Opening Ceremonies: President Carl Lusby called the meeting to order.  Invocation by Rod Fox and we said the Pledge of Allegiance.
 
Greeter: Dan Hurley
 
Make-ups: Dan and Marian Wells on August 18th at The Old Town Club. Lincoln Ehrlenbach on August 21st at the Ellsworth Noontime Club
 
 Birthdays: Dan Hurley – August 31st
 
Club Anniversaries: Steve Elliott – September 1st
 
Wedding Anniversaries: Peter and Nancy Farragher – September 1st
 
 
Door Prizes: Irv Hodgkins – Oven “Flames” Mit, Craig Gladstone – Red Sox Mitt Bottle Cover, Dom Efter - EMMC Count Your Steps Pedometer, Ashley Johson - $10 Gift Card to Rooster Brothers.
 
50/50: $15.00 to Iris Simon
 
Rotary Minute: Jo Cooper read an article about Growing Local Economy.
 
Happy Dollars Highlights: Iris Simon, Bruce Fisher, Dom Efter, Jack Frost, Scott Kimball, Bill Casale, Rod Fox, Dave Wells, Tracy Shaffer, Dan Hurley, Lincoln Ehrlenbach and Carl Lusby all gave happy dollars. All dollars will go towards the Challenger Little League this quarter.
 
Rotary Business:  
Service Project – Clyde reminded members we will be organizing the Freshman BBQ on Thursday, September 1st 10:30am – Noon at Ellsworth High School. Cheryl Callnan will have a table set up for our Interact Club to encourage freshman to join.
 
Blue Hill Fair Pie Booth – Lincoln reminded members we will be helping at the Blue Hill Fair Pie Booth for Loaves and Fishes on Friday, September 2nd from 5pm – 9pm
 
Autumn Gold Pancake Breakfast (Wheelchair  Project Fundraiser for Costa Rica) – Saturday, September 24th at the Ellsworth Elementary Middle School. We are looking for 25 volunteers to help with the breakfast. Please contact Dave or Cheryl to sign up.
 
Charlene read out loud a Thank You Card from an Honors Student thanking us for their scholarship from the Honors Banquet. She also read another Thank You card from The Grand thanking our club for selecting them as the Auction Partner.
 
Finding a New Home for our Club- Please make every effort to attend the September 6th regular meeting at Timberland RV Park to hear the criteria used and the reasoning behind the final two places (The Elks Lodge and the Moore Community Center) being forwarded to the membership. The committee looks forward to sharing their work and answering your questions regarding the final selections and the search process that arrived at this point.
We need your active participation and vote as we make this very important decision for our club. We will keep minutes of the discussion and meeting to send by email to the members unable to attend the meeting and provide an electronic voting opportunity so all the members can have input before the final selection for our new meeting place is announced.  
 
Program/Speaker: Our guest speaker was Craig Gladstone, who is a local consultant for people who want to look into franchising opportunities. Craig spoke about “Economic Growth Through Franchising.”
Craig talked about the pros and cons of Owning your own Business and what risks you should take. He explained to club members about Business Ownership Options: Buying an existing business; Buying a Franchise; Build your own business; and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
 
As a FranNet Consultant, Craig’s mission is to help you sort through the various types of franchises opportunities available in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
You can contact Craig at cgladstone@frannet.com or on Facebook and Twitter. Visit his website at www.frannet.com/cgladstone
 
Respectfully submitted by Ashley Johnson
 
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