Oh, What a Night!

We did it! Another Harvest Howl is now in the history books. We had a good crowd and great music, and early reports indicate folks had a really good time. It will take weeks before we know how much we were able to raise for Camp Rotary through this year's event. But we do know that, despite considerable challenges, we preserved our brand as a great autumn party in Montana!

In this issue of the eBulletin, we celebrate all of you who made it happen.

Above the Call of Duty ...

Saturday morning as dozens of Rotarians scurried around Expo Park strewing leaves across tables, setting wineglasses and erecting banners in preparation for the night's event, Tom Nelson stared blankly at the stage.

In 10 hours, the first band would open a night filled with music. But a mere three weeks ago, we had nothing. Within five hours of each other, both of the bands that Tom had taken such care to recruit and contract with months ago canceled. We had never had one band cancel on Harvest Howl, and now we had two! With only three weeks till the event!

Harvest Howl with no music? Not possible! Should we cancel the event entirely? Try to find somebody local? The Rotary board decided to stay the course and turned to Tom to save the day.

Which he did. With his contacts in the music industry and his indefatigable determination, he managed to find not one, but two excellent replacements with 10 days to spare.

But his worrying was not yet done. There was the weather. A team from Tom's workplace, Davidson Companies, had been stranded in Denver for two days the week before the Howl. What if the bands got stranded too? Tom brought the issue before the board ... as usual with possible solutions.

"Did the bands get here all right?" Tom was asked Saturday morning.

The relief on Tom's face spoke before he did. "Yeah," he said, smiling. "They're here. They're both here." Then he looked back at the stage, as though he couldn't quite believe the bands would be on it in just a few hours.

Many hands made sure that this Harvest Howl measured up to expectations. But probably no two hands were more instrumental in meeting those expectations and preserving our brand than those of Tom Nelson. We are all in his debt.

Many Hands Make Light Work

How many times has Harvest Howl Chairman Mike Wier made that statement as he urged Rotarians to sign up early and often for the many tasks associated with the Howl?

Well, we heard him. Those arriving early on Saturday to set up for the event were surprised to find that the tables were already set up, not only for dining but for the silent auction and dessert auction and tokens and tickets! Thanks to Art Taft, Kurt Baltrusch, and Sherrie Arey, among others, the set-up work on Saturday was not nearly as hectic.

But Lacey Gallagher was there to open the doors Saturday morning and make sure the bands had everything they needed. Dave Crum, Mark Nash, Kurt Baltrusch, and Mark Nash got right to work ladders and banners. Keith Tokerud, Shim Albassi, Virginia Stacey, Beth McFadden and others did the detail work on the dining tables. As the day progressed many more Rotarians pitched in.

For sheer longevity behind the scenes, though, we must hail Art, Kurt, Mark, and Lacey. Mark and Lacey put in a long, long day Saturday from opening the doors in the morning through closing them after clean-up in the early Sunday hours. And from Friday night set-up to Sunday morning clean-up, Art and Kurt were there, doing whatever had to be done. In between, Art baked a pie for the dessert auction! You guys rock!

It's Not Just the Music!

Our auctions are a big part of our profit from Harvest Howl. Rotarians came through again to make both the silent auction and the dessert auction more enticing than ever. (You've never seen so many wine baskets in your life!) Thank you to all the Rotarians who donated items for these important events.

And a big thank-you to Sandy Filipowicz and Susan Wolff for heading up the silent auction and Barb Mullins and Carol Lindseth, who headed up the dessert auction.

Just Bee-Cause

It's a wonderful feeling when the doors open and our event actually begins. We've transformed a bleak, empty space into a thing of warmth and excitement. But as it fills with people looking for a good time, our work has just begun. Many worker bees make the night the howling success it has become.

This year, Chelle Fried took care of the food and drink vendors and was in charge of banking all the tokens. Carey Gray led the 50/50. Tim Peterson and Scott Reasoner made sure the liquor kept flowing. Caitlin Walter led the greeting crew. Sheila Rice did her usual fantastic job on the premiere dinners. Brett Doney and Todd Neighbor cashiered for the silent auction. And a lot of just plain ole worker bees pitched in wherever they were needed.

Such dedication. Such organization! We can all be proud of the work we've done. But a special thanks to those who led the way, especially our matchless chairman, Mike Wier.

Coming Up This Week

Won't it be nice to return to normalcy this week? With no rushed preparations for Harvest Howl, we can sit back and relax as our own Joann Gogo tells us about the Airman Support Group. Join us at noon at the country club!