Lakewood Playhouse is still alive, and Georgene had another birthday (which one was not specified).
Meeting Notes for the Jan. 20 meeting of Clover Park Rotary
By Tom McClellan
It was still a Zoom meeting, but it is still Rotary with the warm fellowship of gathering with others who are committed to service and to each other. David Cotant noted that one nice aspect of meeting via Zoom is that it allows us to see far-flung friends, like former member Ernie Heller who joined us from Virginia.
Jeannie Hill offered up an invocation, praying that we all be kept safe, and that the new administration in our nation’s capital be successful at helping all Americans.
Sunshine Report: Karen George shared with the group that Bill Harrison was admitted to Madigan on Monday with a urinary tract infection, and is hoping to be back home on Thursday. Tom Faubion was not able to join the meeting, but did convey word via text message to your scribe that he is, “Some better. Not well yet.”
Announcements
Sue Potter asked for volunteers able to do some moderate lifting (up to 40 lbs.) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 0930-1130 at NW Nourish in the Proctor District. That site’s manager just had arm surgery. Contact Sue at suepotter@nourishpc.org.
A grant writing class is available online. Our club must have someone who has taken the class in order to submit grant requests to District and Rotary International. Contact President Teresa if you can do this. cc-tdnye@comcast.net
Future Programs
Jan. 27 Bob Zawilski, Lakewood Rotary's "Little Free Pantries"
Feb. 3 Ryan Tomasich, Boeing Company's Covid Response
Feb. 10 Chief Jim Sharp, West Pierce Fire and Rescue
Fun And Fines
Ed Trobaugh noted the receipt of a check from Georgene Mellom in honor of her birthday. And he reiterated his longstanding policy of not asking a lady to reveal which birthday it was.
David Cotant offered up a confession that the battery in his car had died, and so he decided to get a entire new car.
Teresa Nye confessed to having just returned from a trip to Florida, where her son attended a lacrosse camp at Tampa University and got a scholarship offer. He has also been accepted at Niagara University in New York, so he will have some deciding to do.
Karen George confessed to her own birthday, and that of her two dogs. And Becky Newton celebrated virtually the 1st birthday of her grandson.
This Week’s Program
Heather Hinds and James Venturini are the Co-Managing Artistic Directors of the Lakewood Playhouse. At this meeting they gave an overview of their struggles to keep the Playhouse going during the Covid shutdown.
Their first message is that they are surviving thanks to the generosity of patrons and government agencies. They have not been able to conduct any live performances since their last show ended a week early in March 2020. In April, they got a PPP loan, which has since been forgiven. They have also gotten grants from Pierce County, the WA State Arts Commission, the City of Lakewood, and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.
They have been doing a few online shows, including a one-man show called “An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe”, but those do not bring in any revenue. They have continued their classes as part of the Lakewood Institute of Theater (LIT).
Venturini noted that they have to plan for remaining closed for several more months. It costs about $5,000 per month just to keep the building, for rent, utilities, and insurance. They have laid off half of their staff, and the other half have seen their pay cut in half.
On Jan. 31 at 6PM, the Lakewood Playhouse will air their Annual Theater Awards Ceremony for free, live on Facebook. See https://www.facebook.com/lakewood.playhouse/.
And Finally...
There are some pizza purists who assert that it is morally wrong to ever put pineapple chunks on a pizza. What would they say about this?
