So I walk into Lowes over the weekend and what do I run into? A bunch of Santas, snowmen, reindeer and Christmas trees….What is happening to our society? Do we really need to have holiday displays up in mid-October? I come to find out that this year, because of where Thanksgiving falls in November, is the LEAST number of shopping days between Black Friday and Christmas day.Why do I tell you this in the quarterly Rotary President’s letter? Because this is just a wonderful example of how we are slaves to our schedules, our calendars and our time. Time is just racing by – did you know we are already four months into this Rotary year for me? It is incredible how fast time goes by and how fast Thanksgiving and the holidays will be upon us.
How about some updates for the club…..
Car Show
Congrats to Jason Grabosch, the entire car show committee and the hundreds of volunteers who made “Lucky 13” the greatest show ever. We could not have asked for better weather and everyone I spoke to was having a great time. So many were complimentary about the professionalism of the show, organization and the friendliness of all the Rotarians wearing the blue service shirts.
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Jay Dobyns Meeting – Wednesday, November 6
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If you have not seen Jay Dobyns speak, you are in for a treat. Jay was a standout football player from Sahuaro HS and an All Pac-10 WR under Larry Smith at the University of Arizona. Jay Dobyns will discuss his personal journey as a youth in Tucson, to his time as a football player at the University of Arizona, to becoming a Federal Agent, being shot after 4 days on the job, rejecting multi-million dollar settlement offers and for the next 27 years, defending and protecting the communities he served as an undercover operative, including his infiltration of the Hells Angels organized crime syndicate, and, after receiving a series of death and violence threats, maintaining his home in Tucson.
This meeting is open to friends of Rotarians and the first responder community may also be in attendance. All Rotarians and guests MUST sign up on Eventbrite for this meeting.
“CLICK HERE” to go to the Eventbrite site to register or copy and paste this link in your browser: https://rotary-dobyns-11-06-2019.eventbrite.com
Whiskey Roads Replacement Mixer – Wednesday, November 13
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To address some of our Rotarians who live on the northwest side, we wanted to find a location for a mixer that is easy for people who live in various parts of Tucson. This mixer will be on Wednesday, November 13 at a brand new restaurant and country music bar called Whiskey Roads.It is in the former home of a Macaroni Grill and is located on Ina and La Cholla, near the old Foothills Mall. Bruce Jacobs is putting together a nice package for us and this place is a “must see” – a great place to watch sports, do some country swing and have a nice meal as well.More details coming soon, but mark your calendars.
“Rotary In the Canyon” – Friday, November 22 10:30 to 2:30 PM
Come join us for a wonderful getaway for the Rotary Club of Tucson as we take our club on a field trip to Sabino Canyon. This will take the place of our Wednesday, November 20th lunch meeting. The brand new, state of the art electric trams will be running and we will be one of the first groups to have access. The trams have headphones and an audio program describing the flora and fauna of Sabino Canyon narrated by UA environmental scientists. This Rotary field trip will include a full lunch from Mike Hultquist and Lerua’s/El Torero Mexican food. (The best tamales in Tucson!). It will include a 45 minute tram ride to the top of Sabino and back down to the Cactus picnic area, about .5 miles from the Visitor Center. We will have a College of Science faculty member, Kevin Bonine, also a board member from the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum providing an interpretation of desert animals with Gila Monsters, rattlesnakes and king snakes and other reptiles. We might even have a violin concerto or similar playing under one of the ramadas. Take Friday afternoon off, bring your spouse or significant other and enjoy Sabino!Please be sure to bring sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, long sleeve shirts, tennis or hiking shoes and a good attitude….Mark your calendars!
Ride to End Polio – Saturday, November 23
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Let’s give a big shout out and a louder good luck to all of our fellow Rotarians, who have committed to ride in the El Tour de Tucson and the Ride to End Polio. This is such an amazing event and to think that over $55 MILLION has been raised to support Rotary’s eradication of polio from the face of the earth is incredibly humbling. Good luck riders!
Needless to say, there are lots of things going on with the club in November and I hope you enjoy some of the fellowship opportunities we are providing. Remember, the Bob Logan Reign of Terror included “HAVE FUN” as one of its guiding principles. So let’s have some fun as we roll into the Thanksgiving and Holiday Season.
Yours in Rotary,
Bob Logan
President 2019-2020
