Weekly Bulletin - May 7, 2015 Meeting
Posted by Richard Garcia
on May 13, 2015
Our speaker was Susan Nicholl, Executive Director of the Metrowest Visitors Bureau, a regional tourism council.
Guests:
- Gino Frattiloni, Visiting Rotarian
- Susan Nicholl, Speaker
Announcements:
- District Conference is coming up next week; our Club and the Acton-Boxborough Club are hosting a hospitality suite on Friday night from 9-11 pm, where Brazilian desserts, wine and beer will be served.
- Gabriel, our Gift of Life child, may be going home next week.
- May 14th, no meeting so that members can attend the District Conference on May 15-17.
- June 4th, evening field trip to the RFK Children’s Action Corps Center in Lancaster.
- June 11th, joint evening meeting with the Acton-Boxborough Club at the Car Barn in Hudson.
- June 18th, no meeting as we’re the host club for Wings and Wheels.
- Wings & Wheels update: Brian is coordinating volunteers. We owe a big thank-you to Karin for her outstanding work recruiting sponsors. Printers’ estimates for our brochures have ranged from $400 to $4,000, but Clinton Offset Printers will do it for free.
- June 25th is the installation ceremony for Jim Stone as club president. This is a morning meeting to be held at Nancy’s Airfield Café.
- May 30th is the next Repair Café; volunteers to put up posters around the towns are needed.
- Guatemala: The funds have been transmitted, and received by the Coban club; Carl is going down on June 9th, and the WPI Rotaractors will begin building the rainwater harvesting systems for the local villagers.
Happy/sad fines:
- Jim: is excited to be going to Brazil in a little more than three weeks.
- Ray: has been making the rounds (Hudson, Marlboro, Westford), promoting the Repair Café; sad to report the illness of a member of Bolton Local.
- Laura: happy that town meeting was only one night long; happy that we’re getting good coverage of the Reality Fair; and happy that the weather has finally turned.
- Gino: this is his fifth meeting this week; next come Westford and Shirley.
- Karin: happy that today is the nicest day of the whole year; she now has 22 parakeets, which make a great gift.
- Ron: spoke to the Groton-Pepperell club about starting an Interact club; June 3rd is the Inauguration Ceremony with the new Interact Club at NRHS, when we will be presenting a charter, banner and pins.
- Brian: happy that his wife is graduating from dog grooming school.
- Bob: happy that the warmer weather is here; the RYLA weekend is coming up and hopes that members can volunteer.
- Richard: his youngest daughter has a delivery date for the twins.
Speaker:
Our speaker was Susan Nicholl, Executive Director of the Metrowest Visitors Bureau, a regional tourism council.
- The purpose of the agency is to stimulate the economy of the region.
- Why should anyone come to Metrowest? Visitors are looking for something different. A record number of people came to the opening of Wegman’s; it’s the sort of shopping activity many people are looking for; likewise, the Natick mall and the Wrentham outlets.
- The State benefits greatly from visitors; last year they spent $883 million, which generated $45 million in taxes.
- People in the area ask, Why would anyone want to come here? They should know that Metrowest contains many hidden gems: the Mendon Zoo; the Museum of World War II in Natick (the largest private collection of war memorabilia); the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton; botanic gardens like Tower Hill; the stamp museum at Regis College.
- Community-based events also make it an interesting place for visitors. Many events aren’t in the brochure, but are on the web site: metrowestvisitors.org.