President Dennis Connolly began the meeting by reviewing upcoming Rotary events.
- The NBMV Rotary Holiday Party will be this Friday, January 24th, 6-9PM at Michelle and Mike Caron’s home. Watch your email for white elephant gift dice game details.
- Our 19th Annual Gold Plate Dinner Gala will be held on Friday April 17, at the Mermaid. The planning committee, led by Cindy Carlson and Nicole Ulrich, met earlier today. Ticket sales and donations are the key to a successful event so be thinking about who might want to attend the event or donate an auction item.
- Stillwater Rotary is having their “Taste of the Valley” fundraiser on January 30th, 6-10PM, at The Waterstreet Inn, 101 Water Street S, Stillwater.
- White Bear Lake Rotary is holding the 12th annual BEAR’ly Open golf tournament on ice. The fun starts with a dance at 8PM at White Bear Country Inn followed by golfing on the ice at noon on Saturday February 1st at Ramsey beach on White Bear Lake. All net proceeds go the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf.
- At 11AM on Friday April 24th (Arbor Day) we will once again give out free tree saplings to area 4th graders. We’ll have 540 trees to give away this year so we’ll need lots of help. Mark your calendars now.
- Gerry Tietz has an electronic radon tester that he’s willing to loan to club members who’d like to check their homes for radon.
Watch your email for a complete list of Rotary activities.
Happy Bucks Highlights:
- Dana Rebelein was thrilled to have two stepsons visit her this past week.
- Charlie Longbella scored a goal in the hockey league he joined recently.
- Paul Fournier just celebrated his 86th birthday! See photo below.
Paul Fourier introduced his wife, Chrissy, to speak about her 20 year association with Lundstrum Performing Arts. After retiring from Broadway musical theater, Chrissy joined the staff of Lundstrum Performing Arts as a way to give back to young people in gratitude for her wonderful career. Chrissy revels in the opportunity to give North Minneapolis kids a chance to act, sing and dance. Chrissy turned the presentation over to Tyler Anderson for details about Lundstrum.
Tyler joined Lundstrum a year ago to help get the word out to the community and civic groups. Tyler began with some Lundstrum history. It all started in the 1920’s when 15 year-old Dorothy Lundstrum took over Ascension School of Dance with her sisters, Lorraine and Marion. For nearly 80 years, despite economic changes in North Minneapolis, Dorothy remained committed to providing quality instruction in dance, charm and fashion. When Dorothy passed away in 1998, she willed the studio to the Casserly sisters to continue the work she had started. In 2000, the sisters created a non-profit and expanded the curriculum to specialize in musical theater training. They wisely drew on the talents of instructors with Broadway experience, like Chrissy.
Lundstrum Performing Art’s mission is: “To cultivate a love and knowledge of the performing arts so that young people will discover their unique gifts, develop their depth of character and imagine new possibilities for their lives, ensuring access for all through scholarship support.”
For more information about Lundstrum Performing arts, contact Tyler Anderson: Tyler@Lundstrum.org
Chrissy, Tyler and Paul are pictured below.
