The wind and rain brought by last week’s nor’easter did not stop the majority of Boothbay Harbor Rotarians from gathering at The Gallery this past Thursday evening. Once raincoats and umbrellas were tucked away, 30-plus Rotarians and guests warmed themselves with delicious cocktails provided by innkeeper Mike Thompson and the good company of all present.

President-elect Tony Curulla filled in at the helm for President Dwight, who was traveling to a district visioning session with Rotarians Vic Taylor and Bob Goodrich.

Once Tony called the meeting to order, the group enjoyed a delicious dinner of baked ham, mashed potato, vegetables and chocolate cream pie for dessert. As always, Chef Kim Mills never fails to please the crowd!

Announcements included reminders about the upcoming Veterans Dinner to be held at the American Legion Hall in Boothbay on Nov. 6. Any non-veteran Rotarians are asked to help as wait staff that evening.

Fruit sale chairman, Foster Stroup, reminded everyone to keep pushing hard on the annual fundraiser. Bob Pike is currently the Rotarian to beat with 17 orders so far. This seemed to light a fire with “fruit rookie” Jonathan Tindal, who is going to try diligently to catch up with Bob!

The fruit sale features 20-pound cartons of oranges, grapefruit, tangelos or mixed assortments for $25 per carton. Orders are due by Oct. 30 and will be delivered the week prior to Thanksgiving. Check with any local Rotarian if you are interested in placing an order.

Interact chairman Deb Graves announced that five local BRHS students and one chaperone will be attending the annual Rotary United Nations Day in New York City this fall. This is a fantastic number for our club as only 45 students from the district will be in attendance.

Bob Pike handled the 50/50 duties this week awarding prizes to both Daren Graves and Joy Ward.

Sergeant at Arms, Skip Kreahling, collected many happy and sad dollars from the group, announcing that all donations would be given to Polio Plus in light of World Polio Day on the 24th.

Our speakers for the evening were Doug Welch (Executive Director) and Maria Jenness (Stewardship Manager) of the Maine Island Trail Association.

The Maine Island Trail is a water trail spanning over 200 islands and coastal sites along the 375 miles of the coast of Maine. One third of trail sites are public, and two thirds are owned by private organizations and individuals who trust us to care for their lands and teach our members to Leave No Trace. More than just the first recreational water trail in America, the Maine Island Trail fosters a culture of grassroots user-stewardship for Maine's islands.

Doug and Maria provided an overview of local islands that are included in the trail that would be of interest to club members. In addition, they explained the many benefits of membership, including guide information, maps, and valuable discounts for members including retail, rental, outfitters and professional resources. For more information please visit www.mita.org.

Next week’s speaker will be BRHS Principal Dan Welch with an update on all things new and exciting at BRHS.

To learn more about Rotary and about our club and all the good things we do, visit www.boothbayharborrotary.org, or like us on Facebook. Prospective members, visiting Rotarians and guests are always welcome to join us at our weekly meetings, held Thursday nights at The Gallery, 102 Ocean Point Road in Boothbay Harbor. Conviviality commences around 6 p.m., dinner is served promptly at 6:30 p.m., and we then have a short business meeting followed by a special speaker. The evening ends at 8 p.m.