Cambridge Farmers Market Manager encourages Byesville Rotarians to become “Locavores”

Pictured: Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary President, Cookie Connell, Cambridge Farmers Market Manager, Rich Dair, Speaker Host.

Readings: August Rotarian

• "Fit for flying," p. 46.


• "Rotary stories: Rotary boy of the year," p. 48.

Cookie Connell, number 1 volunteer and Market Manager for the Cambridge Farmers Market, tempted Byesville Rotarians to visit the Farmers Market with descriptions of the produce, baked goods and crafts offered Fridays on the Cambridge Courthouse lawn.

“This is the 5th year for the Cambridge market,” Cookie said, adding that the idea for the Market was the brainchild of the Cambridge Main Street organization. The Market is held every Friday, May through October, 9:00am –1:00pm. Each week there is a different mix of about 24 venders.

The one requirement is that items on sale must be produced by the vender. Farmers offer freshly picked seasonal produce such as corn, green beans, and herbs. Bakers sell fresh, homemade breads, pies, and cookies. A cheesemaker offers locally made cheese. Craftspeople offer handmade jewelry, candles and various cloth and fabric creations.

New this summer is the “Locavore” event. Cookie described a “Locavore” as a person who makes a conscious choice to eat locally produced food. During the event a chef creates a delicious lunch using food items purchased at the Market the morning of the event.

The next Locavore “Lunch on the Lawn” will be held September 24. Chef Lydia Simonette from New Concord will be cooking. Tickets for lunch are $10.00.

This Friday, children are invited to attend the “Children’s Sprouts Day.” Children will learn how food is produced before it ends up in a box or a can on the grocery store shelves.

Service clubs are invited to set up tables in the resource area of the Market. Fundraisers are allowed as long as the fundraiser does not compete with any of the venders. Tables for service clubs are free. Venders are charged $10 a week or $100 for 26 weeks for a vending site

Cookie has the answers to questions about the Market. Contact her at 439-5522 or bkigal@yahoo.com.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, August 17, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Hospice of Guernsey visits Byesville Rotary to discuss end of life care

Pictured: Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary President, Dama Ferguson, Hospice of Guernsey, and Rich Dair, Speaker Host.

Readings for August 3:

• August Rotarian, p. 30, "Teaching Tolerance."

August 3 is a business meeting--remember to bring canned meat or $3.00 to give to Bob Long.

Important dates:

• August 7--chicken BBQ--need volunteer workers.
• August 28--chicken BBQ--need more volunteer workers.
• August 26--noon board meeting at Plus 1 Pizza.

A Red Eye Bus Tour is being planned for the latter part of October. Tanya Hitchens is chairing committee. Current committee members are Dan Navicky, Oziel Jeffries, and Phyliss Jeffries. Club members are asked to begin recruiting passengers.

Dama Ferguson from Hospice of Guernsey described the how their services provide “a special kind of caring.” She explained that Hospice believes in a team approach to end of life. Dama stated, “The focus of the team is to make each day as good as possible for the patient and the family.”

A second goal is to give the patient control over decisions concerning how and where they want to spend the rest of their lives. Families are encouraged to become directly involved with the patient’s care and decision making.

The most important members of the team are the patient and the patient’s family. The patient’s doctor is an integral part of the team. Hospice staff members providing services include a primary nurse who is on 24 hours call and who visits the patient 2 to 5 times a week. Other team members can include a social worker who provides emotional and financial counseling, a pastor, music practitioner, reflexologist, art therapist, or home health aide.

Services are provided to the patient at his or her home where a family member or friend agrees to become the primary care giver. Depending on need, some patients are provided services in a nursing home.

Dama hopes that Hospice can increase the number of people using the services the Hospice can provide. She said that the biggest reason people do not contact the hospice is because people avoid talking about death. Hospice staff members are trained to help people deal with the anxiety and fear that a terminal illness can cause.

