The place to be last Thursday night was the American Legion Hall for the 23rd Soup Bowl Supper organized by the Rotary Club and supporting the educational projects of the Watershed Center for the Arts and Rebuilding Together. Over 200 people were on hand to celebrate the end of winter (let’s hope!), share camaraderie and enjoy their selection of soups, chowders and stews prepared by the Region’s best chefs.

We couldn’t do it without the ongoing support of numerous local restaurants and chefs, who give lovingly of their most creative dishes. Many thanks go to: China by the Sea, Mama D’s, Sarah’s Café, the Boat House Bistro, Tugboat Inn, St. Andrews Village, Eventide, Thistle Inn, Carriage House, East Boothbay General Store, Kalers, And Candy Too, Brady’s Restaurant, Uncle Phil’s Bakery, Robinson’s Wharf, and Southport General Store. And we couldn’t do it without the merchants who provide door prizes: NAPA, Carquest, Freedom Auto, Good N’ you, Hammond Lumber, Coastal Popcorn, Hawke Motors, T&D Variety, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and Boothbay Greenhouses, who also provided beauty in the way of floral displays on each table.

Tory Paxson and Irene Fowle provided Rotary leadership, and our fervent thanks go to the teams from Watershed and Rebuilding Together who joined Rotarians in providing delicious dishes and helped with the setup and take-down. A great time was had by all!

Club business

We're back in the Rotary building on April 18 for a "regular" Thursday evening meeting, and then on April 25 we will play host to our 61st (or so) Lifetime Service Award evening. Since the early 1960s, give or take a year or two, the Rotary Club has selected and toasted a senior citizen who has made a difference in our community. Foster needs extra hands to prepare for the expected crowd; be sure to sign up to help out on what promises to be a wonderful event.

Meanwhile, with spring comes Vidalia onions. Doug Harley asks that orders must be in to him by April 26, with deliveries of the onions expected about two weeks later. We're selling 25-pound boxes of onions for $27 - get your orders in to Doug!

In other action, we have a very large pick up for the Auction in Southport on Saturday, April 20, at 9 a.m. We need everyone's help and a minimum of four trucks with trailers. Please get in touch with Laurie Zimmerli for specifics.

Ten members are signed up for a road trip and lunch at the Bath Regional Career and Technical Center followed by a tour of the school. Those who confirmed with Irene will leave from the Boothbay Fire Station at 11:30. 

And Judy deGraw reminds us that it's time to think seriously about donations to The Rotary Foundation, the 501(c)(3) that supports Global Grants like the one in Uganda, and local grants like the one that helped pay for the new playground at the Elementary School. Bring checks made out to The Rotary Foundation to Judy - or go online (either to www.rotary.org or www.rotary7780.org), follow the prompts, and give electronically.