The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting at The Woodmark Hotel on July 26, 2021. Rotarians attended in person; there were no online attendees. The greeter for this meeting was Mike Hunter.
President Dave DeBois rang the bell at 6:30 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
Alice Volpe led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, Gary Cohn, Dave DeBois, Margie Glenn, Brandon Honcoop, Mike Hunter, James Meniketti, Amy Mutal, James Nevers, Ernie Norehad, Kristin Olson, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, Steve Shinstrom, Brian Tucker, Alice Volpe, Rick Walter, and John Woodbery.
Guests:
President Dave introduced three guests: Julie Natali, Laura Loomis, and Peggy Ostrander.
Announcements:
President Dave called on Alice Volpe, who informed the club that Gail Auslander is in the hospital, and cards from the membership are most welcome.
President Dave called on Vocational Services Chair Mike Hunter, who announced that he is forming the Student of the Month committee to carry out the planning, interviewing, and selection of students of the month from Juanita and Lake Washington high schools, and plans on interviews in September. Three Rotarians volunteered on the spot.
President Dave called on Head Duck Amy Mutal to update Rotarians about key Duck Dash events. Amy announced that there are several ticket sales dates in the immediate future that need Rotarian volunteers. She reminded members that ticket sales will occur at the Kirkland Wednesday Market from 3 – 7 p.m., and at the Kirkland QFC on Saturdays, and at the Kirkland Waterfront Car Show on August 7. Mike Hunter and John Woodbery have volunteered for this coming Wednesday, July 28. The Lake Washington High School Dance Team will once again be assisting with the ticket sales, and has settled on the last two weekends in August at QFC. She noted several dates this week and at the early part of August that Rotarians are needed. One significant change is that outside of the meetings, tickets and supplies can be picked up from from Amy at Prevail Wealth. No longer are tickets and supplies available at Shinstrom Insurance or the Kirkland branch of Banner Bank. Rotarians were reminded that all of the volunteer dates are on the Rotary Calendar, and Rotarians can now sign up using the Rotary website.
President Dave announced that the owner of Duffy Electric Boats NW in Marina Park has agreed to host a Rotary event at the business, and Dave noted that a scavenger hunt would be part of the activities. More news on this soon.
Program:
President Dave introduced Dr. Jeff Peterson, the speaker for this evening’s meeting. Dr. Peterson owns a 35-acre farm near Bellingham and planted an apple orchard for distilling cider in 2012. His tax adviser recommended he start a business for, in part, tax reasons, and he did so. At the time there were only three cider distillers and marketers in the state of Washington. It took two years to get the 10,000 trees and three years thereafter for the first harvest. He summarized the history of how apple cider came over on the Mayflower because it was safe and the water was not. He summarized the historical pathway of apple cider due to prohibition. He explained how cider was made and how the different flavors are generated in the distilling process. Due to the weather and soil conditions in Washington State, it is now second in the world to China in cider distilling and sales. He then had members pour samples of six different ciders in glasses provided and taste each one as he explained the differences.
President Dave thanked the speaker for a tremendous presentation of what clearly was a very significant part of his life. He thanked Mike Hunter for greeting and John Woodbery for acting as Scribe. A veteran racing duck was presented to Dr. Peterson and the gift in his name of the customary 600 pounds of food donated to Harvest Against Hunger. Dave rang the bell at 7:25 p.m. to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted
John Woodbery – Acting Scribe