Rotarians and their sweethearts, some 30 strong in all, braved the cold and ice to gather last Thursday at The Gallery on Route 96 to celebrate Valentine's Day. Tom Carroll presided over the festivities in the absence of his co-host, Judy deGraw (who was unavoidably absent on account of being on vacation in Florida). Asked by Tom to draw the winning ticket for the door prize - a cruise on the Sheepscot River generously donated by Vic and Joan Taylor - Debbie Graves promptly pulled out her own number!

Following a social hour presided over by maitre d' Steve Francis, a delicious dinner was served by chef Laura Francis. Numerous compliments on the cuisine and ambiance were noted as the group headed homeward into the aftermath of the storm following an evening of fun and fellowship.

The meeting on Thursday, February 22 will feature a talk by Duane Lewis, bridge tender of the Southport swing bridge, on the topic of drawbridges. Waiters will be Peter West and Tom Carroll, with Seth Hedgcock as greeter and offering the invocation. Brenda Blackman is the program chair. Finishing up their monthly assignments will be Sue Kreahling as steward and innkeeper, Skip Kreahling handling the 50/50 and Viv Daniels as sergeant at-arms.

Looking ahead to March, we have a star-studded calendar of events. On March 1, District Governor Marie Williams will be with us to preside over a new member induction and other Rotary rites of passage. Safe Passage staffers Ed Mahoney and Rachel Meyn will be with us on March 8 to talk about the future of the educational support program in Guatemala following the untimely death of founder Hanley Denning. March 9 and 10 will be the annual Midcoast Girls Basketball Tourney that we have hosted for several decades. The Damariscotta-Newcastle club will join us March 15 to hear tall tales and sea stories that reflect our maritime heritage; and March 29 is the 11th annual Bowl Supper, our fund-raiser held in conjunction with the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts.

Interested in learning more about Rotary or about our Club? Visiting Rotarians and friends are invited to join us for our weekly meetings each Thursday evening at our one-of-a-kind Rotary Clubhouse, 29 Oak Street in downtown Boothbay Harbor. The bell is rung and dinner is served promptly at 6:30 p.m., then comes a short business meeting, a special speaker and the evening ends by 8 p.m.

Check us out on the Web: www.boothbayharborrotary.org.