Downtown Rock Island Cleanup, Saturday, May 5th.  Meet at the Parking Ramp at 8:00 am (17th Street and 3rd Avenue) to assist with this annual cleanup.

      President Tom Ketelaar called the meeting of April 23 to order.  Once again providing the entertainment were Jonathan Turner and his Band of Renown.

      The first announcement came from Liz Loveless, who gave a recap of the weekend bowling tournament.  Apparently, there were enough participants to fill three teams for Rock Island and everyone had a great time.  Beyond that, the Club also made $500 for its charitable works.

      Regarding Rose Day, Dale Grabau reminded us that April 25 would be the day to pick up our roses. 

      Quarterly bills are now out and available, so the Club treasury would appreciate your prompt cooperation.

      By the time you get this newsletter, John Califf will have led an Interclub gathering in Bettendorf.  The May Interclub will be a trip to Aledo May 17 for a noon meeting.

      The Grants Committee met after the meeting, so we can expect to have some proposals presented to us next Monday.

      Tom Ketelaar presented a President's Award to Tom Hansen in recognition of the above-and-beyond job he did in arranging programs for the past month.

      In the first reading of nominees for Board leadership positions, new Board member nominees were Chris Elsberg, Julie Derrer and Heidi Collins.  The nominee for Second Vice President is Zach Edwards.

      In Fun and Fellowship, the Kartel won the opportunity to get the grand prize but managed to lose it.

The Feature Attraction

        The program was given by the Assistant Tournament Director of the Deere Classic.  Andy presented a very-well-done slide presentation, starting with the Tournament mission.  The Tournament's activities are consistent with those of a not-for-profit corporation.  Andy gave us a recap of the 2011 Tournament, including a highlight of the $5.29 million which had gone to 500 charities.  Considering the size of the community, the Deere Classic ranks first in per capita Birdies for Charity contributions and fifth in total dollars accumulated.  The Classic is fortunate to have Deere & Company as a title sponsor through year 2016.  This cooperation with Deere has resulted in expanded exposure for the Classic, not only in terms of American television programming, but social media contacts across the world.  This year, the theme will be enhanced with a tie-in with Deere's 175^th anniversary.

April 30             Local Blues Legend Ellis Kell