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Cedar City Rotary Club
May 2, 2017
Meeting:
The meeting
was conducted by Club President David Westwood who led the singing of My Country ‘tis of Thee. Stewart Morris led The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and prayer was offered by Jeff
Marchant. David led the singing of Smile.
Visitors:
Jim McDonald introduced Adetoua Alarape and her father Dr. Kunle Alarape
from Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr. Alarape came
from Nigeria to support Adetoura as she received a Masters of Public
Administration from SUU last Friday.
Rotary International Convention:
President David reminded everyone there is still time to register for
the RI Convention in Atlanta, GA from June 10 - 14, 2017. Register online at www.rotary.org .
If you are attending, please let David know. He needs volunteers to work in the Kenyan
NICU Project Booth.
District Conference in Park City –
May 18-20, 2017: President David reminded everyone of the
District 5420 Annual Conference and encouraged those who have yet to register
to do so. Jon Huntsman, Sr. will be
honored for his service at the Conference.
Speakers will inspire and motivate on Friday and Saturday mornings. Great local service projects on Friday
afternoon will be followed by a BBQ and Line Dance. On Saturday afternoon, you’ll select from
optional activities and enjoy your weekend in Park City. Register online at www.utahrotary.org and join fellow Rotarians for a celebration of the great work we do! If
you have questions or need help registering, contact President David.
Annual Golf Tournament on Wednesday,
May 10th: Todd Boyer announced that there are
still two team openings for this fundraising tournament. Corporate Sponsorship is $700, which includes
a team. The cost for a Team only is
$600; and a Hole Sponsorship is $250. Glade Hamilton circulated a sign-up sheet for
the tournament volunteers. Bella
Terra is the Signature Sponsor of this event. Please contact Glade to volunteer for the
event or to register a team at: ghamilton@bellaterra-cc.com
Happy Dollars: Sergeant-at-Arms Roger Thomas successfully attempted a bit of
humor, sharing the following quote: Sometimes the first step towards forgiveness
is realizing the other person is an idiot. Roger also shared a quote by Audrey Hepburn: As you grow older, you will discover you
have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. Jim McDonald offered Happy Dollars on
behalf of the 1,925 SUU scholars who received degrees during the graduation
ceremony last Friday. Robert Cox’s $$$
were in celebration of his first grandchild, a baby boy. Dr. Alarape’s Happy Dollars were for the
opportunity to be here to celebrate his daughter’s accomplishment. Neal Smith’s Happy $$$ were for his daughter
Stefanie’s clever words of apology – I’m sorry, Mom – prompted by the
challenging behavior of her own four-year-old daughter.
Program:
Neal Smith hosted and introduced Peter Sham, The Neil Simon
Festival artistic director. Peter is
replacing NSF Founder Richard Bugg who will continue as Executive Producer of
the NSF. Having spent twelve seasons
with the NSF, Peter Sham is the author of Lend
Me a Tenor – The Musical and, premiering at the 2017 NSF, Under Construction – The Blue Collar Musical. Peter is finishing his eleventh year as a
professor of acting at SUU. His wife, a
SUU music and dance professor, and his daughter Olivia are also involved with
the NSF.
Rotary was
privileged to hear the strong, angelic voice of Peter’s daughter Olivia singing
“It’s Only a Moment” accompanied by Brandon Scott Grayson who transcribed and
arranged the music and lyrics for Under
Construction – The Blue Collar Musical.
Shortly after her performance, Olivia excused herself and Peter
explained she had to get back to class at Cedar High School where she is a
senior (will attend SUU this fall).
Peter described his new musical as “funny, family friendly, playful with
rock-and-roll overtones”.
Peter
highlighted the June 30th Charity
Benefit Night which will feature the 2017 NSF Company showing off their
talents and giving the audience a sample of the great performances and
productions they can expect to enjoy during The NSF’s 15th
Anniversary Season. All the proceeds go
to local charities who are selling $20 tickets for the Friday, June 30th
event.
The Opening
Night Celebration at Centro is a Pizza & Wine Dinner featuring new wines,
along with a selection of award-winning artisan pizzas. The Sunday, July 16th 4 pm event
cost is $65.
A NSF
tradition is the New Play Reading. This
one-night-only event features the winner of a contest which involved
playwrights sending their new comedies for consideration. The Friday, July 28 at 5 pm audience will
join in a discussion with the actors after actors have read the play. The feedback is done to improve the
play. The 2018 Season will feature a
full-scale production of one of the seven “new” plays selected over the past
seven years.
In addition
to Under Construction – The Blue Collar
Musical, the 2017 Neil Simon Festival will feature two Neil Simon
productions: Broadway Bound and The Dinner
Party. The final part of Neil
Simon’s autobiographical trilogy, Broadway
Bound finds Eugene and his older brother Stanley trying to break into the
world of show business as professional comedy writers while coping with family
drama. When their material is broadcast
on the radio for the first time, the family is upset to hear a thinly-veiled
portrait of themselves played for laughs.
The Dinner Party is described as “frequently
hilarious” by the New York Post. Five
people are invited to dine at a first-rate restaurant in Paris; an unorthodox
dinner party that will change their lives forever.
The fourth
play of the NSF 2017 Season is Noises
Off! By Michael Frayn. Described as
the funniest farce ever written and by the New York Times as “A spectacularly
funny, peerless backstage farce”, it features a menagerie of itinerant actors,
door slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring in the plot.
When asked
how The Neil Simon Festival is doing, Peter said it has been growing each of
the past three years. He credited
Rotary’s own Neal Smith who has been doing the marketing for the NSF. Peter also acknowledged Frank Nichols who
has donated the use of his digital billboard for the NSF’s use. He also credited SUU’s $20,000 donation that
was earmarked for marketing. Peter
announced that he is writing a new show – a Frankenstein themed “Halloween on
the Air” which is a sequel to “Christmas on the Air.”
Adjournment:
President David Westwood thanked Peter and Olivia Sham and Brandon Scott
Grayson for their presentation and led the affirmation of Rotary’s Four-Way Test of the Things We Think, Say or
Do. He adjourned the meeting with
“Go and do some good.”
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
May 9th:
Mike Warner from Dominion Energy will be speaking. He oversees Dominion’s Solar Farms in Iron
and Beaver Counties.
May 16th:
Kathy Wyatt, wife of SUU’s President Scott Wyatt, will be discussing the
new child daycare facility that is being built at Southern Utah University.
May 23rd:
Our Rotary Exchange Student, Noemi, will be sharing her experiences
during her stay in Cedar City.
