This week we renew our tradition of hearing from the coaches of the Great Falls Voyagers. They'll come to the country club, so our meeting venue is the same as usual. We've got a lot going on, so join us at noon at the country club!
Last Week at Rotary
Last week Jim Strauss, publisher of the Great Falls Tribune, brought us up to speed on how newspapers work in the digital age. The Tribune was one of the first newspapers in the country to go online, and it's been an important move, both for the business and for the services the Tribune can provide.
The Tribune still has a physical newspaper, but its presence has expanded with the e-newspaper and the mobile app versions. The e-newspaper has had 108% year-over-year growth rate for several years now, and the mobile app is growing even faster. Posting stories online before they appear in the newspapers allows the editors to analyze where readers lose interest in a particular story and revise it to improve its readability. The online format also provides a broader variety of services to advertisers, as well as a broader audience.
Thanks to its online presence, the Great Falls Tribune is read by 77,000 adults every weekday and by 96,000 adults on Sundays. Interestingly, its most popular sections are not the front page or even the sports page; the "Hot Ticket" insert on Fridays and the "My Montana" section on Sundays are the most-read.
The Great Falls Tribune has been voted the state's best newspaper 7 times. It is one of only two newspapers in the state to have won a Pulitzer Prize. And it is the only Montana newspaper to have a full-year, full-time reporter in the state's capital, covering state government. We're fortunate to have this valuable resource here in Great Falls.
Do You Know Someone Who Would Be a Good Rotarian?
The August issue of The Rotarian, which arrived last week, is filled with articles that help you tout the advantages of Rotary to a perspective new member. The articles "Reasons to love Rotary right now" and "Brand aid" are especially interesting, and various articles point to the flexibility the Council on Legislation is providing to help clubs expand their membership.
But as Rotary International President John F. Germ points out in his President's Message, new members don't magically appear in our clubs. We have to ask them to join. "An invitation is a gift," he wrote. "It's saying to someone, 'I think you have the skills, the talent, and the character to make our community better, and I want you to join me in doing that.'"
Offer a gift that keeps on giving. Ask someone you know to consider membership.
Rotarians Are ... Always Up for a Cause!
Our fellow Rotarians in Philipsburg have reached out to us for help as they host the second annual Aber Day Reunion 2016. It's in Philipsburg from 12 - 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. Susan Wolff is organizing a work crew to help staff the event. Please contact her if you would like to help.
And if you'd just like to kick back, enjoy a beautiful summer day in an outdoor amphitheater, and hear some great music, make your plans now to attend. Bands include Mission Mountain Wood Band, the Lil' Smokies, and Big Sky Mudflaps.
Tickets are $35/adult now, $40 day of. You can purchase your tickets online at grizalum.org. The event is a benefit for the Philipsburg Rotary Club, partnering with UM Alumni Association and Missoula Liquid Assets.
Milestones
July has brought many good Rotarians to this club. Celebrating their Rotary anniversaries this month are:
Gordon Rubard - 38 years
Fred Anderson - 31 years
Cheryl Crawley and Dave Crum - 22 years
Bruce Davidson - 15 years
Diane Wright - 4 years
That's a whole lot of years of service above self from our July Rotarians. Thanks to all of you for all you do!
Weekly Wisdom: This Week in History
July 17, 1918 - In a Russian town in Siberia, former Czar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children were murdered by Bolsheviks.
July 18, 1947 - President Harry Truman signed an Executive Order determining the line of succession if a president becomes incapacitated or dies in office. Following the vice president, the speaker of the house and president of the Senate are next in succession. Twenty years later, this became the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
July 19, 1863 – In the first use of black troops in the Civil War, 600 men of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry lost their lives trying to capture Fort Wagner near Charleston, SC.
July 20, 1969 – As the world watched on television, Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon.
July 21, 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, famous American author, was born in Oak Park, IL.
July 22, 1934 – Betrayed by the “Lady in Red," bank robber John Dillinger (1902-1934) was shot and killed by FBI agents as he left a Chicago movie theater.
Our fellow Rotarians in Philipsburg have reached out to us for help as they host the second annual Aber Day Reunion 2016. It's in Philipsburg from 12 - 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. Susan Wolff is organizing a work crew to help staff the event. Please contact her if you would like to help. 
