November 11, 2006

This Week’s Program…
Tracy Marksberry - The Learning Community

Last Week’s Program...
Gabrielle Gray – International Bluegrass Music Museum

We appreciate Gabrielle Gray for doing a fantastic job filling the program bill in the absence of Coach Smith.

After playing "Faded Love" on their fiddles, Gabrielle, Executive Director and Mike Lawing, Assistant Director made compelling arguments for us all to visit the museum and to value it for what it is – a cultural and economic development asset that it is and that it’s likely going to be.

Gabrielle said that we, in Owensboro and surrounding areas, may be too close to the bluegrass roots to see how important this genre of music is to the area and to the whole planet. The music described as "honest", "happy" and "American" has a fan base that is growing exponentially around the world. Gabrielle attended a bluegrass music festival in San Francisco last month that attracted more than 475,000 music lovers.

When Gabrielle came on board the IBMM in 2003 she said that all the money she could raise, she put into programs such as archiving the video and audio of the founders of bluegrass music and developing children’s programming. Now the focus has shifted to raising funds for endowments to take the museum to the next level along with the music’s popularity.

With the growth of the genre will hopefully rise the opportunity to see a 4-year degree offered in bluegrass music by one of our local post-secondary institutions. Other plans are to reach out and nurture the growth of bluegrass music in eastern Europe and Asia . The 4-day bluegrass music celebration in Daviess County called ROMP or River of Music Party also seeks to attract fans of the music to this town and surrounding region….the region that was once known as the Audubon region and is now referred to by many as the Bluegrass, Blues and Barbecue region.

Perhaps the most ambitious undertaking of the IBMM was described by Mike Lawing as the Bluegrass Portal on the world-wide web. Radio Bluegrass International will attempt to be the destination on the internet for bluegrass fans around the globe. Some of the features of the site will include streaming bluegrass music and shows and translation of the site into many foreign languages. Mike reminded us that no matter what language you speak, Owensboro, Kentucky is Owensboro, Kentucky .

Mike and Gabrielle closed us out with fiddle and mandolin music and their friend Berk Bryant finished his pie.

Attendance: 75

Highest Attendance This Year: 95

Invocation, Pledge & 4-Way Test: Larry Mercer

Fellowship Report: Becky Englehardt

Introduction of Guests: Dr. Jim Anderson was the guest of Frank Wagner, Frances Davis was the guest of Joy Horton, Tom Neal was the guest of Lucy Gip Neal, Jim Tony Fulkerson & Tony Cecil were the guests of Bob Whitmer, Larry Cambron was the guest of Ross Leazenby

Thought for the Week: "To succeed, we must first believe that we can."  ~ Michael Korda

YOUR PRESIDENT SPEAKS:
I’m a third into my year as your club’s president and I am overwhelmed by the support so many of you have given me. I don’t know if you’re surprised that I could do the job or what but I am honored to serve.

While digging into the guts of this club and receiving mail on behalf of the club from all kinds of Rotary and quasi-Rotary causes, I stumbled in to a trend. I still get a little scared when I see a letter from a member – that’s because so far, all the letters from the membership have been resignations. Now I’m pretty thick skinned and optimistic, but these are starting to make me uneasy because they should make you a little uneasy.

The volume and quality of this club’s membership is its engine. I thought about this for a while when I received another resignation from a great member just like you. Even though this resignation brought our club’s membership down to 182, I tried to make lemonade out of it by thinking that it was just a natural purging but I don’t think that’s true.

I don’t want this construed the wrong way but here it goes - If you must remove yourself from this club that loves you so much, please put it off until my term is…no, I’m only kidding. What I want everyone to consider, whether you plan to be in Rotary for life or only until you’re not able to make it to meetings, I want you to groom a couple people to be Rotarians as good as or better than you are. I’m talking about new members, not adopting Steve Gardner and trying to make him learn the 4-way test. Find some people who you want to share the joy you’ve received from knowing the people you see every Wednesday.

We’re having some small cards printed that will serve as invitations to a guest or guests you choose. Don’t just pass the invitation to someone you may owe a lunch to, give it to someone who, in the words of our District Governor Kay Sharon "would not just be in Rotary but would have Rotary in them."

Have Fun!

John

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Wendell Booth - November 13
Candi Brake - November 15
John Carpenter - November 15
Guy Hisle - November 16
Shirley Cecil - November 16
Bill Gabbert - November 17
Jim McGown - November 17

ANNOUNCEMENTS...
• Tish Correa-Osborne is in need of program chairs for June & July in 2007 ~ Please help if you have good program ideas.
• Check your schedule on December 8th and be prepared to ring the bell for Salvation Army at Wesleyan Park Plaza – Sign-up sheets will be posted soon.
• Application deadline for GSE team members to go to Germany next Summer has been extended to November 20th. If you know someone who should be considered for the team, get an application to them.

ROTARY REMINDERS
• Don’t forget to make up your missed meetings at Daviess County Rotary, 7 a.m. on Tuesdays at American Bounty.
• John Bryenton is program chair for November.
• Bob Hunzinger is program chair for December.
• Becky Englehart will be at the Fellowship Table during November.
• Barry Young will be at the Fellowship Table during December.
• If you have an email address and are not receiving the Impetus online, or you have changed your email address, please send an email to kim@mediaworksadvertising.com and you will be added to the Rotary email address list.
• Log on to Rotary’s website at www.owensbororotary.org. You’ll find our current member directory, photos of new members, past copies of the Impetus, some interesting history, and more!

Please mail any questions, suggestions, or comments regarding the Impetus to:

Mike Wallace
MediaWorks Advertising, Inc.
208 West 3rd Street
P.O. Box 1866
Owensboro, KY 42302
Phone: 270-684-4554
Fax: 270-684-7314
Email: mike@mediaworksadvertising.com

DEADLINE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE IMPETUS IS THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO MONDAY'S PUBLICATION DATE.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Nov. 22:
•Tina Dillion; Director of Financial Services - Daymar College
•Karen Dueker: Executive Director - Volunteer Center
•Owensboro/Daviess County Asset Building Coalition: Earned Income Credit Project
Nov. 29: Owensboro "SCORE" Program Service Corp. of Retired Executives

2006 - 2007 OWENSBORO ROTARY CLUB OFFICERS
President: John Kurtz
Vice President: Tish Correa-Osborne
Past President: Bill Dexter
Secretary: Tim Bradshaw
Treasurer: Bob Nation
Directors: John Kazlauskas, John Medley, Sister Suzanne Sims, Jeremy Bradford, Kirk Kirkpatrick, & Ed Wathen.