The Wagner Rotarians began their April 2, meeting with our prayer for our club, its members, and our work in the community. We were treated to a delicious meal from Boom’s. It was incorrectly stated in last week’s minutes that we would be having our steak meal catered by Choteau Creek Brewery. That meal won’t be until April, 16.

Song leader Gerrit Juffer announced that today was his birthday, so we sang the birthday song in his honor and then he led us in singing “Rotary.”

Rotarian Patty Frei recently receivedsomeRotaryitemsfrom the family of Joe Stedronsky. It was a scrapbook of various programs and items of Rotary interest that Joe had compiled when he was still secretary for the Wagner Club. There was a piece on the origin of singing in Rotaryandseveralnewsarticles from the Reporter who at that time was Gerald E. Carl. The articles involved listing Senior students visiting the Wagner Club, singing led by Rotarians George“Gusto”Smith,Al“Alto” Fechner, and “Rhythm” Robbie Robsahm. There was the attendance race for the quarterly steak meetings which we still participate in today. Frei noted that most of the fines levied were $2 or $1 by the Sergeant at Arms. The Wagner Rotary Club had high participation in giving to the Paul Harris Foundation which still is honored today and other highlights of former Rotary members and their interesting programs.

There was discussion about choosing new attendance teams. Bill Frei’s team will be buying the meal in two weeks for losing the third quarter attendance race. That is when CCBC will be bringing the meal into the club. Ditch cleaning was postponed for another week because there has been some moisture in the ditches.

Rotarian Kathe Henke introduced her program which was Mr. Larry Lucas from Rails to Trails. This is a group that is named “Tabor to Platte Rail to Trail. They have a website address which is www.Tabor-ToPlatteRailTo Trail.com They are proposing converting the unused rail line that stretches across Bon Homme and Charles Mix counties into a recreational trail for hikers and bikers. They began planning two years ago and now are at a critical juncture: They have been awarded a $204,000 grant from the SD Department of Transportation to create a true plan of action, but they must raise $34,126 in matching funds. They have about another $10,000 to raise. Lucas and Jerome Bentz from Platte are Cochairs of the organization.

The organization stresses the four big benefits of the Trail: Economic, Quality of Life, Respect for Rural, and Public Safety. The organization recently held town meetings in each of the communities along the railway. For more information please contact larryjameslucas@gmail.com or jwbentz@midstatesd. net We adjourned in our usual fashion.

Sergeant at Arms Jerry Weber followed up with fines of his own for the day: $2 to Jeannie for asking for members phone numbers; $2 to Jamie, Bill, and Jordan for their attire; $2 to Margaret for the “folksy” greeting she gave to Bill Frei; $2 to Bill Frei for having a pickup loaded with pallets; $2 to Becky for being a politician and going from table to table before the meeting; $2 to Jeff Doom for conversing about his old basketball talents.

Happy Fines came from Jeff Doom of $5 for finding his name in the old scrapbook as being inducted into the Wagner Rotary Club; $10 from Amanda Bechen for her son Vincent getting his first base assignment in the Navy; and $6.80 from Gerrit Juffer for having his 68th birthday!

Rotarian Becky Soukup pulled the eight of Spades from the card deck but it wasn’t enough to win the $284.00 that is presently in the Queen of Hearts pot.