The northern Minnesota cold could not keep Rotarians and their guests from gathering at the Holiday Inn Great Lakes Ballroom for their weekly meeting. The room had filled to capacity when President- Elect Steve Yorde rang the Rotary bell and extended a warm welcome to all. Steve mentioned that he was filling in for President Tricia Bunten who was on a work assignment in warm sunny Florida. Everyone stood to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” accompanied by Past President John Baumgarten on the piano followed by Darlene Anderson with the Invocation. She told how her family always enjoyed their week long adventures in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and, even while grown and away from the Northland, the kids call home asking Mom and Dad to take them again. How thankful we should be to live in a place where we can make wonderful memories.

As everyone took their seats, John Baumgarten changed roles and stepped to the podium as the Fellowship Reporter. He welcomed our visiting Rotarian Rich Bruns from Cloquet and our many guests. Since it had been a quiet week in Duluth, John became creative in his efforts to successfully fill the Golden Can. First he asked all who had ever been on an outdoor adventure with the speaker Sam Cook to come forward and kick the can. Many Rotarians have joined Sam and were proud to pay for the memory. The Norshore Theater opened on Wednesday after a decade of planning and renovation. Those involved in this project as contractors, board members and sponsors were asked to come and again many Rotarians came to add to the can. The Laskiainen Festival at Palo is being held this weekend. All good Finns should attend and all should be glad to also kick the Golden Can. Edie Michalski self reported that one of her art works at the Duluth Art Institute event  won a People's Choice Award. Way to go, Edie! Then Paul Helstrom confessed that he had presented at the Harbortown Rotary Club on the topic of solar energy.

Always a highlight of the first meeting of the month is the introduction of our incoming Junior Rotarians by their outgoing classmates. Please take time to visit with them during the month.

And we sang “Happy Birthday” to our February celebrants: Geiger Yount (28 years of service), Dennis Falk (2 years), Sheryl Homan (12 years), Steve Hadley (18 years), Amy Galbraith (8 years), Deanna Benson (18 years), Mike Murray (14 years) and Jack Schilling (44 years). Congratulations to all!

Coming March 3 is Cloquet Rotary Club's “Rotary March for Veterans Celebration” and inviting us to participate was Cloquet Rotarian Rich Bruns. Their club had a presentation made by the 23^rd Veteran organization and for many members of their club, the problem of PTSD hit close to home. They wondered what they could do to help and so organized this event. It is March 3, 5:30-9:00 pm at The AAD Shriners Center in Hermantown. Tickets are $30. There will be a silent auction and more items are needed for that. All are welcome to attend. Funds raised will go to local veterans' organizations.

On Wednesday, February 7 the Commissary and House Committee will meet at noon to discuss the contract our club has with the Holiday Inn and alternative sites for our weekly meetings. If you cannot attend but would like to contribute your ideas, please contact Jon Welles who will be leading the meeting.

The speaker for the day needed little introduction as Sam Cook has been part of Duluth for many years sharing his stories in the Duluth News Tribune. Each week he lets us into his life sharing about his friends, adventures and the wonders of nature. But Sam doesn't just share what is on his mind, but more so what is in his heart. And that is what makes reading his stories so special.

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Sam came to Duluth 38 years ago having grown up in Kansas. It was a Boy Scout trip to the Boundary Waters that exposed him to life in the Northwoods. He came to Ely for awhile after college and then to Duluth. Sam and his wife decided that Duluth was where they wanted to raise their kids and so they have stayed, even though the kids are now grown up and on to other parts of the world. Sam's life has truly been an adventure as he asks people “Tell Me Your Story” and then, with notebook and camera in hand, records their story to share with all of us.  There have been many epic adventures such as joining Will Steiger on his trip to the North Pole which is actually a floating sheet of ice with no pole to mark the spot. Or a sled dog trip around Baffin Island again with Will Steiger, pushing the big sleds up the hills, over the huge rocks while the sled dogs curled up and waited. It was too icy for the dogs to pull so they patiently waited for the men to complete the almost impossible task. Or stopping by Stony Point on a windy day to talk with surfers enjoying Lake Superior's big waves. Or fishing on our secret lakes (names are seldom shared especially if large fish are caught). Or watching elk run freely in the mountains, sitting inside a deer hunting cabin in the North Woods or fat biking on a frozen lake. These are just some of the stories and pictures that Sam shared with us. The time went quickly as he let us into his life. When asked if there was another book in the near future, he stated that would have to be when he retires and he is not sure about that date. There are still too many more stories to tell every week in his newspaper column. And we are glad for that.

 

 

 

On Saturday, February 3rd, Rotaractors and Club 25ers judged the 66th Annual Northeastern Minnesota Regional Science Fair. Over 300 middle and high school students, who had already excelled at their school science fair, were in attendance at this regional/American Indian fair. Regional Fair participants competed for local awards and scholarships as well as a chance to proceed to the state level. The Local Service Committee also provided a $500 Sponsorship for the science fair.

The Club 25 Grants Committee is accepting applications to provide funding to qualifying organizations in the Spring, 2017. For more information on the criteria for receiving funding from Club 25, review the Grant Guidelines. To apply for funding, the organization should complete the Grant Application Form. All applications are due to Bri, bri@duluthrotary.org, by February 15th. If the organization received a grant from Club 25 last year, a Final Report must be  completed prior to being considered for further  funding.