Our double-header Rotary meeting gave us a chance to look back and reflect on our accomplishments, as well as to learn more about one of our newer members.

Erik Bertelsen was that newer member, and his assignment was to tell us the story of his life – in 10 minutes. He spent about half that time sharing the story of how he and wife Abby Jones discovered Boothbay Harbor. It all started about 50 years ago when Erik’s sister married a Mainer. That brother-in-law introduced the extended family to the region, and eventually, Erik and his wife Abby Jones purchased the house that would become their retirement home.

Erik and Abby met when they were both working in southern New England, but that doesn’t mean Erik introduced Abby to the region. Way back when she was in college, she had worked at Linekin Bay Resort. Since their “retirement,” Abby has been part of the team at the YMCA and, more recently, Bigelow Labs.

And there’s a Rotary connection in Erik’s story as well. It turns out that Erik’s dad was a Rotarian since the 1960s, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Erik was introduced to Rotary when the basketball team won a championship and the whole team was invited to the Rotary Club for lunch. All Erik remembers about that lunch is how formal it was and how dressed-for-success his father and all his associates were. As a result, when Mike Thompson recommended that Erik should try us out, he says his immediate thought was that he had no interest in getting dressed and putting on a tie each week.

So Erik, when was the last time you saw Mike Thompson in a tie? In any event, we are not your father’s Rotary Club – and I doubt if the club back in Asbury Park is, either.

Bike program

Then Bill Prince took center stage to talk about the club’s two-decade-old bike program. The bike program was started by Seth Hedgcock back in 2006 to provide transportation to our region’s international workers. Bill has been involved in the program since 2017, soon after the decision was made to purchase three-speeds with foot brakes. This decision was made easier by a grant from the Dawes Foundation.

At the same time, the club made the decision to build a Bike Shed next to the Barn – previously the bikes were stowed in the barn rafters at the end of each season, requiring too much stretching and too many ladders. The Shed is much more congenial and, this correspondent would add, doubles nicely as a man cave for those guys who work to fix the bikes, which in addition to Bill includes John Skogland, Rick Mitterling, Jim Herbold, Doug Roberts, Doug Harley, and more.

For the past few years, we have had around 85 bikes on the road, used by workers from Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Thailand, Finland and the United States. They work for resorts and restaurants, the YMCA, Southport General Store, Hannaford and more. We work with the Congregational Church and give out bikes at their International Workers’ Luncheon, where police officer Larry Brown also comes and talks about traffic safety.

While the number of bikes on the road has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, it turns out that some of the businesses that formerly used our services now are offering transportation on their own.  We started something!

Next week the Clubhouse will be quiet while we enjoy the long holiday weekend. The following Thursday, Sept. 10, this correspondent will talk about the recent Rotary International Convention in Taipei, where I rubbed shoulders with 38,000 of my closest Rotary friends and then took the opportunity for a vacay in Mongolia. There, I rode a two-humped Bactrian camel and exercised an eagle and got close and personal with a yak. Come and find out more about it! 

Not to worry, the Barn is open holiday or no, rain or shine. Join us each and every Saturday morning from 8:30 am to 11 a.m. at 66 Montgomery Road, Boothbay Harbor. Be there for deals and steals on furniture, bric-a-brac, tools, collectibles and more. And all at prices that will make you swear you will never buy retail again! Come and check us out. And if you have stuff to donate, call or text 207-619-1417 and we’ll arrange a pickup.