This week's meeting opened on a heartfelt note, with Dr. Joe sharing a message of gratitude: his wife Vickie recently underwent an MRI exam that had her nerves on edge beforehand, and he was relieved and thankful to report that she came through it well.

Following lunch, Eric took the floor to collect news from around the room, and members did not disappoint:

• Tina announced that her daughter, Elana, is engaged to be married — congratulations are in order!
• Eileen hopped the DownEaster to Boston to check out the "100 Elephants" exhibit, bringing a bit of big-city culture back to the club. On another note, she attended one of the last games of the Connecticut Sun before they relocate to Texas, much to Eileen’s chagrin.
• Erin, at Ed's request, gave the group a lively account of the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota, which she and Rick participated in recently — always a crowd-pleaser when the open-road stories come out. The sight-seeing on the 1,000 mile ride was spectacular, including the Needles Highway, and the people watching was equally enjoyable. People of many cultures and walks of life made for a memorable experience.
• Tracy announced that about 30 Super September calendars have sold at Crickets Corner. She also announce that the 25th annual Capriccio Festival of Kites is on Saturday,  September 12. Pete has assembled about 80 of the requisite 200 kites for the kiddos. 
• Susan enjoyed City of Angels at Ogunquit Playhouse.
• Nancy returned from a trip to Alaska; the place made an indelible impression and the people are so nice.
• Connie thanks Pete for assembling the kites.
• Pete gave us the following CLYNK report: 

         Cans and bottles, bottles and cans,

         They’re adding up nicely these days,

         And it all goes to show ‘ya,

         That if you CLYNK, it really pays!

Our visitor, Ben Lovell of the York Rotary Club, pulled the raffle ticket - it was Dr. Joe’s. He drew the 4 of hearts and the 9 of spades. Only 18 cards remain. There’s about $200 in the pot now.

Susan led a brief discussion about having another social gathering at Connie’s home. The group agreed that Thursday, September 24th, probably is a good date, possibly in the late afternoon. Mark your calendar! 

Jim brought to the club’s attention that Bob Cruickshank would like to have some assistance in caring for the plantings at Rotary Park next year. The board will explore this matter at it’s next meeting on September 14th.

All Super September Calendar Raffle ticket stubs must be submitted no later than next Sunday, August 30th.  Bring them to Tracy at Cricket’s Corner.

All in all, a meeting full of good news, gratitude, and a few good stories to boot.

(Note: I had a little help from my new friend, Claude, in writing this recap!)

Respectfully, Ed Seppa