JANUARY 29, 2020

Meeting Recap

Greetings fellow Rotarians! Our speaker today was train and rail advocate, Carl Fowler. Carl gave us a brief history of rail service in Vermont and discussed what the future may hold for rail travel in our state. He predicts that rail service to and from Montreal will be restored within the next 3-5 years as long as some hurdles can be overcome. He explained some of the difficulties in getting passenger rail service up and running again which includes the negotiations of treaties with Canada and the improvement of rail lines across the border. Carl reported that the number of rail travelers in Vermont has significantly increased over the years and has the potential to grow even more. He pointed to the Northeaster (the rail service between Brunswick, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts) as an example of a recently restored service that is highly successful. The Northeaster alone boasts almost a half a million riders each year and has made travel between the coast of Maine and Boston much easier.

Service Above Self Dinner

Our annual Service Above Self Dinner is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, February 12th at The Essex. Each year our Club honors an individual in the community who best exemplifies our motto of, “Service Above Self” as well as several first responders who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in serving the community. Presently, the number of members who have signed up for this dinner is a bit low, so please consider attending what should be a special and memorable evening. Members are asked to sign up and pay in advance using the following link: https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=2b3b9750-2881-4818-a566-e78a64935895 Please be sure to share this link and this information with anyone else you feel may wish to attend this event. Rotarians are also strongly encouraged to bring family members and friends.

Rotary Hockey Classic

Preparations are well under way for the annual Rotary All-Star Hockey Classic. Each year our Club puts on two All-Star Hockey games (a men’s game and a women’s game) which feature the best high school senior hockey players in the state. In addition to being a great showcase for these exceptional young athletes, this event is also our Club’s second largest fundraiser. With that in mind, this event needs all of the support it can get. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, March 21st at the Essex Skating Facility.

Heavenly Pantry Food Shelf

We are looking for volunteers to help staff the Heavenly Pantry Food Shelf on the following dates; Monday, February 10th (5:15pm) and Thursday, February 27th (3:30pm). Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder at sharon.dettenrieder@gmail.com if you are able to fill any of these shifts.

Upcoming Meeting Schedule: Wednesday, February 5, 2020 – We will be hosting the first round of the Rotary Speech Contest, in which area high school students compete for a cash prize and the right to move on to the next round.

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at rotaryclubofessex.org Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary , on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/essexvermontrotary/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essex_rotary

Yours in Rotary,

Jason Ruwet