Hospice of Guernsey also provides services to Noble County and parts of western Belmont County. For more information, contact, 740-432-7440, 1-800-283-0316 or hospiceofguernsey@firewireinternet.com

The club’s next chicken BBQ will be held August 7 at the Rotary gazebo in Byesville. The club has begun plans for a Red Eye Bus tour to New York City in the latter part of October.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, August 3, 2010, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767

Byesville Rotary learns how WIC promotes health for kids and expectant mothers

Pictured: Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary President, Karen St. Clair, WIC Program, and Rich Dair, Speaker Host.

Readings for July 27:

• July Rotarian: pp. 56 and 57, and "Dental health" p. 64.

Board meeting: July 22, 12n at Plus one Pizza.

Karen St. Clair, from the Guernsey County WIC program, spoke to the club about the nutrition education program. WIC is a federal program providing nutrition supplements to people who meet the program guidelines. People eligible for the program include expectant mothers, mothers who are breastfeeding, and parents who have a child under 5 years old. They must also live in Ohio, meet the WIC income guidelines, and have a medical card. To find out more about the Guernsey County program, call 740-439-3577, exts. 242, 248, or 249.

Parents who are interested in the program must interview with a WIC staff member as part of the qualification process. The interview includes a nutrition assessment and a brief health assessment geared toward identifying possible health problems such as a child’s failure to thrive or low blood iron.

Karen stated that the program not only provides monthly food coupons aimed at improving the nutrition of participants’ diets but also provides education about nutrition. WIC staff will recommend changes in diet and issue a food packet of coupons individualized for a family’s specific nutrition needs. The food coupons help a family purchase nutritional food such as cereal, juice, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The program also provides breastfeeding information and support for women who want to breastfeed their new infant. More information about WIC is available at http://www.odh.ohio.gov

In other business, the club voted to donate money to support Kelly DeLancey‘s participation in the Junior Olympic Nationals being held in California, July 27-Aug. 1. Trevor Black reported that the annual golf outing fundraiser earned almost $3500 for the Scholarship Fund. He felt the club can do even better next year by increasing the numbers of teams participating. The clubs next chicken BBQ will be held August 7 at the Rotary gazebo in Byesville.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, July 27, 2010, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767

Byesville Rotary learns quality of Byesville water and sewage utilities has positive economic impact for Byesville

Pictured: Randy Mercer, Byesville Village Administrator, and Phyllis Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President.

Randy Mercer, Village Administrator from Byesville stated he has two responsibilities. He manages the water and sewer assets of village and serves as liaison between Byesville Village Council and Mayor. He is also responsible for insuring that Byesville water and sewer utilities are able to meet current demands as well as adjust quickly to meet the demands of local economic growth.

Two recent projects insure that Byesville is ready to meet the challenges of growth. A new water treatment plant, opened in 2004, is the first of its kind in a municipality in Ohio. A new waste water plant is currently under construction. The new waste treatment plant was required by the Ohio EPA which helped Byesville get the funding for the project. It is expected to open in April, 2011.

In spite of these new projects, Mercer reported that Byesville water remains the lowest in Guernsey County. The quality and low cost of Byesville water convinced Colgate to stay in Byesville rather than move production to Mexico. Colgate needs good, cheap water to produce its products. Mercer explained that Byesville water costs and quality kept Colgate production costs in Byesville cheaper than production costs would have been in Mexico.

Mercer uses new technologies to keep costs down. He has integrated all data collected into a central site, is employing a GPS type system to locate resources such as water valves, has connected all buildings with wireless bridges to improve communication, and uses wireless technology to collect billing information. These innovations allowed him to reduce staff by 20% and maintain the quality of service. Information about Byesville Water and waste water utilities can be found at www.byesville.us/water.htm

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, July 20, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Dickens Village mannequins visit Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Rich Dair, Speaker Host; Jonett Haberfield, Dickens Village; Phyliss Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President.

Jonett Haberfield demonstrated to the Byesville Rotary members how the Dickens mannequins are constructed. The Byesville Rotary has a personal interest in the mannequins. The members sponsor two Dickens coal miners located at the Byesville Scenic Railway depot.

The sculpting process begins with a Styrofoam head used to display wigs. Cellu-clay is molded over the head and facial details are added. After two weeks, the clay used for the heads is dry. The heads are then painted with a flesh colored based coat. Finally, individual facial characteristics are painted on the head.

Five years ago, Dickens Village started with 105 mannequins. This year, 180 will be on display. One of the new displays will be a group of animated ice skaters.

Jonett explained it takes up to 30 hours to create a head for a new character. In addition, Dickens artists must repair heads of older characters. While heads are being repaired, the costume committee is refreshing the mannequins’ costumes. Up to 80% of the clothing worn by the mannequins must be replaced each year. These activities keep the 15 Dickens artists and the costume committee busy all summer and fall.

Jonett reported that during the 2009 season, 36 busloads of tourists arrived in Cambridge. Four of the tour buses spent the night in Cambridge. The economic impact of the bus tours on the local economy is estimated to be $40,000.

The number of tour buses arriving in Cambridge for the 2010 season is increasing. To date, 61 buses have scheduled tours of the Dickens Village. Forty-one of the buses will be staying overnight. These tours will have an estimated $316,000 impact on the Cambridge economy.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, Tuesday, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Rotary learns importance of tourism to County

Pictured: Rich Dair, speaker Host; Debbie Robinson, Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors and Convention Bureau; Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary President-Elect.

For 30 years, the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors and Convention Bureau (VCB) has worked to bring tourists to Guernsey County years old. Debbie Robinson, one of the VCB staff, reported that the efforts of the VCB staff have a positive effect on local business revenues, jobs, and tax revenues for local and state governments.

A 2007 study produced by the Ohio Tourism Division reported that the VCB’s efforts generated $15 million in taxes collected from visitors; provided employment for 1,822 members of the community, and added $29.9 million to local payrolls.

The mission of the VCB is threefold: 1) to promote the Cambridge/Guernsey County area, 2) to educate community members about the value and importance of tourism to the area, and 3) to promote the development of tourism and tourism related businesses.

Typically, 80% of the visitors to Guernsey County are day trippers, staying for just the VCB is working to improve tourism in the county by more than 6% by marketing to families, empty nesters, and young transitionals. These age groups are a good match for the county because many of the area’s attractions are family oriented.

Currently the VCB uses various methods to market Guernsey C. these methods include publishing vacation guides, traditional advertising, attending trade and travel shows, direct mail, news releases, and brochure distribution.

The newest method is the VCBs award winning web site—visitguernseycounty.com.

Ms. Robinson finished her presentation by saying, “The biggest and best resources in the county are our people.”

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, Tuesday, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Cambridge Writers Workshop visits Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary Pres. Elect; Beverly Justice, Sam Besket, and Jerry Wolfrom, members of the Cambridge Writers’ Workshop.

Jerry Wolfram told the Rotary that the Writers’ Workshop is now 3 years old and has about 20 writers who regularly attend meetings. He described the group as eclectic. The members represent all types of people from different parts of the county with different interests in writing. Some are interested in writing specific types of fiction; others are interested in history and non-fiction. They share one thing in common—each of the members wants to be published.

He emphasized that writing is and getting writing assignments to be done by the next meeting. Members also spend time during the week working on their own stories.

Wolfram issued an open invitation to anyone interested in writing and published to talk to a club member. The club can offer good advice, backed by experience, on how to get a book published. The club members have recently published their 3rd book of short stories written by club members—The Wills Creek Trilogy.

Sam Besket, a member of the Writers Workshop, presented the results of research he has done on the history of common words such as “golf” and idioms like “a dead ringer.” “Golf” came from Scotland and is shorthand for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.”

Beverly Justice presented one of her fictional short stories about a tornado and Mayor Day.

The meeting concluded with two of the rotary members reading a radio script created by the Writers’ Workshop. The script was a takeoff on the Abbott and Costello comedy routine “Who’s on First.” In this case, a customer was trying to purchase a new computer from a not-so-helpful salesman.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, June 29, 2010, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.