ROTOSCOPE MAY 5, 2014

Posted by Lee Broad 
on May 05, 2014
 

Williamsviiie Rotary Meeting May 5, 2014

Door: Kathy Behan

 Pledge: Steve Dyson

 Anthem: Not sung

Four Way Test: Mike Burns

Grace: Gary Skalyo           

50/50 Ticket Sales:  $297   Joe Fiorella drew the three of clubs and won $3. He donated it back.

Visiting Rotarians: None

Guests: None

Program:

This week’s speaker was Tim Herzog, founder of the Flying Bison Brewing Company.  Tim grew up and attended schools in Rochester, NY.

He graduated from Buffalo State College and started his career as an Art teacher in the Buffalo School System.

While teaching he took on several jobs working in restaurants and bars.  During that time he took up the hobby of brewing beers at home.

In 2000, he turned his hobby into founding a "full fledged" micro brewery....Flying Bison Brewing Company locating his brewery in the Riverside section of Buffalo.  Having outgrown their existing building, Flying Bison Brewing announced they will be moving into a larger facility in Buffalo's Larkinville community this spring.

Tim has been married for 33 years and has 2 sons.

Highlights of his presentation included:

  • Graduated from Buffalo State with a degree in art education.
  • Started brewing in 1991, at which time there were a total of 49 breweries in the entire US.
  • By contrast, in 2000 there were 50 breweries in NYS alone; 151 by the end of 2013
  • Buffalo Brewing Company opened in 1990
  • Buffalo is the highest per capita consumer of beer in NYS, followed by Albany. Both have large European ancestry bases, especially German and Polish—BIG beer consumers.
  • There are 1700 on-premise licenses in Erie and Niagara counties.
  • Prohibition had major impact on economy—major job losses not only at the breweries and distilleries, but suppliers, restaurant workers, etc.
  • Principal ingredients: malted barley, hops, water, and yeast
  • Only difference between ale and lager are the yeasts, which are active at different ambient temperatures.
  • Both ales and lagers can be produced that are heavy/ light, dark/ light, etc.—it is a matter of how they are brewed.
  • In 1900, the amount of beer produced in Buffalo would have taken six minutes to flow over all the major waterfalls in the US!!
  • A key is cycled through production, into distribution and back in 7 days.

Announcements: 

Youth Exchange: Lee Broad is looking for host families for our Inbound YE Student from Paraguay, Gabriel Yugovich. We also need two YE counselors: one for our Outbound YE Student, Libby Overfield, who is going to Germany; and another for Gabriel.

E-Club: From last week's meeting an overview of the E-club and how to sign-in for meeting attendance credit to your home (Williamsville) club was sent to all members in an email.

Letter from RI President Ron Burton:  Ed S. forwarded a letter from Ron Burton regarding Comely Bank, Paul Harris’ home previously to all members by email.   There is an RI initiative to preserve this residence.  What do you think?

Club’s Facebook Page:  Take a look at the Club’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubOfWilliamsville) page that was developed by Gary Skaylo and “Like” our page.

Foundation Annual Meeting:  The Foundation’s Annual Meeting will be held on June 9, 2014. The Annual Report will be presented by Foundation President William Thuman. There will also be an election for Board Members to the Foundation Board.

Strawberry Festival Event: Planning has started for this year’s SF event (June 18th    5:00 pm to 8:00 pm for guests) at Island Park.  Chairman Kevin Flint is seeking volunteers for the numerous planning activities.  On the day of the event, activities will begin in early morning picking up supplies, shucking strawberries, and setting up the Pavilion and the adjacent park. Clean up after the event will continue for at least 1½-hours after the closing of the event.

Rotary Park & Circle Clean Up: As the weather is improving and getting warmer our annual spring clean up for Rotary Park & Circle is to be scheduled.  The date is Saturday- May 17th at 9:00 AM.  This work should take about 3+/- hours to complete, and can be less with full Club member participation.  Inclement weather date is May 24th. Volunteers are requested to bring their own gardening/landscaping tools.  We need a wheel barrel to haul the mulch!!!

Club Web Site Advertising: Did you know that advertising on the Club’s web site is $100/year, July 1 to June 30?   That’s approximately $0.27 per day, and is seen by everyone visiting the Club’s web page.  Pro-rata is also available.  Interested?  Ask Vern Anderson for the details and join other Club members who are already using this form of advertising ….helping their business and their Club.

Every Rotarian – Every Year (EREY): Wow!!!!   Did you know that for $0.27 per day, less than $2.00 per week, and $8.33 per month you can be an active participant and be recognized in Rotary International’s (RI) EREY Program?  And you can do this with a simple authorization to RI to charge a credit card account for the recurring period (month / quarter / annual ) amount you designate.  This is simple and straightforward.

Your commitment provides grant funds for RI and our District 7090 for projects that are used to fund local and international service projects, scholarships, and vocational training teams.

