Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting July 15, 2019

Welcome to the Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting on July 15, 2019; Today we welcomed Wayne Stubbs, President of the Board of Directors of the Elkhart County Symphony Association (ECSA), as well as ECSA Co-Executive Directors Karen Braden and John Hill, a fellow Rotarian.

Club President Candy Yoder opened the meeting and introduced Bill Templin who shared meaningful words, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Four Way Test.

Thanks to our greeters today Don Stohler, Aaron Bradford, and Doug Risser, who also introduced our guests, including: Karen Braden (John Hill), Don French (Irwin Larrier), Paul Gardner (Tony Warning), Dr. Larry Knight (Jack Cittadine), and Alex Wagler (son of Erin Wagler). Welcome to ALL, we hope you can all join us again some other time!

Announcements for July 15:

  • Reminder from Mick Faloon - - ONLY TWO TICKETS REMAIN of the original 30 tickets for the October 4 Dionne Warwick Concert at the Lerner! Elkhart Rotary will have a block of tickets available for the Friday, October 4, 7:30 p.m. concert featuring Dionne Warwick, a six-time Grammy Award-winning music legend who has earned more than 75 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records. To reserve your tickets, email Julie Cotton at julie@nextlevelimprov.com; tickets are limited to 30, with 20 already spoken for at this meeting date - - they're going fast! We also plan to have a pre-concert gathering (details to follow). Each ticket for the concert will be approximately $65, including handling fees and taxes. Whatever is planned prior to the concert will be at additional cost. Each Elkhart Rotary member is limited to 2 tickets, unless additional tickets are available after the initial sign up. The Elkhart Rotary ticket block is located on the right side of the main floor right aisle, rows R, S, and T.
  • Doug Risser relayed an invitation from the Goshen Rotary Club to join them at noon on Friday for their regularly scheduled meeting AT THE ELKHART COUNTY 4-H Fair. Seniors are discounted on Friday, meet them at the corporate tent for the meeting and lunch.
Today's Sergeant was Kyle Hannon, who raised some money using Indiana State Park Trivia! Great job FUNdraising today, Kyle. Interesting info and good for all members to be aware of the natural riches of our state. Rotary fines are collected weekly and are pooled into a fund throughout the year. In the spring more than $10,000 is distributed as grants to not for profit organizations around our county. Thanks, All, for your contributions!
 
Elkhart Rotarian and Co-Executive Director of Elkhart County Symphony Association, John Hill introduced our speaker for today, Wayne Stubbs, President of the Board of Directors of the Elkhart County Symphony Association.

Wayne presented an overview of the history of the Elkhart County Symphony Association.
In 1948, Zigmont “George” Gaska recognized the abundance of musical talent in the community as well as the tremendous support for great musical literature and founded the Elkhart County Symphony. Over the years, the Elkhart County Symphony Association has included a Symphonic Chorus, numerous ensembles, and an educational outreach arm with the Youth Honors Orchestra, and has been under the direction of 4 Music Directors: George Gaska, Michael Esselstrom, Don Sommerville, and from 2008 to 2011, Brian Groner. We have entertained with such notable soloists as Jack Benny, Sasha Korsantiya, The Boston Brass, Nicholas Roth, and Sandi Patty.

Like many arts organizations, the Symphony has felt the sting of the downturn in the economy, especially since the horrific events of September 11, 2001. For many it has been a struggle to survive, and in May 2005 the Elkhart County Symphony Association considered putting down their baton, forever.

But a group of dedicated volunteers formed S.O.S, Save Our Symphony, and with a new Board and hard work created a positive balance sheet, and offered a great musical concert season played by a semi-professional orchestra of area musicians. Our audience has increased and broken all previous records with a more than 48% increase over previous year with two concerts numbering more than 1000 attendees! Audiences continue to tell us how happy they are with the sound, and with the great programming. They want more!

Our season programs have included performances with the amazing Cirque de la Symphonie and talented artists such as Doug LaBrecht and Steve Lippia in two Sinatra tribute shows, as well as our recent Three Phantoms in Concert show with renowned Broadway stars Craig Schulman, Gary Mauer, and Ciara Sheehan.

Music is an integral part of our community here in Elkhart. ECSA is a source of civic pride, a wellspring of imaginative experience, an opportunity for educational growth, and a destination for cross-generational entertainment. The Elkhart County Symphony Association strives to promote positive cultural experiences and instill civic pride in our community by encouraging artistic integrity, providing innovative opportunities, and developing excellent musical programming.

Thanks, Wayne, John, and Karen for an informative program! To learn more about the Elkhart County Symphony Association, visit their website: http://www.elkhartsymphony.org/
 
About Rotary:
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, community leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and act to create lasting change – across the globe, in our local communities, and in ourselves. The Elkhart Rotary Club was founded in 1917 and serves its community through volunteerism, providing grants to not-for-profit organizations, sponsoring, and participating in service projects such as ringing bells for the Salvation Army, roadside trash collection, and are the originators and sustainers of Wellfield Botanic Gardens. Elkhart Rotary Club’s membership consists of approximately 150 dedicated individuals from various professional backgrounds and diverse interests. Membership in the Elkhart Rotary Club is by invitation. We welcome guests to attend any of our meetings and hear from our great lineup of weekly presenters.
For more information on the Elkhart Rotary Club, visit elkhartrotary.org or email elkhartnoonrotary@gmail.com. Like and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook/ElkhartRotaryClub to stay current on meetings, upcoming events or speakers, and initiatives in the community.
 
Upcoming Meetings and Programs:
Join us for our next meeting:
All meetings are at noon on Mondays at the Matterhorn Banquet and Conference Center, 2041 Cassopolis St. in Elkhart IN, 46514. In months that include a FIFTH Monday, the Elkhart Rotary Club holds an alternative meeting or activity.