The one and only Bet Finocchiaro regaled Rotarians and guests with her fish stories at the meeting of the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club last Thursday.

Bet related how she started up her famous Fish Fry at Boothbay Center in a camping trailer purchased through Uncle Henry's that she remodeled with a SawzAll. That trailer - with Bet inside - was subsequently demolished by an out-of-control town truck. Despite boiling oil and ruptured propane tanks, Bet miraculously escaped from the blazing wreck with nothing more serious than a bump on her arm, as did everyone else involved. "Death took a holiday," she said.

She got the business back up and running in only 10 days with a replacement trailer that was actually designed for preparing food, which was in turn replaced by the current permanent structure. Along the way she purchased the land she had been renting for the fish fry, along with the neighboring building, currently occupied by the "Centah of Attention" laundromat. Somewhat to her own amazement, Bet now finds herself the owner of the former general store and post office, which was truly the "centah of attention" for generations of Boothbay residents.

Interspersed in her narrative were vignettes of customers and others whom Bet had encountered along the way, including the ketchup lady, the tourist with the Mercedes-Benz who didn't know how to park, the lumberjack who brought along Jim and the twins, and an after-hours visitor with a unique medical emergency. This being a family newspaper, we will dispense with further details.

Bet's presentation was enjoyed by all present and roundly applauded.

President Skip Kreahling opened the business meeting preceding the program, not with introduction of guests (for which he was later fined by Sergeant at Arms Tom Carroll), but by passing around an information sheet on the Vietnam library the club had supported. He reminded members to make reservations early for the World Peace and Understanding Dinner on February 23 in Portland, at which Rotary International President Wilf Wil-kerson will speak, as the price will go up from $55 to $60 on February 1. He further noted that Rebuilding Together is scheduled for the second Saturday in May this year; anyone knowing of potential beneficiaries of the program should get their nominations in by March 1.

John Platt extended an invitation from the Lions Club to its annual Super Bowl party, to be held at 4 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday at the Lions clubhouse on Lakeside Drive.

President Skip then finally got around to introducing guests Lori Bailey, Doug Roberts, Allen Lewis and former Rotarians Neil Ames and Robin Reed.

Peter Morrison will speak on the Red Cross Blood Bank at the meeting on Thursday, January 31. Deb Graves will be greeter that night and offer the invocation, with Rick Elder and John Platt as waiters and Steve Salorio as program chair.

Housekeeping assignments for this last meeting in January are: steward, Doug Harley; innkeeper, Cy Seifert; 50/50, Tammy Blackman; and sergeant at arms, Tom Carroll.

Our mid-year club assembly will be held on February 7, with financial reports covering both the club and the Foundation. February 14 will mark our annual Valentine's Day party, to be held at The Gallery on Route 96. And on Thursday, February 21, Katherine Freund, founding director of Independent Transportation Network and of ITN America will describe how her Portland-based organization got started; the unique, social entrepreneurial aspects of ITN; and her exciting new initiative, ITN Lite, transportation for rural America, and how the Boothbay region will be an important focus group for this cutting-edge transportation concept.

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