Manhattan Rotary Club
Rotary News 092817
President Vern Henricks opened the meeting and introduced visiting Rotarian Mandy Eckart, sister of Rotarian Chris Bailey. Mandy is in Manhattan with 8 German high school students who are visiting Manhattan High School. Several visitors were introduced.
Mel Chastain, club president in 2007-08, gave a retrospective as part of the club’s 100th anniversary celebration. In particular, he mentioned several current and past Rotarians who had an important impact on his life and his appreciation for Rotary, and suggested that we all have people who have made a positive difference in our lives. He mentioned Bob Kruh, George Ham, Jack Goldstein, Randy O’Boyle, Ole Olsen, and the club’s own “Yellow Tag Committee” which is made up of the new club members, who demonstrate the energy and commitment that all Rotarians aspire to imitate.
The week’s “cup money” collection was designated for the Fairy Godmothers and Guardians organizations in Manhattan.
New member Bryan Thomason, a transfer member from Marysville, was introduced. Bryan is with the Blue Valley network of telecommunications companies. Bryan commented that he and his family have moved around many times. He said it is easy “to live in a community” but it is harder to become “a part of the community,” but when they were moving into their home in Manhattan, neighbors actually came over and said “Hello” and welcomed them. This was unusual, he said, and Manhattanites should be proud of being a welcoming community.
Betty Stevens introduced the speaker for the day, Marci Penner, from the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is “to preserve and sustain rural culture” in Kansas, and the Kansas Explorers organization. Marci and WenDee have written “A Kansas Guidebook 2.” The book includes 4500 things to see and do all over Kansas. They visited every incorporated city, and some unincorporated places in Kansas, to make note of everything interesting to see and do there. The Explorers have identified eight qualities that every community has: architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, and people. Marci played a game with Rotarians, asking who had not been to some places in Kansas that she mentioned. Virtually every member had been to the historic Hayes House restaurant in Council Grove, for example, but only one member, Ron Wilson, has been to the “Shamrock Café.” Marci explained that you need to read the book to find out about this special place, which has a seating capacity of 2. The “Kansas Guidebook 2” is available at the Claflin Bookstore in downtown Manhattan.
The Holiday Inn Appreciation went to Sue Maes.
The Manhattan Rotary Club meets every Thursday noon at the Holiday Inn at the Campus. Visitors are always welcome.
