, except “they got caught”. With that hearty recommendation, we close yet another chapter in the Book of Burl.
Authored by Hank Ingham

Eureka Rotary Club Meeting January 9, 2017

The meal consisted of beef goulash or fried chicken accompanied by mashed potatoes garlic bread and salad bar. Bread pudding was the dessert. President Matthew Owen invited Past District Governor Larry Meyers to lead us in the flag salute. Bill McAuley gave the invocation, noting that President Elect Bruce Smith is out of the hospital and doing well. Owen then gave us a brief history of the Rose Parade. He’s been attending as a volunteer for 15 years. The Parade started in 1890. It didn’t always have a football game as part of the festivities. For 15 years they did chariot races.

Jerry Reece announced Mardi Gras for a Cause would be held February 17th. Tickets are 50 in advance or 75 at the door. There will be a parade, cocktails, live music, Gumbo, red beans and rice, corn bread and cupcakes. He didn’t say what the cause was. Ted Loring Jr. boasted that he had vacationed with his in-laws in Upstate New York. He said that ”Vacation with your in-laws is an oxymoron”.

Our speaker for the day was the previously mentioned Past District Governor Larry Meyers. He’s chairman of the Polio Plus Campaign in our district. He was a victim of polio, contracting the disease at age 6. One day he woke up paralyzed on his left size. He was placed in a hospital and given treatments like blankets soaked in scalding water draped across his body. He recovered, but now is feeling the effects of Post-Polio Syndrome. He said that we are close to eradicating Polio world-wide. Last year there were 35 cases. There is a risk of its return, because fewer children are being immunized against these childhood diseases. If you donate to Rotary’s Polio Plus campaign, the Bill Gates Foundation will match each dollar you contribute with two more dollars. Last year our district raised 238,000 dollars. He would like to see us do better this year.
Cheerfully submitted by Hank Ingham