Lake Butler Community Page News Tidbits

By Ted Barber

Following another outstanding noon luncheon and fellowship, Club President Shane Collins opened our meeting and introduced visiting Rotarian Harvey Baxter and provided three items of importance. The three items included: 1) A request for all Lake Butler Rotarians to assemble tomorrow at 8:00 AM in the UCHS Booster Club Parking Lot to help place 50 white crosses with attached American Flags on State Road 121 starting at Sprinkle Field. These initial 50 crosses with attached American Flags will be displayed until two weeks after Memorial Day, 2) The need for all Club members to provide input for the Union County Centennial Celebration beginning September 30 through October 3, 2021. We will be providing fireworks and coordinating the vendor booths for the Lakeside Park, and 3) the need to plan a major Rotarian fund-raiser like our annual Hawaiian Luau that has been scratched for the past two years due to the pandemic. The fundraiser is needed to cover our semiannual dues to Rotary International, pay our normal expenses and to help cover the cost of our fireworks display (this year the fireworks will be activated on the evening of October 2, 2021 in place of the normal Fourth of July Fireworks).

David Beatty introduced Jason Davidson as a former 1992 UCHS Graduate and Administrator of the Florida Farm Bureau. Jason said the Florida Farm Bureau Federation began after the Great Depression and just prior to WWII in 1941. Today the agriculture based Federation has offices in 60 Florida Counties working to protect its members as a nonprofit business. Farm families and cattle ranchers are the center-piece of the organization as the state’s largest farm advocacy organization. Members help ensure the future of family farms, natural resources and locally grown food. As the state’s largest general agriculture organization with more than 136,000 members, members enjoy savings on vehicles, health-care, insurance, travel and farm equipment. Not all members are farmers or cattlemen but they all want a better tomorrow and believe in giving thanks for the blessing they have.

Special Notes: 1) Our 2021 Memorial Day remembrance at 325 West Main Street begins Monday, May 31 at 9:45 AM with patriotic music and the ceremony begins at 10:00 AM, 2) Our Rotary Club provided Hunter Williams, a UCHS Graduate and President of our sponsored Interact Club, with a scholarship Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

The “Did You know?” question asked on this date (May 18, 1152) King Henry II of England married this French woman? The answer was Eleanor of Aquitaine. This marriage allowed the King to be named the Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Maine, Anjou and Touraine, and master of vast swathes of France.

Upcoming Programs: May 25- Sara Owen (she switched with Carlton Faulk since she is leaving Lake Butler and taking on a new challenge in Micanopy, Florida), June 1- Nancy Griffis, June 8- Dave Mecusker, June 15- Garrett Milton, June 22- Carlton Faulk, June 29- Jody Read, July 6- Mike Ripplinger, July 13- Jack Schenck, and July 20- Joe Stephenson.