Barre Rotary Granite CHIPS
5/27/15
Suncommon
Tony opens up our meeting in an non traditional form – with a joke. The joke was far too long, (as a result I could not jot the whole thing down) but needless to say it left many in the crowd with a blank stare. Tony followed the failed attempt with a sad dollar. Karl gave two happy dollars. One for each successful eye surgery to both of his eyes. Unfortunately, one of the surgeries left Karl looking as if he had just completed a few rounds of sparring, but the doctor told him he would be good as new in a few weeks. Dick gave a happy dollar for the return of Rotarian Ron Parnigoni. Ron came back from his winter stay in Venice, Florida a few days earlier. Joe, after being challenged by Tony, did what Tony could not – tell a successful joke. Feeling spurned, Tony gave another crack at stand-up comedy, and again only managed to hear crickets. Since it was comedy hour at The Quarry restaurant our guest, Louisa Tripp, gave it a shot and was able to deliver a good punchline. Although Tony was not able to provide any humor himself, he did manage to inspire fellow Rotarian’s to do so. Begrudgingly, I will give him credit.
In his first meeting back Ron made the club aware that the annual Rotary Breakfast will take place on Saturday, July 25, and that he had tickets for us to sell. Each member is asked to sell ten tickets at seven dollars a piece. Tony then proposed a fine of one and nine on Ron for not wearing the matching suit jacket that went along with, what Joe called “rusty salmon color,” shorts. (They were flashy to say the least) Ron had no defense and the fine passed.
Our musical leader Dick Shadroui led us in the singing of “When You're Smiling.” The rendition started off slow, but the club managed to pull it together and finish strong.
Karl then brought to our attention that the Vermont Granite Museum emailed him and asked if we would like to continue cleaning brush and small trees. As some of you may remember many Rotarian's volunteered time last year to help with the effort. Karl is looking again this year for help. There is no set time just yet, but if you would like to help please make him aware.
Elizabeth was pleased to announce that her and Jim selected this year's RYLA student. His name is Parker Nolan and he attends Spaulding High School. Unfortunately, she also noted that the Interact club for this year will not take place. Elizabeth hopes to revive the program next year. Ted gave a happy dollar for an update on Rotarian Bill Rossi. He has not been present for the past few weeks, but he stated in a brief phone call with Ted that he hopes to be back for next week's meeting.
For our program we welcomed Taylor Ralph and Joel Roach from Suncommon. Some of you may remember we hosted Taylor last year as a speaker for Suncommon. This year she brings Joel who will be replacing her position as she transitions into another spot in the company. The Waterbury Center based company helps Vermonters go solar. Their goal is to raise awareness about solar powered energy and also help people survey their land and install the actual panels. In 2014 Suncommon was able to help approximately 1,500 Vermonters obtain solar energy. Joel was there to introduce their latest project, “Barre Summer of Solar.” They will be hosting events throughout the summer in Barre to meet their goal, which is to transfer ten Barre Town/City residents from traditional power over to solar. One specifically will take place at The Quarry restaurant on Tuesday, June 9th. They will be open to any questions a prospective solar client may have about the process. If you would like to check out more information on the company, or are even considering making the switch please visit their website www.suncommon.com
See you next week!
