February 23, 2018

February 23, 2018….A night to remember.  After days of hard work by just about every member of the club and many others, the Rotary Club of Petaluma Crab Feed opened the doors for a lively evening.

Everyone enjoyed gathering during the cocktail hour admiring some of the custom decorated tables.

Super Raffle Ticket sales were brisk at the front of the room.  Having a bar selling drinks nearby was an excellent idea!

District Governor Bob Rogers and his lovely wife Peggy joined the party!

President Chris Ranney invited the crowd to take their seats.  This took a while as everyone was having a lot of fun.

Reverend Bill Donahue gave the opening invocation and Dan Libarle asked everyone to take a moment in memory of our beloved past president and long time member Don Ramatici. 

Following a spirited group singing of God Bless America, everyone began to feast on salad, pasta, French roles and of course, fresh cracked crab.

Girl Scout members were working hard selling their Girl Scout Cookies table by table.

Soon the program turned to raising funds for the Rotary Barbeque Pavilion at the Miracle League Field at Lucchesi Park.  Jenn Richardson of the Miracle League team and her son Liam gave a passionate challenge to the community to complete this project.  Auctioneer Phil Trau worked tirelessly to raise major funds during the live auction and fund-a-need.

One of the big supporters of the night was our own Henry Hansel.  He graciously answered to call to purchase the second Giant's Baseball package.

 Our club treasurer, Tawny Tesconi was the detail person of the operation lining up spotters and gathering all bidder information along with handling all the money afterwards.  

All eyes were on the stage as the winners of the super raffle were announced.  The grand prize winner of the raffle was our own Jane Saldana Tally!

Behind the scenes, we had great help from the gentlemen of Lace House Linens.  Special thanks to Boy Scout Troop 8 scouts and parents along with members of PHS Interact Club and St. Vincent Elementary School for set up, check in and serving.

Just a few more photos from the event:

This week's Editor: Joanne Ferris

February 15, 2018

Donald (“Don”) Ramatici

December 4, 1927 – February 9, 2018

Member since 1963; President 1989-90

President Chris opened the meeting with a moment of silence for our beloved Don Ramatici. 

Ed Fullerton led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Whit Hall strolled the room as he led us in singing our club song and God Bless America. 

President Nominee Danny Fish delivered his Thought for the Day, a well-received story about a father whose thoroughly modern daughter was about to be married.

There were no visiting Rotarians.  Three members brought guests:   Danny Fish brought his wife Debra; Michael Nistler introduced our exchange student Maurus Pajarola; and President Chris hosted Jennifer Richardson.

Sitting at the February birthday table were Whit Hall, Wally Bragdon, and Al Cattalini.  Also celebrating, but absent from the table were Chris Elzi and Brian Breen.

Members were reminded to sign up for our upcoming dictionary distribution.  You can sign up on the Club website or contact Geoff Ellis.

Save the date: We are hosting the SCARC Dinner on Thursday, March 29 (5:30pm at the Petaluma Golf and Country Club).  We will be dark at lunch that day.

Another date to save: Friday, April 6 is our annual Farmers and Merchants Night.

Lee Reposa reported on Super Raffle ticket sales and recognized two super sellers.

Sherry Burwen received a bottle of bubbly for selling 35 tickets this week.

And Steve Powell was the week’s top seller in the Men’s Division with 18 tickets sold.  Lee thanked Brian Breen and Rick Gorman for their hard work in organizing the sales and noted that Tom Baker had sold 157 tickets so far!

Michael Caruana reminded us that we will be dark next Thursday as we prepare for Friday’s Crab Feed.

Maureen Rudder announced that Crab Feed ticket sales are going well with 440 tickets sold so far.  Online sales will end at midnight Thursday.

Joanne Ferris is looking for help in setting up for the event.  If you can help on Thursday or Friday please contact her.

