We Meet at Noon on Thursday

September 16, 2021

Plated Meal Served

(Zoom Meeting Opens at 11:45)

 

Dennis Lamkin

Local Historian

 

 

Enjoy a powerful presentation of some of the most historic landscapes in Duluth and learn about the nationally known landscape architects who designed them.

 

 

By Traci Marciniak

 

President-Elect Barb Perrella rang the bell and called upon Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom for the Rotary Reflection.  Having just learned of his assignment, the stalwart Rotarian that he is, “kept on rollin” by offering off-the-cuff remarks about the importance of our speaker and program.

Barb Perrella working the crowd from the podium

 

President-Elect Barb Perrella provided the Fellowship report by first introduced visiting Harbortown Rotarian, Scott Soderberg, and Andrew Weisz, CEO of Finden Marketing, a guest of Skeeter Moore.  Since Dave Fulda is so shy, Phil Strom reported that Dave was the winner of $500 during a recent sporting clay competition. Allen Anway paid a fine for appearing in the Junction magazine as one of the founding members of the Railroad Museum Club.

 

Remarks by Allen Anway before stuffing the Golden Can

 

Jim Schwartz announced beginning October 6, backpacks for elementary children to take food home for themselves and their family for the weekend will be filled every 1^st Wednesday of the month from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Northern Lakes Food Bank.

 

President-Elect Barb Perrella reminded Rotarians to sign up for the North Shore Scenic Railroad train ride scheduled for Friday, September 17. RSVPs are to be emailed to Mary Neimeyer. There is plenty of space so invite family and friends.

Before introducing his guest and speaker, Chair of the Day Skeeter Moore, paid a fine for his son scoring his first goal while playing in Sweden’s Professional Hockey League. Keeping with the hockey theme, our speaker Todd Campbell, shared that he played hockey all through his youth and while in college—even playing goalie for some time! All that skating made him the perfect early adopter of inline skating, which led to his involvement as a long-standing board member of the NorthShore Inline Marathon.

Skeeter Moore with a table full of guests

 

Inline skating began in the 1980’s as a way for ice hockey players to continue skating and conditioning during the summer. In the 1990’s the sport took off and reached its peak in 1998 when it was estimated that 32 million people in the United States inline skated at least once during the year. The popularity of the sport has declined with active participants currently at about 3 million.

 

Recognizing the interest in the sport back in the early 90’s, a group of Duluth community members and dedicated skaters (including Rotarians Elizabeth Simonson and Sandy Hoff) got together in 1996 and created the NorthShore Inline Marathon. The first race in ’96 drew 1,200 skaters and continued growing to 4,400 participants in 2002.  Thanks to diehard fans of the sport, the NorthShore Inline Marathon remains the largest race nationally. The introduction of additional types and lengths of races to the weekend has helped keep the event vibrant. Now celebrating its 25-year anniversary, the NorthShore Inline Marathon is poised to welcome people from all over the world to compete in skating, running, roller skiing races, a skate jam, roller derby and more. There are plenty of ways to be part of the fun even if your ankles aren’t made to skate!

 

Speaker Todd Campbell with prototype inline skates from 1996

 

By Geiger Yount

 

At the 27^th Annual Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association, twelve hardy souls, associated with our Rotary Club, helped to make it happen. Volunteers working the event on Saturday included:  Rob Hofmann, Jim Schwartz, Roxanna Esguerra, Patra Sevastiades, Dean Casperson, Branden Robinson, Jerry Pelofske, Jeff Fifield, Jon Ohman. Skeeter Moore, Geiger Yount, and friend of Rotary Joel Bamford.  Another example of Rotary in action.

Rotarian Volunteers working at the 27^th Annual Harvest Festival