“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson – 1803-1882 – Lecturer-Poet-Essayist

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero – 106 BC-43 BC – Statesman-Lawyer-Scholar

“Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.” – Joseph Addison – 1672-1719 – Essayist-Poet-Politician

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

Go to www.rotarydistrict6490.org to up for a “nuts and bolts” District Assembly on May 1.   There will be an emphasis on useful technology. 

Club Social at Riggs, April 29, 5-7 PM.  Come help us celebrate Mary Kay’s retirement from Parkland!

Bonus Bucks for April will go to CU at Home.

PROGRAM

Mary introduced ISU Theater Department professors John Stark and Derek Munson. John is the artistic director and Derek is the manager at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is held on the grounds of the Ewing Cultural Center, a replica of a Norman castle which is owned by Illinois State University.

The festival is designed to be family friendly and fun to watch.  Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a green show preceded each play. Snacks and drinks were served but families were also welcomed to bring their own picnics. 

This summer, snacks and drinks will not be sold but you can bring your own snacks and drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.  There will be a smaller acting company and streamlined productions of “A Winter’s Tale” and “Measure for Measure”.    Instead of the usual audience capacity of 438, the audiences will be limited to 109, creating a more intimate theater experience. 

The company includes professional actors and student interns from both ISU and the U of I. 

Tickets are $25, and they go on sale May 10.  Tickets only be obtained by calling the box office. 

They have summer camps for both children and adults. This summer, they will also offer two on-line adult classes.

—

—

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom through May*

April 29th – No morning meeting – Club Social – 5-7pm at Riggs

May 6th – Winnie Stortzum will discuss her trip to Portugal (Mary)

May 13th – TBD (Bob)

May 20th – TBD (Tom)

May 27th – TBD (Cary)

June 3rd – Teresa from Lodgic (Charlie)

June 10th – Club Assembly? (Mary)

June 17th – Jon L. Seydl, Director of Krannert Art Museum (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

July 1st – TBD 

July 8th – TBD 

July 15th – TBD

July 22nd – TBD

July 29th – TBD

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” – Dolly Parton

“The direction of the mind is more important that its progress.” – Joseph Joubert – 1754-1824 – Essayist

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck – 1902-1968 – Author-Nobel Prize Winner, Literature

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut, Ed “Snowball Throwing” Perry)

Bucket money for April will go to CU @ Home

Mary Kay announced this morning that Darrell will be our next President starting his term this July. The office of President-elect now needs to be filled. Those interested please contact Mary Kay.

Mary Kay noted that The Rotary Club of Champaign has started in-person meetings on Mondays at noon at the Holiday Inn in Champaign. The Urbana, Champaign West, Illini After 5 and Savoy club meetings continue online. We plan to start in person meetings in June. 

PROGRAM

Cary introduced Ryan Reid as our speaker this morning. Ryan is the Director of Sports Operations for the new Rantoul Family Sports Complex.  Ryan gave an update on the new sports complex activities and all of its facilities and future plans.

The Complex is now open for business and sports tourism activities and local recreational use. The facility is planned for local, regional, state and national sport activities. The sports complex consists of over 60 acres in Rantoul, Illinois, and is easily accessible from Interstate 57. 

It contains 8 baseball/softball fields and can handle baseball for youth leagues up to minor league games. In addition, there are 8 soccer/multi use fields also available. All playing fields are 100% state of the art synthetic turf with LED lighting, scoreboards and interconnecting  technology. Along with the playing fields the complex includes ample parking space, large concession building and office space, water park activities and playfields for those with special needs. 

Starting this weekend, many activities have been booked through October. Ryan touched on the economic impact for Rantoul and the surrounding area and noted there are sponsorships and advertising opportunities still available.

For more information please go to the web site, www.rantoulsportscomplex.com or contact Ryan directly at rreid@myrantoul.com.   

—

—

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

April 22nd – John C. Stark, Artistic Director and Derek Munson, Managing Director, Illinois Shakespeare Festival (Charlie)

April 29th – Club Social – no morning meeting

May 6th – Winnie Stortzum will discuss her trip to Portugal (Mary)

May 13th – TBD (Bob)

May 20th – TBD (Tom)

May 27th – TBD (Cary)

June 3rd – Teresa from Lodgic (Charlie)

June 10th – Club Assembly? (Mary)

June 17th – Jon L. Seydl, Director of Krannert Art Museum (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

“As I’ve grown older I’ve really got to understand how powerful one voice can be, my voice can be, or the team’s voice can be. So to hold that back or not to use that just seems selfish in a way.” – Megan Rapinoe – U.S. professional soccer player

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein – 1879-1955 – Mathematician-Physicist-Nobel Prize Recipient

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”  – Henry Ward Beecher – 1813-1887 – Clergyman-Social Reformer-Speaker

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unorthodox and unconventional Paul Conforti)

June 3^rd CU Sunrise will return to in-person meetings at Lodgic

PROGRAM

Bob introduced our speaker Linden “Lin” Warfel

Lin Warfel grew up on a farm near Tolono, IL. He went to Wabash College before transferring to the University of Illinois to study Agriculture.  He then had a stint in the U.S. Air Force before he returned to farming. Lin has served on the Parkland College board, the Unit 7 school board and the Illinois Community College Association. Lin is a member of Rotary.

