Rotary Club of Bellingham Tattler - SEPTEMBER 11, 2023
Tattler Reporter: John Moffat
Tattler Editor: Steve Ban
Dylan Deane-Boyle - Whatcom County Tourism Year in Review
Opening Welcome:
President Doug opened the meeting reminding everyone that today is the anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Guests:
John Moffat brought Bob Kunzel and Speaker Dylan Deane-Boyle
Jan Marchbanks introduced former and our newest member, Aaron Booker
Members on Zoom: Sandy McIntire & Roland Trenouth
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Paul Harris Fellow Presentation: President Doug presented John Moffat with a PHF Plus 3 pin, to a standing ovation from Club members.
Board Meeting: There will be a board meeting this coming Thursday, September 14, at 4:30 p.m. at Mark Knittel’s home.
Rotary Moment:Rick Kaiser presented the Rotary Moment. He recounted the events of August 11, 2001, exactly one month before the 9/11 attacks. On this particular day, he and his wife, Ann, had the opportunity to fly from Anchorage to his work at the North Slope in the cockpit of a Boeing 737-100. He and Ann sat in the jump seats and marveled at the incredible view of the spectacular Alaska scenery. As they approached Mt. McKinley, the pilot discovered that one of the three electric generators was malfunctioning and they were ordered to return to Anchorage for repairs. The pilot circled the top of Mt. McKinley and flew back
to Anchorage. After repairs, they resumed the flight, but they opted to sit in the more comfortable seats in the back of the plane. Rick figured that he would have many more chances to sit in the cockpit on future flights to the North Slope. Of course, those chances never materialized, due to the post-9/11 airline restrictions, which is why his views of the magnificent scenery from the cockpit on that August 11 made that one of the most memorable days of his life.
Service Fund Committee: Chair Steve Ban reminded members that the Club has budgeted $4,000 in this Rotary year for Service Fund Grants of up to $1,000 each to local non-profit organizations for specific projects or programs. Applications must be sponsored by a RCOB member. Contact Steve or other Committee members (Doug Cole, Paul Grey, Larry Halgren, John Moffat, John Pedlow and Sandee Lindhout) for more details.
Major Project Committee: Chair David Blair announced that there will be a committee meeting immediately after this meeting.
International Student Exchange Committee: Chair Monty McAllister announced that our inbound student from Brazil has arrived and will be attending one of our meetings soon. Monty urged members to consider hosting the student for an evening, a weekend or an outing during his 9 month stay. Contact Monty for details.
Guess Whose Coming to Dinner Committee: Chair Brad Burdick reminded members that the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner date is October 14. About half of the 64 spots for the dinner are still available for club members to sign up. Brad encouraged members to sign up with him directly or through the Club Runner.
Minister of Fun: Ken Marzocco had members relive childhood days by having us build paper airplanes and try to fly them from near the back of the room to the back of the stage. Nathan Twining and Rob Olson tied. The rest of us had to fork over $5.
Jan Marchbanks introduced new member candidate Aaron Booker to fill the classification “Video Technology.” Aaron’s grandfather, David Morse, joined our club in 1943. His uncles, DC Morse and Bob Morse, are current members, as is his cousin Daver Morse. Member Jan is proud to call Aaron her nephew. Aaron was a member of the Club years ago, but the demands of work (much traveling) and his young family required that he resign at that time. He is happy that he now has the time to join and participate. Past President Paul Grey gave the charge. Paul quoted Woody Allen’s line that half of life is just showing up, and encouraged Aaron to attend meetings regularly. He also urged Aaron to participate in as many committees as possible to contribute to the club. President Doug welcomed Aaron as a returning member of the Club.
Weekly Payment Reminder
VENMO:
@RCOB- Bellingham.
Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532.
CASH / CHECK:
Yes, we still take these and saving on fees is appreciated.
John Moffat introduced today’s speaker, Dylan Deane-Boyle, President & CEO of Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism. Dylan assumed his current position last winter. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Masters Degree in Parks, Tourism and Recreation from the University of Montana. For the last decade, Dylan was Executive Director of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau in Whitefish, Montana. He is on a number of local boards and committees in various capacities. He and his wife live in Bellingham with their toddler.
Dylan’s presentation was entitled, “Whatcom County Tourism: Year in Review” discussing 2022. The dual goals of his agency are to (1) maintain Bellingham and Whatcom County’s vitality as a premier year-round travel destination to bring economic benefit to its communities, and (2) to improve the local economy by attracting more visitors who stay longer. Tourism is (1) an important part of Whatcom County’s year-round economy, (2) a way to be aware of and appreciate our year-round resources, attractions, history, arts and culture, (3) a way to bring the county together through cooperation, coordination and collaboration, and (4) a driver of economic development and a good investment for businesses and governments.
Total travel spending in Whatcom County in 2022 was $688,300,000, a 30.5% increase over 2021 and more than pre-pandemic spending! Whatcom County ranks 5th in the state in tourist spending. Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism spends
money in advertising to attract visitors to the County, through print ads, digital advertising in markets where folks fly to Bellingham, website advertising, visitor newsletters, videos, and media relations, including articles in magazines and online.
Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism provides local outreach through its four offices, the main one on Potter Street, one at the Cruise Terminal, one at the airport and one at Finnegan’s Alley in Fairhaven. It produces monthly E-newsletters, mobile passes and a Go! Guide, a pocket-sized fold out map showing attractions in the area. Dylan closed by introducing us, via photos, to his 7-member team of workers.
Thank you, Dylan, for a great presentation. Keep up the good work!
Closing:
President Doug thanked those who helped with the meeting and rang the adjournment bell at 1:30 PM.
Ken Marzocco
Minister of Fun takes flight
Mystery Rotarian - Search for the answer hidden in the Tattler
RCOB apparel, including polo shirts, dress shirts, vests and hats is now available. These are items that every Club member simply must have in his/her wardrobe! Besides looking great, Club members will be contributing to branding for the RCOB as well as supporting our Club's Foundation, which will receive part of the proceeds.
Click on the button below for the the clothing catalogue, with the Order Form on the last page. Fill out the order form, turn it into Vinson Latimore at a meeting or email a scanned copy to embroidery@choicesscrubs.com.
