Club Business
President O’Donnell brought the meeting to order at 12:08
Jim Cartner provided the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
This day in history the Draft was initiated in 1917; Pope John Paul II was born in Poland in 1920 (after he was wounded in an attempted assassination in 1981, he visited his assailant in prison and forgave him); Mt St. Helens erupted in 1980; Facebook had a $16B IPO, the largest ever, in 2012.
Today is National visit your relative’s day; National no dirty dishes day; National Cheese Soufflé day; National HIV Vaccine awareness day. Yesterday (17th) was National Rat Pack day.
The joke had to do with cows….” bug flew in one ear and came out the udder.” Another comment is “Latte” is French for you paid too much for your coffee.”
Another “Feed the Hunger” packathon is at the Western Alamance High School on Wednesday evening. Come out and support the Interact Club that provided great support to the previous packathon at Holly Hill Mall last week. Joseph Williams reported 30 participants and is hoping 40 are coming to the high school.
Rotary Foundation Dinner on Saturday at the Koury Center in Greensboro. $40/person. Sign up on DacDB. O’Donnell’s and Tucker’s are going.
Memorial Day Service and remembrance at Graham Criminal Court Building on Memorial Day. 10:30 music, 11:00 to 12:00 program. Come and support the memory of those that made the supreme sacrifice for our Country.
Red Oak Brewery social is on June 16th. Starting around 5:00 (to be confirmed)
The next live meeting is on June 8th at Alamance Country Club. Carolyn Rhode has the program. Sam Powell will have a speaker next week who will talk about the Battle of Alamance, a pre-revolutionary war battle that happened 250 years ago.
Marta Moos was recognized as the Club’s President-Elect to serve in 2022-23. That you for your service, Marta.
Looking for fundraising ideas. The O’Donnell’s attended a fundraiser in Southport that inspired them. Thinking of ways to include residents at Twin Lakes and Brookwood. Also thinking of some type of concert at the airport.
Rotary Benches could be procured and be placed outside the hospital and at the Arboretum in Burlington as a way to increase the Club’s visibility.
Program: Jason Turner – Ace Speedway
Thomas Phelps in starting the introduction of our guest speaker, talked about NASCAR feuds and fights especially at Charlotte Motor Speedway between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. Thomas introduced Jason Turner, former racer, and now owner of Ace Speedway in Alamance County, north of Burlington.
Ace Speedway was established in Alamance County in 1956. Has gone through several changes in ownership. One previous owner, Daniel Morton made many improvements and added features to the track. The financial crisis in 2009 was hard on the track and racing in general. Jason and his father were able to purchase the track in 2017. Striving to improve the image of the speedway. Reaching out to Rotary Clubs and through the Chamber of Commerce. Stressing the track provides good fun for the family entertainment at a reasonable price. Good food is offered through the concession stand too. Kid’s night is Friday, May 21st. Bounce House, opportunities to ride bicycles on the track.
Limiting capacity to 50% until restrictions are lifted by the Governor. No masks are social distancing in the outside venues. Flag Day event is planned for June 11th. Fireworks. Come out and support veterans and military families.
Racing is every Friday night until October with the Rodney Cook Classic. Racing is structured to have many short races. Gates open around 6:00pm. Races start at 8:00 and finish around 10 or 10:30. Have a wide range of participants racing a variety of types of cars.
Justin Whitaker, Bonnie Whitaker’s son races at Ace Speedway.
If you come, bring earplugs as it is noisy and wear glasses to protect your eyes.
In closing, Jason stressed that Ace Speedway is a good place to entertain the family at affordable prices. Come and see for yourself.
Conclusion
President O’Donnell concluded the meeting at 1:02 with the 4-Way test. Pleased with the turn-out for this Zoom meeting.