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Health & Fitness

Sierra Madre Rotary Approves Budget, Sings

Here's a weekly update from the Rotary Club of Sierra Madre, as seen in their weekly newsletter, "The Vine."

It was kind of a quiet morning at the Rotary Club of Sierra Madre last week. Perhaps many of us were busy cramming in one final, last mini-vacation, looking for an excuse to enjoy just a bit more time with our families before school begins. Pres Tom was there to lead us, though, magic hammer at the ready.

The best thing by far that happened this week was that Ann is among us again, and none the worse for wear. She was able to return to work on the first day of school, too. Nice to have you back, Ann!

Of course, every silver lining has a cloud, and that was our singing. Pres Tom led us in a short rendition of something wherein we all knew the tune, but everyone sang different lyrics. There’s always next week.

Pres Tom called on Louise to tell us where we are with the budget and things financial for the year. Louise reported that we have a little more than $49,000 with the California Community Foundation, after our The Board approved the budget for the year last Monday night. Among the activities approved for this year are RYLA, TLC, the Dan Stover Music Competition and our mini-grant program, to name just a few.

Pres Tom then mentioned that it was both Rudy’s birthday, and Rudy and Suzanne’s wedding anniversary. Susanne told us that, despite the fact that Rudy’s been gone most of the summer, it’s been a positive experience for the entire family.

Rudy has had time to examine and tweak goals, and Susanne and Amanda have had a wonderful summer together. Plus, Rudy is home every weekend. Here’s a photo of he and Susanne as they left to enjoy dinner at The Monrovian Family Restaurant last Saturday night.

Happy anniversary, kids!

Then, it was on to more mundane topics, things like Happy Bucks, courtesy of Susanne. Marilyn was happy that the Club’s budget was approved, and glad to see Ann, as was this reporter; Ann was grateful for the , who arrived within two minutes of the call for help.

She was also grateful to Christy-Joy, who popped in to see her several times a day during her hospital stay, and who was able to control the hordes of fellow Rotarians who tend to “swarm” when one of us is ill or injured; Jennie had a nice time at the Farmer’s Market with Susanne and Amanda; Dan’s family had a great time in Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach; Mike took his son on his latest one day mission trip to Mexico, where they helped more than 200 individuals with eye glasses, medical consultations and chiropractic care.

Past Pres Cathy is doing well. She’s been through the first round of treatments, and managed to have every side effect but one (Congratulations, Cathy! Nicely done!). She sounds good, and is optimistic, as always. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Dan then introduced Charles Perry, whose topic was “The History of Winemaking in the San Gabriel Valley.” Charles Perry is a fourth-generation Southern Californian. After attending L.A. public schools, he studied Middle Eastern Studies at Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley. From 1968 to 1976, he was an editor and staff writer at Rolling Stone Magazine in San Francisco. In 1978, he returned to Los Angeles as a freelance food writer, and from 1990 to 2008, he was a staff writer for the Food Section of the Los Angeles Times. He is the president and co-founder of the Culinary Historians of Southern California.

Among the things we learned—the first grapes were brought here by the Catholic missionaries, who used Mission grapes to produce sacramental wine. Los Angeles was actually the wine making capital of California until the late 1800’s. Wine making figures prominently into Southern California’s history.

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Benjamin Wilson, who founded the Lake Winery, had 100,000 vines. He blazed the Mount Wilson Trail, looking for oak stands he could use to make wine barrels. Lucky Baldwin had 1,200 acres of vines; the largest vineyard was 2,500 acres. Vineyards began disappearing as a result of more people moving to Southern California—land was needed for homes. And refrigerated rail cars made it more profitable to raise vegetables. By 1940, there were only 5,000 acres of vineyards, and the last one (in Burbank) was plowed under in 1947.

Walter and I attended District 5300 training Saturday at Etiwanda Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. Walter attended the Foundation class, and I attended the International Service class. You should’ve been there; we got some great stuff. Stay tuned!

Past Pres Dan has a special treat for us next week.

We’re meeting at the Fire Department here in Sierra Madre (91024, if you didn’t already know that). Our speaker will be Chief Heydorff. Should be a good time, so bring a friend!

Club Calendar

  • 8/23    PROGRAM at Sierra Madre FD
  • 8/30    Gary Klein –Tales of Mount Everest
  • 9/6      Craft Talk by ???
  • 9/8      Board Meeting, Pres Tom’s house, 6:30 PM
  • 9/13    Paul Glenny—Aero Environments
  • 9/20    Paul Juggan—The State of Health Care
  • 9/27    Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • 10/18  Diana Hagerty—Droids

The meets at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesdays at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Visit us online at www.sierramadrerotary.com or on Facebook by searching ”Rotary Club of Sierra Madre.”

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