Tom Knight introduced guests and visiting Rotarians. Former long-time club member Gary Adams was visiting from Florida and it just happened to be his birhtday! Thanks to Don Grant and Grant's Bakery, we enjoyed a delicious marble birthday cake for dessert. Also joining us for lunch today was proposed new member Mark Coursey, Recruitment, Enrollment, and Involvement Officer at University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College. Mark is a former Rotarian with the Ellsworth Rotary Club.
Immediate Past President John Belisle won the 50/50 lottery today! Congratulations, John! Not a bad way to start your new job as Past President!
HAPPY DOLLARS at today's meeting:
There were several happy dollars presented at today's meeting including John for winning the 50/50, Ed Plourde for attending the Rotary International Convention in Montreal with DG Sylvia Plourde and her granddaughter Meagan; and Alan Hahnel was very impressed with President Jen's assertiveness is ringing the bell to call the meeting to order. It should be a good year! Alan also made a point of letting us know how the state of Maine sales tax structure is set up to tax visitors and vacationers. He thanked Gary Adams for visiting!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Jen announced July birthdays. Rotarians celebrating a birthday this month include Nancy Brown, Noreen Haire, John O'Malley and Celeste Yakawonis. Happy Birthday to all!
Jen also honored Rotarians celebrating club anniversaries this month:
* Eugene St. Pierre........48 years!
* John O'Malley............33 years!
* Bud Bower................21 years!
* Allison Szsney...........15 years
* Bill Dennehy............. 4 years
* Tom MacDonald............ 4 years
* Nancy Richard............ 3 years
* Nancy Brown.............. 2 years
We are fortunate to have each of you as our club members. Thank you for the service you provide to our club and community.
Phil Nadeau announced that we will be having our food booth at this weekend's Liberty Festival and the volunteer sign-ups are closed as we have enough Rotarians to fill all openings. WOW!
President Jen announced that following today's meeting is the Club Planning Session and all are welcomed to attend with thoughts and ideas.
Jen also reminded us of District Governor Claude Martel's visit on July 22. We will also hold our monthly board meeting on this day as well.
PROGRAM:
Phil Nadeau introduced today's speaker, Balloonmeister John Reeder who gave us a history and mission of the Great Falls Balloon Festival. The first festival was held in 1993 to promote the Lewiston-Auburn area and to offer non-profit organizations a way to make money. Our very own Rotarian Bethel Shields was a founding member of the first festival along with Dr. John Reeder and Rachel Desgrosieliers. Over the years, the festival has lost some of the orginal flavor and John and others are working to get it back to the original goals.
The river, with its backdrop of the rocky Great Falls, provides a picturesque setting for the thirty to forty Balloons which visit annually, including some special shape balloons. This year's theme is "Celebrating Maine Farms." Launches are scheduled for 6 am and 6 pm daily, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.
In addition to the balloons, the Festival features 30 different food booths serving everything from soup to nuts, including breakfast for those early morning launches, all run by volunteers from local non-profit groups. Along the walkway, which spans the river and winds along the edge of the Festival grounds, craft and trade booths invite browsing, and a children's area entertains toddlers to teens.
An addition to the Festival this year is the Farmers' Market Pavillion featuring local vendors selling fresh flowers, organic frutis and vegetables, jams and jellies, honey and more. The Farmers' Market Pavillion will also host presentations and demonstrations on organic gardening, flower arranging, beekeeping and more.
Music is provided by many different entertainers, from children's shows to blues singers, to jazz, pop, and oldies. A carnival, parade, and various demonstrations and contests round out the weekend events.
The biggest year the Festival had brought in over 140,000 to our area over the festival weekend. This is truly a community event and everyone in the area benefits from having the festival.
President-elect Stephanie Gelinas thanked our speaker today for sharing the mission and the upcoming events of the Great Falls Balloon Festival.