It’s no longer our fathers’ Rotary. Not here in Boothbay Harbor, and not anywhere else as well. Our club has changed – at one time dinner was served and members got dressed and attendance was taken. Can you imagine? Now our club relies on friendly, efficient self-service; jeans are the norm and on a typical week more people are involved in running the barn on Saturdays than show up for our Thursday evening meetings.

And we make a lot of money at the Barn – about twice what we made at our annual Auction pre-Covid – and all that comes back to the community, which is good. But it also means that activities that once attracted members and the community – the Soup Bowl Supper, serving refreshments at BRHS football games, being part of community lunches – all that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

It’s also critical to remember that our building is a blessing – but all home ownership requires maintenance. And People Power needs to be managed. And that means it’s up to all of us to volunteer our services – or we can expect the club to go back to its pre-Covid traditions of filling out People Power via the “voluntold” method. You know what I mean.

President Jim brought all this up in conversation at last week’s meeting. Did the group want to continue to meet weekly (as opposed to every other week)? The answer to that was a rousing “yes” – after all, our meetings are a terrific way to hang out and spend time with good friends, and that’s what most of us are most interested in. The speakers … well, they can sometimes be just the icing on the cake.

Last week’s icing proved to be our own Marty Helman, who spoke about last June’s Rotary Convention in Taiwan. Highlights of the convention included a plenary keynote by Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. Marty was also moved by the ceremony that marked the beginning of her term on the Rotary International board. (Now she has to get to work.) She spent most of her time in Taiwan traveling from one governance meeting to the next, with opportunities for too many 10-course Chinese banquets along the way. With her schedule, she couldn’t take advantage of the breakouts or see much of the trade hall, but she did hang out with 37,000 or so of her Rotary friends.

Does a Rotary Convention sound like fun? Next year’s gathering will be in Barcelona, and Conxa’s mother has very generously offered her apartment for our club members’ use. More to come – let’s think June in Barcelona with paella and Gaudi and lots and lots of Rotarians.

Following the Convention, Marty took time out for her own vacation, starting in Beijing, and then to Mongolia. She talked about visiting the Gobi desert, of two-humped Bactrian camels (she said you ride between the humps, which means one hump is a back support and the other a sort of pommel, much less scary than one-humped dromedaries). Half of Mongolia’s 3.5 million population lives in the capital of Ulaanbaatar; the rest in yurts, called gers, which offer lots of comforts but no indoor plumbing. The people follow the herds which, in addition to camels, include yaks, goats and sheep.

Marty also rode a Mongolian horse, and hunted for fossils, and held an eagle, and was impressed by the music, which included throat singing (sort of singing a duet with yourself) and circular breathing, which allows the musician to breathe in through his nose at the same time he is playing a wind instrument and breathing out through his mouth. It’s true. Check it out on You Tube.

And then the evening was over and we all wended our way home. Until Saturday, when the Barn will be rocking and rolling. Hours are 8:30 to 11 a.m.; deals and steals will be the norm all morning. And yes, the Barn, located at 66 Montgomery Road, Boothbay Harbor, will continue to be open into December. Call or text for a pickup: 207-619-1417 or drop off your treasures during opening hours. 

Chef Jules will be on vacation for the next few weeks, so Irene is planning to cook a pot roast, and I think I can foresee potluck night on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Next Thursday we will hear from Marina Legree, whose non-profit Ascend Through Athletics which she started while living in Afghanistan. Ascend Through Athletic’ mission has been to build confidence in girls through leadership training and community engagement.

In fact, we look forward to seeing you this Thursday and every Thursday at 6 p.m. for our weekly meeting, where we enjoy fellowship, supper, and (typically) a speaker, across the parking lot from the Barn. Not a Rotarian (yet)? Come by anyway and learn more about us. You’ll quickly discover that we’re a non-sectarian organization of neighbors from across the region who enjoy raising money to give back to the community, and enjoy hanging out with one another while we do so. Come see for yourself!