In 2021, Lin is celebrating 60 years as a farmer. Lin talked about how technology in farming and the science behind agriculture has evolved over the years.

Central Illinois is the epicenter of what is known as the breadbasket of the world. There is no better farm ground anywhere than in Champaign County. The fertile topsoil left behind after the glaciers retreated during the ice age and, when combined with our weather, make east central Illinois farm crop yields the envy of the world.

In the 1970’s Lin purchased a state of the art 4-row planter which could plant 40 acres per day.

Today, Lin owns two 24-row planters, each capable of planting 60 acres per hour, while maintaining precise seed depth in the soil, and the planter monitors soil temperature while the tractor uses GPS and auto steer to precisely (within 1 inch) follow each field’s plot plan.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) change the way seeds and other organisms such as bacteria perform.  A commonly used medicine that comes from a genetically modified source is insulin, which is used to treat diabetes, and there are many others. GMO technology in crops have reduced the quantity of herbicides and insecticides used on the modern farm field.

There are approximately 1 billion microbes in a cup of soil. Ag microbiology studies how microbes work with soil nutrients, photosynthesis, and soil fertility each affecting crop yield.

The world watches central Illinois crop productivity. Illinois is #2 in agricultural exports, second only to California. The California climate is uniquely suited for the export of dairy, cattle, nuts, and fruit. Illinois is #1 in corn, #2 in soybeans and #4 in pork exports.

We buy so many products that are “made in China”. One wonders, what does China buy from us? China has 1.4 billion people, and much of the country is not suitable for farming.  Illinois is the #1 exporter of agricultural products to China. Lin said that in agricultural terms China is the elephant in the parade. Illinois agriculture plays a major role in in that trade balance. Much of the food in China could accurately be labeled as “Made in Illinois”!

—

—

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

April 15th – Ryan Reid, Director of Sports Operations, Rantoul Family Sports Complex (Cary)

April 22nd – John C. Stark, Artistic Director and Derek Munson, Managing Director, Illinois Shakespeare Festival (Charlie)

April 29th – Club Social – no morning meeting

May 6th – Winnie Stortzum will discuss her trip to Portugal (Mary)

May 13th – TBD (Bob)

May 20th – TBD (Tom)

May 27th – TBD (Cary)

June 3rd – TBD (Charlie)

June 10th – TBD (Mary)

June 17th – Jon L. Seydl, Director of Krannert Art Museum (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.” – Emily Dickinson – 1830-1886 – Poet

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – James Allen – 1864-1912 – Author

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus – 50 AD-135 AD – Greek Stoic Philosopher

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

President Mary Kay thanked members who participated in the food repack on March 27.   It was a great opportunity to meet each other’s family members.  Please let her know if you have ideas for service activities for April and May.  

Jerry announced that the new By Laws were approved.   They are effective as of April 1, 2021

The next Bucket Bucks will go to CU at Home.   Jarrod explained how CU at Home at Home and the Champaign Park District have partnered during the pandemic.  After the Douglas Center was closed, CU at Home used it to provide additional socially distanced shelter for the homeless.   And since they often sleep in Champaign parks, the CU at Home staff now travel from park to park to talk to the homeless.   That keeps the Park District staff from having to call the police.

PROGRAM

Thanks to Jarrod Scheunemann for providing an innovative new idea for a Rotary program.    We played Park District Jeopardy!

At one time, Jarrod’s dream was to become a park ranger.  But Rotarian Robin Hall advised him, “If you want to make a difference in people’s lives, you have to work with park systems that people have access to.”   Jarrod says that the State of Illinois has created one of the best local park systems in the country and world.  There are 348 park districts in Illinois.   Ours is one of the few with a separate tax.

Jarrod has visited over 1,000 park facilities around the state and through the Jeopardy Game, he shared what he has learned, such as:

There are 62 parks in the Champaign Park District.

Champaign Urbana is located in the Mississippi Flyway for migratory birds.  Over half of American bird species have been spotted in two of our local parks, Busey Woods and Crystal Lake Park.

Our Leonard Recreation Center has the lowest fees of any park district facility in the state.   One dollar of every Park District program fee goes towards scholarships for low-income families.

Champaign and Urbana partnered in the 1990’s to form CU Special Recreation.  The Bicentennial Center across from the Leonard Center provides sports opportunities for individuals with disabilities.   

The Virginia Theater sells 35,000 tickets per year to people from out of town.   The Park District has used the time during the shutdown to install air conditioning, a new roof and a state of the art sound system at the Virginia.

At the state level, Millennium Park is the most visited location in the Midwest.  The Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie on the site of the former Joliet Arsenal is the largest restoration program in Illinois.

—

—

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

April 15th – TBD (Cary)

April 22nd – John C. Stark, Artistic Director and Derek Munson, Managing Director, Illinois Shakespeare Festival (Charlie)

April 29th – Club Social – no morning meeting

May 6th – Winnie Stortzum will discuss her trip to Portugal (Mary)

May 13th – TBD (Tom)

May 20th – TBD (Bob)

May 27th – TBD (Cary)

June 3rd – TBD (Charlie)

June 10th – TBD (Mary)

June 17th – TBD (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony