Members attended the Chamber’s monthly “Fun at Five” event held recently at Camp Frank A. Day in East Brookfield.  Camp Day is an overnight camp for youths ages 7-16.  It’s a beautiful natural woodland and lake-front setting with an extensive beach area and lots of things for the kids to do at this Camp.  Despite the hefty breeze off the water, Rotarians enjoyed meeting other attendees and trying several samples from Rapscallion Brewers and the great food from B.T.’s Smokehouse.  Rotarian and Executive Director of Camping Services at Camp Day, Scott Peckins, welcomed everyone to the Camp and provided us with a brief history.  A fun evening enjoyed by all who attended.

Scott Peckins, Executive Director of Camping Services and a Sturbridge Rotarian.

Dining Hall at Camp Day.

Dave Dick spoke with us recently about Guitars, Banjos, and Bluegrass in Sturbridge.  His roots began in the Southbridge area where he started playing guitar at age eight.  By age 18 he had switched to banjo and was playing bluegrass music in bands.  He worked in sales in a local music shop then his career took him to Worcester where he worked at the art of repairing “fretted” string instruments.  He recently started his own instrument repair business in Sturbridge, “D String Guitar Repair”, and is getting referrals from all over New England.  He works on acoustic and electric guitars, basses, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles; provides evaluations, restorations, upgrades and customizations of all types and has been a producer, teacher and recording artist for over 30 years.

Dave plays banjo with the Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band, a group of four musicians that have been together for 15 years, which is rare for bluegrass bands these days.   The foursome can really mix things up musically as they entertain their audiences.  They’re all multi-instrumentalists and play a wide range of bluegrass styles…but what really sets them apart is their powerful three- and four-part harmonies.

His background and experiences while touring around the country performing with the band were intriguing but the highlight was listening to his music and seeing his skill on his five-string banjo.  A most enjoyable evening!

Dave with President Otto.

(L to R) Dan Nowlan on mandolin, Ken Taylor on upright bass, Bob Dick on guitar, and his brother Dave Dick on banjo.

Sue Casine, Senior Program Director at the Tri-Community YMCA in Southbridge spoke to Sturbridge Rotary recently about the broad spectrum of programs offered to members of all ages, needs and interests at the Y in Southbridge and at various other locations in our area.  The Y is dedicated to putting Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.  Besides the many exercise classes offered including swimming and machines, the Y offers Youth Sports and great summer day programs at Camp Foskett for the kids including a special program offered  to kids in the town of Ware.  In addition to Camp Foskett, we heard about Scamper Camp, Kayak Camp, Music Camp, Summer Fun Club and Camp Splash.  There is always so much going on at the Y in Southbridge that Sturbridge Rotary donated funds to the YMCA to help continue its great work.  Sue Casine accepts a check and a Rotary coffee mug from President Otto.

We recently inducted three members of Lamparth Consulting as Rotary Business Members.  Christian Lamparth of Sturbridge, Paul Metcalf of Oxford and Tim Cushmann of Southbridge were welcomed by the Club Membership.  The induction ceremony was performed by Past District Governor Klaus Hachfeld and Membership Chairman Bob White and assisted by President Otto Prohaska.  Lamparth Consulting, Inc. is an innovative and rapidly growing full-service IT consulting firm with offices in the United States and Singapore.  They provide their clients with cutting-edge technologies and the know-how to apply them.  Shown (L to R) is Klaus Hachfeld, Paul Metcalf, Bob White, Christian Lamparth, Tim Cushmann and Otto Prohaska.

Ron Dufresne, a recently retired nurse with the MA National Guard Medical Unit, gave a very interesting presentation.  Ron had three tours to Iraq serving at the base hospital and shared his experiences of life on base.  He spoke about his work at the hospital taking care of the many wounded and the various types of wounds.  It was a different perspective for the Club members having previously heard from a soldier who served on the front line.  Ron was asked many questions about his work and the experiences he shared with us.  Ron accepts a Rotary coffee mug from President-Elect Dave.