By: Teri Muse

The 89th Annual Installation of Officers and Directors was being promoted as not being your ordinary installation and it certainly was not! Aaron Rose began the installation by speaking in Chinese and then asking all of the Directors to help him try out his newly learned Toastmaster’s skills of improvisation. He asked the board members what they needed from fellow Rotarians this coming year and what was their biggest fear in fulfilling their duties. They answered as follows:
Treasurer Ed Beranek said he fears we won’t pay our bills and spend too much. Sergeant At Arms Glenn Oyoung fears he won’t have enough dirt on all of us and asks us to keep dishing it out. Youth Services Chair Teri Muse needs volunteers for the Teen Leadership Camp but has learned from her peers to go to the newbies and already has Bruno Esquivel recruited. Environmental Chair Rick McKenzie is not sure what he is to do, but fears that it will be a challenge since he is an exterminator by trade and probably will need to preserve the environment. Membership John Wilson needs all the current members to stay in Rotary and help recruit new members. Club Service Chair Brian Hall was happy to give membership over to John Wilson.
All of a sudden, the installation was interrupted by a bind man who was weaving in and out of the audience whacking his cane on everyone’s chair, following over everyone and even fell into Pat Dolphin’s lap looking for the eye doctor Mike Hoey. Once he found Mike Hoey and performed the “Service Above Self” prayer over him, he could see again and revealed to us it was none other than the eternal jokester Brian Cogbill. Mike acknowledged his parents who were celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary, his brother who flew in from Kentucky and his son for their support. After a very solemn speech given by our new president, the Miami Sound Machine’s “Everybody Do the Conga” blasted and the entire room got up to do the conga line! What a fun installation… thanks to the incredibly talented Matt Weaver who planned this year’s event.