Rotary update: Easter Parade & Egg Hunt; NQID shirts; summer concerts and more
April 1, 2023 | By Gwenna Peters The winter is winding down and as spring arrives, so do many Waterbury Rotary Club events. Here’s a rundown of the projects and special events local Rotarians are organizing and looking forward to in the coming weeks.
April 8: Easter Parade and Egg Hunt
The Easter Bunny greets a fan at last year’s Easter Egg Hunt. Photo by Gordon Miller
The annual Easter Parade and Egg Hunt happens next Saturday, April 8, rain, shine or snow.
The fun begins at Brookside Primary School at 10:30 a.m. where the Easter Bunny will meet families to then head out together down the sidewalks to Pilgrim Park.
Strollers and wagons are encouraged for the smallest children. At Pilgrim Park, the egg hunt is intended for children ages 10 and under and it starts at 11 a.m. sharp.
Be sure to dress for the weather and know that the field is usually damp to soggy, so boots are recommended. Bring baskets or a bag with handles to gather treasures. And please leave pets at home. The bunny tells us he is afraid of dogs and chocolate is not good for dogs, either.
May 10: deadline for scholarship applications
Each year the Rotary Club offers scholarships in partnership with Harwood Union High School. Applications for the 2023 scholarships open to graduating students are now open and information is available on the Rotary website, waterburyvtrotary.org/page/scholarships/. The deadline for applications is May 10.
May 20: Rise Against Hunger project at Harwood
Waterbury Rotary is partnering again with the Mad River Valley Rotary Club on May 20 at 10 a.m. at Harwood Union High School to package meals for 20,000. The effort typically takes about 70 volunteers, so we could use more than just Rotary members. No special skills are needed. Volunteers package complete meals of nutritious dried foods for shipment to hungry people around the world as part of a Rotary International initiative. The nutritious, rice-based meals are sent to school programs and orphanages in the developing world.
We anticipate the event will take about three hours. To sign up to volunteer, send an email to Edward McDonough at e.mcdonough-iii@northeastern.edu. Or just come out on the 20th. No one will be turned away.
May 20: Calcutta fundraiser
Rotary works to make its events family-friendly and free to the public. To make that possible, it does its share of fundraising each year. On May 20, Rotary holds its annual Calcutta fundraiser in conjunction with the Preakness Stakes, a Triple Crown Race and we ask the community to consider purchasing a ticket.
The event happens at 5 p.m. at the American Legion and a $100 ticket gets you dinner for two, a night of horse races and betting, a silent auction, and a chance to win the $2,000 grand prize, a $500 second prize and other prizes throughout the night. Only 100 tickets will be sold.
For more information and to purchase tickets, see the Rotary Club website under the Calcutta tab. Tickets are also available from any Rotarian around the community.
June 15: Summer Concert Series returns
Concerts in the park return June 15. File photo by Gordon Miller
The Rotary Summer Concert Series returns on Thursday evenings in Rusty Parker Memorial Park beginning on June 15 with The Michelle Fay Band. They play original and Americana music with a comfortable groove of folk, swing and bluegrass. The concerts will continue each Thursday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. until Aug. 10. Find a complete list of bands for each date online at waterburyvtrotary.org.
Winning design for NQID 2023
Crossett Brook Middle School 6th grader Parker Robinson with the winning NQID t-shirt graphic design. Courtesy photo
The annual Not Quite Independence Day event that leads off all the July 4 festivities in our area is held on the last Saturday in June. This year the date is June 24 and the Rotary Club started early to get the community involved in the details.
We began by asking the public to suggest ideas for this year's theme. The winner was submitted by Lisa Sholk: “Peace, Love & the 4th of July.”
Next came the t-shirt design contest to capture that theme for shirts that will be available ahead of NQID. We now have a winner: Crossett Brook Middle School sixth grader Parker Robinson, 11, from Duxbury, submitted the winning design.
He says he was inspired on an unexpected day off from school. “I was home from school on the Monday after the Super Bowl because there was a staff shortage and Mom did not want me playing video games all day, so I spent about three hours working on pixel cloning on my computer to create the design.” Good job, Parker!
Parker’s design will be printed on long and short-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts that are available for order now for $20-$50. They will be delivered to Waterbury before NQID and available for pickup at the Waterbury Area Senior Center on Thursday, June 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to noon. Orders must be paid at pick up with cash or check. More details on sizes, styles and ordering is online at waterburyvtrotary.org/page/nqid.
Waterbury's Not Quite Independence Day festivities are held on the last Saturday in June. File photo by Gordon Miller
NQID shirt styles. Click to enlarge
This year’s events will include the parade, concert in the park, Green Mountain Mile fun run and fireworks. More details will be posted online in the coming weeks on how to participate in the race and with a parade entry.
Check out the shirts and place orders by May 1. A limited selection of short-sleeve shirts may be available for purchase after that date, but we cannot guarantee that your preferred style and size will be available.
Gwenna Peters is president of the Waterbury Rotary Club.