The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting at the Lee Johnson Auto Family facility, 11845 NE 85th Street in Kirkland, on September 13, 2021.

President Dave DeBois called the meeting, also known as the Duck Dash Branding Party, to order at 6:00 p.m. Head Duck Amy Mutal led the activities.

In attendance were George Anderson, David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Scott Becker, Rich Bergdahl, Gary Cohn, Terry Cole, David DeBois, Donald Dicks, Monica Fratita, Mekonen Giorgis, Brandon Honcoop, Alan Hoviland, Michael Hunter, Brett Johnson, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, James Nevers, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Steve Shinstrom, Patti Smith, Bill Taylor, Brian Tucker, Alice Volpe, Rick Walter, John Woodbery.

 

Guests:

 

There were numerous prospective members and guests present for the event.

 

Event:

 

At the gathering, the Duck Dash racing ducks were stripped of prior serial numbers, and new serial numbers were applied (a.k.a. branded) to coincide with the club's ticket sales and race protocol. Once the racing ducks were rebranded, club members gathered for further fellowship over pizza, Joanne Primavera's special cookies, and refreshments.

 

The meeting adjourned when everyone left for the evening.

The United Nations declared the week of October 4 “World Space Week” to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. On October 4, join the Museum of Flight’s exhibit developer and adjunct curator for space history, Geoff Nunn, for a whirlwind tour of the Museum’s space flight and exploration programs and exhibits. Geoff will treat Rotarians to a pictorial tour and touch on highlights of the Museum’s extensive space collection and programming. On October 11, NASA Gateway Program business manager Emma Lehnhardt will introduce Rotarians to NASA’s Artemis Program, a mission to return to, and land the first woman and first person of color on, the Moon. The Gateway Program, a critical part of Artemis, will be humanity’s first permanent outpost in deep space, circling the Moon in a special orbit that will allow constant communication with the Earth and access to unexplored areas of the lunar surface. An additional speaker for the Space series is to be announced.

Club President Dave DeBois led board members on a visit to the Courtyard by Marriott at 11215 NE 124th Street in Kirkland. This location is west of I-405 at Totem Lake, on the south side of 124th across the street from the QFC. Board members met with Courtyard staff and visited two meeting rooms to determine their suitability for Monday night club meetings. The Rose Hill Room is approximately 750 s.f., and the Evergreen Room is approximately 1.150 s.f.

 

Board leadership is engaged in conversations with the Courtyard's management regarding menus, amenities, and costs. President Dave notes that if an arrangement can be reached, the earliest possible in-person meeting date would be October 18. Expect to learn more about this possible venue for club meetings at the next online club meeting, October 4.

The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, September 16, using the Zoom platform. Highlights include a lengthy discussion of the options available for meeting locations, and the potential for improving the club's accessibility to current and new members through moving to a combination of Zoom and activity or event-centered meetings each month. The board discussed the Duck Dash Branding Party at Lee Johnson's and day-of-race operations at Hallmark and extended an earlier board decision to require masks for all attendees, except when eating or drinking. There was a follow-up discussion about the number of Duck Dash tickets being sold and the number of racing ducks that should be branded; and the arrangements to carry off the event with success. The board determined to return to Zoom meetings during the winter, unless a suitable location can be found, and to return board meetings to Zoom through March.