President Betsy Watson called the meeting to order as Rotarians and their guests took their seats.
Kathy Yee led the Flag Salute
Bret Bradigan shared an invocation by Poet David White:
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions.
To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice.
You must note the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
Betsy thanked all those who made the meeting possible:
Room Set Up – Bill Prather and Fred Coleman
Desk operator - Suzanne Scar
Greeters – Bret Bradigan
Fining – Bret Bradigan
Reminder Editor - Therese Brown
Rotarians and guests were invited to the lunch buffet. The group thanked Jane who made lunch.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests:
There were no visiting Rotarians.
Visiting guests included:
Michelle Sherman guest of Sue Gilbreth
Fern Barishman guest of Kathy Yee
Kevin Davis guest of Bret Bradigan
Upcoming Programs:
Andy Gilman gave the group a glimpse of upcoming programs:
July 23 - Brian Brennan, Casitas Municipal Water District
July 30 – No Fifth Friday event
August 6 - Leonard Klaif, Ojai Art Center
August 20 - Tom Krause, Krause Bell Group
Announcements:
Cindy Frings – Taste of Ojai meeting is at 5:30 pm at her home on Tuesday, July 20 and happy birthday to our fearless leader Betsy Watson.
Betsy followed with acknowledgement of her special day and a note that on this day 25 years ago she moved to Ojai.
Membership Committee Special Presentation:
Induction of Kevin Davis
Bill Prather, Bret Bradigan, Cheree Edwards and Greg Webster were all smiles as they conducted the first induction in this Rotary year.
Greg Webster read Kevin Davis’ bio. Bret is his sponsor. Greg will be his mentor. Kevin was presented with a certificate of membership and received a big round of applause from members.
Kevin responded that he is very honored to be inducted into the Club. He moved to Ojai three years ago and added that there is no greater organization than Rotary.
Rotary Club of Ojai Education Foundation (RCOEF) moment by Mike Weaver:
RCOEF looks after 5.5 million dollars in assets. Its mission is to support local students in their educational pursuits.
31 scholarships were granted this year valued at over $150,000 to 23 Nordhoff graduates and 5 Chaparral graduates. RCOEF is an active part of community.
Fining and Confessions by Bret Bradigan
Confessions:
Betsy Watson – This week she had a birthday. She shares her day with Woody Guthrie, Jane Lynch and former president Gerald Ford. It was her “Beatles birthday.”
Christine Golden – She is a Type A and has evolved to be a recycling crazy person so encouraged members to bring their own plate and silverware and then take it home.
Cheree Edwards – She referred members to a flyer on each table regarding the UnforgetTABLES event at Casa Barranca supporting the Ojai Music Festival on Saturday, July 31st.
She has just returned from Hawaii where she and Don celebrated their anniversary. Her son and daughter in law had a present. She opened it up and saw a sonogram. She is going to be a grandma - 7 years in the waiting!
Sandy Buechley – She had an 80th birthday a couple of weeks ago and celebrated with family and friends.
Suzanne Scar – She and Michael have been in Ojai for 16 years which is the longest she has lived anywhere. They plan to be here forever.
Marty Babyco – #1: He had a birthday last month. #2: Son Tyson and wife Mavin are head co-pastors of a church in Grand Junction, CO. #3: Son Chris currently living in Colombia, MO has been hired by Eastern Oregon University. Now they will be in the same time zone.
Janet Campbell (on Zoom) – She acknowledged her Rotary anniversary. 21 years in the best Rotary Club she knows. She owes it all to her sponsor Allan Jacobs. She is the youngest, oldest Rotarian in the club.
Fining: Bret Bradigan
In honor of today’s program by the Ojai Music Festival, Bret is highlighting famous musicians with physical impressions. He will pay the fine if members guess who he is mimicking.
Larry Wilde – Elvis. $20 bucks for Bret
Suzanne Scar – Clint Black. $20 more dollars for Bret
Bryant Huber – Harry Stiles $20 additional bucks for Bret
In debt, Bret decided to change his approach and asked a question of Carl Gross “What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?”
The answer: “One you’ll see later one you’ll see in a while.”
Patricia Anderson was handed another question: “From the following list of presidents who was not a Rotarian?” The answer: Teddy Roosevelt.
Today’s Program
Andy Gilman introduced our speaker, Laura Walters, the Ojai Music Festival Bravo Music education coordinator. She reported that during COVID she has conducted 774 Zoom classes and produced 75 videos.
Laura started off with the comment that it is amazing to see each other. She was able to play music with the kids on Zoom and shared the example of “Sally Go Around the Sun.”
She highlighted the Ojai 100-year celebration day at Sarzotti Park on August 5th. There will be a table set up to try some instruments. Kids will sing from 5:30 – 6:00 pm. She reminisced about a recent event where kids were asked to think of a bird and act it out. Michelle Sherman demonstrated her trumpeter swan.
Laura talked about how important it is to feel song in the body. She shared an example of the sound to symbol process with “Sally Go Around the Sun.” Conservation of sound is what leads to silent reading which leads to fundamentals of impulse control.
Laura highlighted the upcoming Bravo Music Camps:
Chumash Camp – Aug 2-6 from 8-11 am at Sarzotti Park.
Chumash stories and songs with Julie Tumamait.
Music and Art Camp – Aug 9-13 from 8–11 am at Ojai Presbyterian Church. Explore music, art and storytelling with Miss Laura.
Laura shared a video of the Imagine Concert 2021 which took place on Zoom.
Local Chumash elder Julie Tumamait spoke about the Chumash tradition of storytelling.
Julie explained the creation story – “Once upon a time it rained on people, and the world was full of water. Everyone perished in a flood. One spotted woodpecker remained. He was hungry and yelling to the sky people so the daughters of the sun threw him acorns. The water receded and the first people had turned to stone.”
Julie Tumamait will start the Ojai Music Festival with a blessing ceremony and will close the festival with a commendation.
The theme is “Coming Home”. Inclusivity is a major focus of the event.
Members then watched a video “How do we use the word “friends” in other languages?” It is so important to teach about diversity without really trying.
In closing, Laura played the folk song “Going Home” on alto flute. She invited members to think of someone who they love and miss.
Adjournment:
President Betsy adjourned the meeting with a quote from Albert Schweitzer,
“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.”
