Some 30 Rotarians gathered at the country club last Wednesday to celebrate another successful Harvest Howl. Denise Gray outdid herself organizing the event, especially in her selection of a fabulous menu of decadent appetizers for everyone to enjoy!
We are still collecting our final invoices and payments, but net proceeds for this year are forecast at $37,000. That's down significantly from last year's record-setting event. Ticket sales were down due to the date change to September, several competing events, and a headlining band that didn't have commercially recognizable name. There were also additional expenses for band costs and upgrading and purchasing a new website, harvesthowl.com.
Nonetheless, from an event standpoint, the Rotary Club shone once again. We put on what many event-goers said was our best concert ever. Don Felder gave a fantastic performance, is a true gentleman and showed us all why he is a multi-Grammy Award winner and Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame member. Although this may not have been our most profitable year, we continued to build the Harvest Howl brand and keep the event fresh and energetic - even without the Christmas trees!
Hats off to the planning committee for working tirelessly again this year - they are the best! Harvest Howl is truly a group effort and a labor of love. Thanks to all who helped out.
Mike Wier, Harvest Howl Chairman
This Week at Rotary
Congressional candidate Denise Juneau will be our featured speaker this week. (We hope to hear from her opponent, Congressman Ryan Zinke, soon.) Sign-ups for our dictionary project began last week and will continue this week, so … join us at noon at the country club!
The monthly meeting of the board of directors will be Tuesday at 4:30 at L’Heureux Page Warner. All members are welcome to attend.
Last Week at Rotary
We had a “club day” at Rotary last week, which gave us more time to get to know our 3 newest blue-badge members: Scott Reasoner (left), Greg Maltby (center right, next to Bill Harp) and Tony Aretz (right). Each one gave his 3-minute talk and then all three were inducted into blue-badge status. Scott’s sponsor is Bill Harp and both Greg and Tony were sponsored by Beth McFadden. Read more about each new member in the articles below.
Kim Richter won the 50-50 pot and promptly donated the whole $111 to the Rotary Foundation. Thanks, Kim!
Introducing New Member Tony Aretz
Tony Aretz is already getting to be a well-known face around the community as the new President of the University of Great Falls - and he's yet to be inaugurated! (All members are encouraged to attend his inauguration this Thursday.) His enthusiastic sponsor is Beth McFadden.
Tony comes to academia by an unusual route. When he graduated from the Air Force Academy, he was asked to stay on as a professor, and he did just that for many years. When he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, his unique combination of leadership and academic experience made him a natural for higher education administration.
We’re lucky to have Tony in Great Falls – and he feels the same way about our community!
... And Greg Maltby
Greg was born and raised in Great Falls, graduating from GFHS in 1979. He credits Hal Halvorson’s gymnastics program with making college possible for him. He went to Arizona State University on a gymnastics scholarship and graduated with a degree in Health and Fitness.
Our very own Beth McFadden enticed him back to Great Falls with terrific job opportunities – not once but twice! He’s now in real estate with Keller Williams. Friendly and unassuming, he’ll be a great Rotarian.
... And Scott Reasoner
Scott Reasoner is general manager for the Great Falls Voyagers and was sponsored for membership by Voyagers board member Bill Harp. Scott grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from DePaw University with a degree in history. As he tells it, the combination of a history degree and a graduation date at the start of the recession did not bode well for him.
After a number of odd jobs, he got a job with a baseball team is Leesburg, FL, an unattractive destination by his account. When he was offered an opportunity with the Voyagers, he snapped it up, and after two years he rose to the recently vacated manager’s seat.
Scott has a great sense of humor and is passionate about attracting and retaining young professionals in Great Falls. Welcome to Rotary, Scott!
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