Jim O'Brien, Paul Bidanset, Pam Tubbs, and Wes Russow
The Program
Rotarian of the Day Jim O’Brien introduced us to our speaker, Paul Bidanset, co-founder of the NorFolk Festival, a free not-for-profit music festival that benefits Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD). He’s also a member of one of the 28 bands that will be performing at the festival on August 12 at O’Connor Brewing Company in Norfolk.
Paul says he and his band, Brackish Water Jamboree, began playing together about three years ago. Initially, he says the group played in the western part of Virginia where roots music is better known – which brings us to the question: what exactly is roots music? Paul told us it blends bluegrass, folk, ragtime, and blues, and is a genre that is dominated by the fiddle and the banjo.
Last year, Paul and his fellow band mates decided it was time to bring this music further east. He says they created NorFolk Festival to:
- Foster and facilitate the community of roots music and its fans within Hampton Roads
- Recognize and celebrate local and regional roots music and performers
- Bring national roots music talent to the areaPaul says many people think of the movie Deliverance when they think of the banjo, but quickly begin to appreciate its depth and breadth once they hear the many different ways the instrument enhances roots music. “It’s almost impossible to feel sad when you’re listening to a song that has a banjo in it,” he says.Last year, the festival had 12 acts and about two thousand people in attendance. This year, Paul says he expects to more than double both. He says 20 percent of all sponsorship dollars are donated to CHKD, and he believes the money donated will grow substantially in the coming years as the event draws more and more people.To learn more about the NorFolk Festival, visit www.norfolkfestival.com.The MeetingPresident-elect Pam opened the meeting until President Gary’s arrival, with Chuck Spence leading music, Frank Whitman on piano, and Jim Baker with the invocation. We learned that Walt Grandy remains under the weather but hopes to return soon.President Gary reminded us to be sure to fill out the annual survey. He says it’s only way the officers know what kind of speakers we want to hear and activities we would like to see.Past President Bryce reminded us to put September 16 on our calendars and attend the Growlfest at the Virginia Zoo. He says last year’s event drew approximately 1,500 people and yielded about $30,000 in proceeds, which are divided between our club, the Sunrise Rotary Club, and the zoo. He also reminded everyone that we still need sponsors and volunteers the day of the event.President Gary reminded us to attend and support the upcoming District 7600 Conference, being held on September 22 and 23 in downtown Norfolk at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. As you probably know, this event is being presided over by our own John Padgett who has just assumed the role of District Governor.One quick reminder, there will be no meeting on August 22, but Past President Ben Mason would be pleased to have you join him at the Virginia club for lunch and Rotary fellowship.Finally, we had two guests. Chuck Spence introduced his friend and prospective member Christine Early, who retired from Bank of America and is now CEO of Young Audiences of Virginia. Stephen Shultz also brought along a prospective member, Mike Licata, who works for synthetic paper company Yupo.Happy Bucks:
- Stephen Shultz just completed a 20-day cruise on the Chesapeake Bay,
- Ray Norton had a letter of sorts appear in the New York Times. He says a post he wrote about leaks in Washington was published on the newspaper’s website,
- Jim O’Brien honored the five members of the club included in the Hampton Roads Community Foundation’s annual report,
- Judge Bruce Wilcox’s daughter, Margaret, was just married,
- Marty Raiss honored her late father on his birthday,
- Laurie Harrison encouraged everyone to attend the Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic: Wine, Women, and Fishing, being held August 19-20 at Southside Marina at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. The event benefits EVMS breast cancer research,
- Dr. Bill Lehew was watching Bill Moyers on PBS this week in which Moyers noted that he had been a recipient of a Rotary scholarship in 1956 to attend school in Edinburgh.Will King drew the winning ticket for the drawing, but not the winning card, so the pot continues to grow.