President Carl Lynde welcomed all to the December 17th meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held via ZOOM. <ED NOTE: 18 Rotarians attended.> Bill McKim offered a meaningful invocation urging us all to remain grateful for our blessings during this time. <ED NOTE: Weekly assignments for the invocation or motivational thought can be found on the club website. The following would be the next people on the list: Lisa Mendelsund (1/7), John Meyer (1/14), Roger Miller (1/21)>
This was followed by the pledge of allegiance. Birthday greetings were extended to Gary Goodemote.
GUESTS: Mary Ellen Copeland (speaker)
TRIVIA QUESTION
The 1954 holiday classic “White Christmas” is set in the fictional Vermont town of Pine Tree. Where was this movie filmed?
(Answer below)
JOKE OF THE WEEK
For the joke of the week, President Carl Lynde told a version of the following:
An elderly man in Oklahoma calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 45 years of marriage... and that much misery is enough!" "Dad, what are you talking about?" the son yells. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old dad explained. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!". Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck, they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls her elderly father immediately, and screams at him, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, you hear me?" she yelled as she hung up the phone. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay", he says, "it's all set. They're both coming for Christmas and paying their own airfare.
At our January 7th meeting, Tom Franks will tell a joke or lead us in song and Betsy Gentile will offer a Rotary Minute. 2020-21 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
ROTARY MINUTE
For the Rotary Minute, Tom French talked about his connection to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a place that has been a focus of the club’s international efforts.A longtime friend and colleague successfully defended Russell Means in his acquittal of the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973.
At our January 7th meeting, Tom Franks will tell a joke or lead us in song and Betsy Gentile will offer a Rotary Minute. 2020-21 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
12/24 – No meeting – Merry Christmas!
12/31 – No meeting – Happy New Year!
NOTE: 2020-21 weekly assignments, are posted on the club website.
REMINDERS
Please bring your bottles and cans to Putney Road redemption center to benefit Pure Water for the World. Please remember to inform the staff that the bottles and cans should be credited to the club.
If you can help with the meals for Groundworks for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, contact Stan Nowakowski.
The Senior Gift Committee distributed gifts to area nursing home residents.
The holiday card project to 279 area nursing home residents has been completed.
BRAGS / HAPPY DOLLARS
<ED NOTE: Yes, we are keeping track of these happy dollars and brags.
Unless noted, happy dollars and brags are $1>
Dart Everett - for Carla Lineback’s leadership of the Christmas Tree Sale.
George Anthes – for serving “sugar on snow” to his kids today.
George Anthes – for Milt Gilmore’s leadership of the “Sugar on Snow” project for the past 44 years.
Bill McKim ($10) – for adding piano carols to his YouTube channel.
Joe Little ($5) – for Cheri Ann Brodhurst and Peter Abel showing true Rotarian spirit by lending a Christmas tree stand to a customer, as well as fixing the racks.
George Anthes – for the Green Mountain Conservancy trail construction crew.
To watch a presentation about this project, click here
To read the front-page story in this week’s Commons about this project, click here.
Rotary Cares - TV Show
Rotary Cares, Episode 30 – Community Service
In episode 30 of the award-winning, monthly show, Rotary Cares, Brattleboro Rotary Club past president Marty Cohn discusses community service with his guests, Windsor VT Rotary Club President Mary Springer and Jaffrey-Rindge NH Rotary Club public relations chair Owen Houghton. The show is produced by Brattleboro Community Television.
Past President Martin Cohn who attempts to give a gist of the meeting respectfully submitted this bulletin. However, it is always better to attend. If you have any complaints about the contents of this bulletin...
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION
Not a single frame of the movie “White Christmas” was shot in Vermont. Most of the popular movie was filmed on the sound stages at Paramount Studios with a few sections filmed on local locations in Southern California. FUN FACT: At the 15th Academy Awards in 1943, Irving Berlin presented the Academy Award for Best Song, which he ended up winning himself for “White Christmas.”