Would you please seriously consider an annual commitment to the EREY program?   There is an aspirational goal

 

of $100 per year per member. Please see the attached EREY form whereby you can make this commitment for a tax-deductible contribution (501.c.3 charity) as a recurring monthly, quarterly or annual donation using a credit card ( www.rotary.org/contribute).  You know the good that Rotary and its members accomplish; please seriously consider your participation in EREY. Our Club number is 4756, District #7090, and your individual member number can be found on the mailing label of the Rotarian magazine, an 8-digit number preceded by “#” just above your name.  Ed S. will have each member’s membership number at the Club meetings for information and ease of reference.       Thank You! 

Program Schedule: The April 10th issue of the Speakers’ Schedule was distributed by email to all members. We have openings for speakers.  Doug Littlewood can provide you with the current schedule and available openings.  We have quite a few openings for a speaker after February and the remainder of the year.  If you have a potential speaker, it is suggested that two (2) open dates, in order of speaker preferred priority, be confirmed with Doug Littlewood or Vern Anderson, who will confirm the specific date, and “lock” that date for your speaker.  Please keep Doug and Vern updated if changes need to be made.  In our social and business lives we may know of individuals who have an interesting background, career, or story.  Ask them: “Would you share this with my Rotary Club?”

Future speakers: Discussions are taking place for speaking engagements with the following: Mark Thomas (Western Regional Director – NYS Parks); and Maria Lehman (Peace Bridge).

Meeting Attendance:  Ed S.reminded us that the Club’s and RI’s requirements are attendance at a minimum level of 50% of the scheduled meetings, which can also be met by make-ups at any of the District’s 69 clubs throughout the southern Ontario-western New York area. Attendance at Club and/or event committee meetings, Board meetings, and Foundation meetings also count to your attendance requirement.  If you do this, ensure that you receive a Make-Up post card from the Club that you visited which you will turn in to either Matt Balling or Vern Anderson.  Missing four (4) unexcused meetings in a row are the basis for RI membership termination.  If you have a Smartphone, there is a Rotary app that provides detailed information on each of the worldwide Rotary clubs, contacts, meeting location data, etc.

Ed noted that for the period July 2013 through February 2014, the attendance percentage was 51.2%.  Our 2 highest attendance months were November and January, 57.4% and 57.6%, respectively; the lowest, February 2014 at 45.3%.

Ed S. also noted that members can make-up a meeting anywhere in the world and via the District’s new eClub (www.rotaryeclub7090.org), Rotary E-Club of SOWNY (Liz Kovacs, President of this Club will be our speaker on April 28). Be sure to let Vern Anderson know of your “attendance.”

2014 Calendar Marks:

Club: June 2nd – Mix ‘N Mingle (Williamsville is the Host Club);June 9th – Annual Club Foundation Meeting; June 18th– our 14thStrawberry Festival; August 10th – Classic Car Show; September 22nd– the Club’s 3rdAnnual Golf Outing.

Other Rotary Club Events: Rotary Club of Amherst / May 9, 2014 – Sproktoberfest 2014; Kenmore Rotary / May 14, 2014 – Beer & Wine Tasting; Niagara-on-the-Lake / May 25, 2014 – 23rd Annual Garden Party & Shaw Theatre Event; Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew / August 11, 2014 – Jack Newhouse Memorial Golf Classic. Materials and flyers for these events were distributed previously by email to all members. (Also see Club websites for information for each event.)

District: June 8-14th – RYLA Event; October 25-26 – The Buffalo Bash Event –District Conference– District Conference being held at Buffalo’s Convention Center /// (See District 7090 web page--http://www.clubrunner.ca/portal/home.aspx?did=7090--for details on all District events.)

Fines: Paul Banas, Fine Master.

  • Norm Mattar--$2--late
  • Gary Skalyo--$2—no pin
  • Doug Littlewood--$2—no pin
  • Ed Rath--$1—no badge; $1—no pin
  • Mike Burns--$5—no badge, no pin
  • Joe Fiorella--$2--talking

Happy Dollars:

  • Lee Broad--$2—BBQ with two sons and grandchildren last weekend
  • Roger Gross--$5—happy: granddaughter broke her own swimming record at Daeman and was awarded top sports trophy by the College; sad—car was totaled by woman who ran red light (happy—no one was hurt!)
  • Mike Prinzback--$1—happy to be at the meeting
  • Paul Banas--$1—great new tenant

We missed you this evening: 

Vern Anderson, Ron Axelrod, Matt Balling, Mary Biddle-Widman, Tony Cangialosi, Shirley Carnall, Bob Chur, John Crawford, Vicki D’Angelo, Catherine Dulmus, Carrie Leed, Frank Ralabate, Jim Rumsey, Michael Sirianno, Mark Storch, Bill Thuman