Help Dr. Cait Walter celebrate her first home in Great Falls at her Rotarian social today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring a plant or something you think will beautify her new digs! She lives at 233 Sixteenth Ave. S.
Monday evening from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Rotarians are serving dinner at the men's rescue mission. Join us!
Our noon meeting on Tuesday will feature Dr. Susan Wolff on the subject of the Ukraine Economic Development Mission involving Great Falls this week. Plus, the 50-50 pot is now at $230!
The Rotary board meeting will be Tuesday at 5:30 at the country club. On the agenda will be next steps for the Camp Rotary bridge. All members are welcome to attend.
Our evening meeting on Thursday will feature Heidi Hockett, who will tell attendees about the role Northwestern Energy plays in Great Falls and throughout the state.
Last Week at Rotary
As Meadow Lark Country Club prepares for the 100th anniversary of its founding, we were treated at least week's noon meeting to a heart-warming and fact-filled presentation on its history by Michael Burrell.
In October 1999, a large group of business and professional men met in downtown Great Falls with the goal of establishing a recreation and social club in the community. Some 130 founding members invested $500/share, the equivalent of $7,500 today, to make that idea a reality. They paid $47,000 to purchase 240 acres at the confluence of the Missouri and Sun Rivers from Paris Gibson as a site for the club. The property was much bigger then, extending west to what is now Fox Farm Road and south to Park Garden Road.
In 1920, members started playing golf at the country club, so named because it really was "out in the country" at that time. The stately cottonwoods and lush green grass we enjoy today were not there in those early days. In fact, it wasn't until after World War II that the club made the investments that have made it one of the best golf courses in the Pacific Northwest. By selling off the perimeter acreage for housing subdivisions, the club acquired the financing needed to plant trees and grass on the now-beautiful course and update the swimming and tennis facilities.
The original clubhouse cost $30,000. The room where we meet on Tuesdays started out as a screened-in porch, and the fireplace in the central dining room was the only source of heat. During the Depression, a swimming pool was installed in order to make the country club more family-friendly. Even so, in the early days, the club was only open seasonally. A Halloween party was usually the closing event of the season.
Throughout its century of existence, Meadow Lark Country Club has made special efforts to welcome those in the military. MLCC has always had a military discount and continues to offer one today. Most notably, over 100 years MLCC has become the heart of Great Falls, playing host to over 2,000 charity events and providing a second home to entertain friends and bring families together As Mr. Burrell noted, "Dreamers 100 years ago built it. Dreamers have kept it alive and well ever since."
It's Official! Harvest Howl Bands Are Signed!
Last month Harvest Howl Chair Mike Wier and our intrepid band-whisperer, Tom Nelson, announced that they had verbal confirmation for the bands at Harvest Howl 2019. Last week, Mike made it official and announced Rotarians can make their table reservations NOW.
Los Lonely Boys, featuring the three Garza brothers out of Texas, has a Tex-Mex sound that is sure to get people on the dance floor. They are Grammy winners whose best-known song is "Heaven." The top-billed band is none other than Smash Mouth, with double-platinum recordings dating back to 1987 and the musical soundtrack to "Shrek" to boast of.
Two huge draws! This year's Harvest Howl is going to be another record-breaker! Reserve your tables today!
This week's bulletin bucks # is 43. If that's the number on the back of your button, contact Todd Neighbor for your $25 gift card!
One Final Push for Polio Plus
Eradicating polio is our club's top priority, along with Rotary clubs throughout the world. This fiscal year, with only 22 days left, we are still some $800 short of our annual goal.
Rotarians have contributed $1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2 billion children and make the world 99% polio-free. It’s crucial to eliminate polio from the last three countries and to keep other countries polio-free.
How can you help? Montana Business Archives has partnered with Rotary Club to “Trade the Clutter and Shred Polio.” The event, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, at Meadow Lark Country Club, is open to the public. Rid yourself of the clutter of old records in a safe manner and make a difference in the world. Box up your old, sensitive records and bring them to the Country Club, pay a nominal fee and your items will be secure and safely shredded. Don’t worry about stapled items but do remove any papers that may be in plastic; we will also accept CDs containing sensitive information. Costs: $10 per box for the first two boxes, $15 for boxes 3-5, and $20 for each additional box. Help us to End Polio NOW! Please pass news of this fundraiser to your friends and associates.
Milestones
Happy birthday to Jennifer Creed today and Tim Peterson tomorrow! May the next year of your lives be full of beauty, love, and laughter.
Weekly Whimsy
More proverbs from first-graders completing a sentence:
A bird in the hand ... is going to poop on you.
You get out of something only what you ... see in the picture on the box.
As Meadow Lark Country Club prepares for the 100th anniversary of its founding, we were treated at least week's noon meeting to a heart-warming and fact-filled presentation on its history by Michael Burrell.