Jennifer Richardson of Miracle League North Bay briefed us on playground construction progress.  Lee Reposa reported on the Rotary Pavilion at the Miracle League field which will be funded by proceeds from the live auction at the Crab Feed.  Auction items are:

• VIP suite for 12 at a SF Giants game
• Private horse show and gourmet dinner for eight
• Personalized picnic tables
• A day on the Russian River followed by dinner at the Union Hotel
• A Cabo San Lucas vacation

Maureen Rudder had the winning ticket, drew the proper rock, and went home with $150.

Danny Fish introduced Jennifer Welsh, Police Chief for SMART.  She gave an interesting presentation on our local rail service with particular emphasis on safety and security.

See you at the Crab Feed!

This week's Editor: Al Cattalini; photos by Michael Nistler and Al Cattalini

February 1, 2018

Sunny skies and President Chris Ranney welcomed Petaluma Rotarians and guests to the first meeting of February.

Tom Baker was honored to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Michael Nistler picked manageable registers (a neat trick) for both the club song and “God Bless America”.

Chris Elzi had thoughts for the day, witticisms by famous folk on a rather popular topic:  money.

Those reflections on the almighty dollar were followed by a priceless exchange of greetings, handshakes and hugs.

We were reminded that our annual dictionary distribution to Petaluma students is coming soon. Geoff Ellis will once again marshal the troops for this important project, so we should all be ready to volunteer when he makes the call.

President Chris challenged us with a little Rotary trivia.  Those tables where the well-informed were seated received valuable prizes.  Knowing that February is Peace and Conflict Resolution Month was rewarded with Nerf bombs, and identifying Jimmy Carter as the cover photo for this month’s Rotarian magazine earned bags of . . . peanuts, of course.

Our president updated us on the tri-club District Grant that will make it possible for the three Petaluma clubs to plant trees in several parks around town this spring.

Michael Caruana reported that the committee working on the annual Crab Feed has been doing a stellar job and will probably produce a capacity crowd.  Maureen Rudder emphasized the importance of making reservations as soon as possible, especially for groups of more than 8, as the hall is filling up.  Both reservations and credit card purchases can be made on our website. 

Super Raffle ticket sales are going very well, but those team captains are always looking for maximum effort.  Be sure to turn in those sale proceeds and stubs, or you may be on the receiving end of a “Glengarry Glen Ross” tirade.

Participants are needed for our Rotary float in the Butter and Egg Days parade in April.  If you can help with preparations and/or walk in the parade, please make yourself known.

Michael Nistler delivered the first of two sunshine reports.  Brett Shinn, never the couch potato, took a nasty tumble at considerable speed on his bicycle, resulting in three broken ribs and a separated clavicle.  At least Brett has some idea where to find competent health care.  He has been substantially put back together and is recovering, looking forward to seeing us soon.

John Dado informed us that Don Ramatici is having a tough time with a hip, requiring a second surgery.  All of us wish Don a speedy recovery and pain-free days ahead.

Charlie Stuart gave us a preview of next week’s speaker, Brian Overstreet, president of Advera Health, who will dazzle us with data analytics on health and safety.  Charlie also announced an opening on the Advisory Committee of the Petaluma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency.  If you know of a local rancher, farmer, or grower – or perhaps that’s you – who may be interested in serving on that committee, Charlie can put you in touch with the agency.

John Dado, not exactly unfamiliar with good luck, had the winning raffle ticket.  The rock was blue, and given a choice, John chose the red wine over the white (make a note in case you are inviting him for dinner). 

Sometimes guest speakers really don’t need an introduction, in this case our own Michael and Grace Nistler.  Speaking from recent experience Michael and Grace gave an in-depth look at recreational vehicle adventure travel, covering the benefits, costs, tips for planning, best ways to share information, and how to get the most out of modern life on the road.  One of their beautiful photos, a prized image captured on one of their shorter excursions (to the C Street parking structure in Petaluma), was awarded via raffle to Maggie Radany.

This week's Editor: Clark Rosen