Our own John Padgett, Rotary District 7600 governor, promised a weekend district conference that would be a little about Rotary and a whole lot of fun. John definitely delivered on this promise with the help of our own Sigur Whitaker, the conference planner, and dozens of club members who helped during the conference. Club members packed swag bags, served as sergeant at arms, tour guides, workshop teachers, hospitality room hosts and ambassadors for Hampton Roads and our club.
The 330 Rotarians and guests who attended doubled the number coming in recent years for the annual district conference, which moves around the district. They enjoyed being in the heart of downtown Norfolk and meeting our club members. Attendees learned from experts in topics that included the port, the Navy, human trafficking prevention (a new Rotary focus area), improv comedy, millennials and cell phone photography.
The fun part included a boat cruise, wine tasting, pub crawl, a Waserhund Brewing beer brewed just for the conference and '70s party where guests, including John and Lee Ann Padgett, rocked their finest retro attire.
Click here to see a sampling of photos from the conference, including a close-up of John's gold platform shoes and Gary's Boswick's Rotary shirt from Africa that comes with an amazing story. Ask him about it.