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Andrew Borba - Chautauqua Theater Company

Posted by Chris Anderson on Jul 01, 2019

Pictured (l to r): Chautauqua Theater Company Artistic Director Andrew Borba, President Cheri Krull, and Jim Smith

Our very own Jim Smith introduced our guest, Andrew Borba from the Chautauqua Theater Company. This is Andrew’s third trip to speak to Rotary!

Andrew is in his 4th season as Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company. He served 8 seasons as Chautauqua Theater Company’s Associate Artistic Director and this is his 15th summer at Chautauqua Theater Company.

Andrew has directed several plays at Chautauqua and across the country – and is a star of stage and screen – having numerous acting performances on stage and guest appearances in over 30 television series, including, Intersteller (2014), Taken 3 (2014), Straight Outta Compton (2015), Speechless (TV Series), NCIS: New Orleans (TV Series), and Criminal Minds (TV Series), just to name a few. A true Hollywood actor in our midst!

Andrew started by stating how amazing and wonderful it was to be back at Rotary again for another presentation. The Chautauqua Theater Company has already opened 3 plays this season and hit the proverbial ground running.

The Chautauqua Theater Company is once again offering Shakespeare in the Park at a multitude of locations in the area. Some of the free events offered are at Allen Park, Southern Tier Brewing Company, and new this year, the Riverwalk. Andrew wanted the event to be offered in the heart of downtown Jamestown.

Andrew also spoke about the Young Playwrights initiative they are once again offering at local schools to get kids introduced to theater. This is the 5th season of young playwrights an it has been a great success!

Chautauqua Theater Play, The Christians, opened this past weekend. Andrew and his team chose this play because it is not an aggressive look at Christianity but a very investigative, inquisitive compassionate and balanced look at religion. This play will create and engage conversation. It is really a story of empathy and humanity that will draw people in.

Another play that will premier this summer is One Man, Two Guvnors – play based in 1963 Brighton, England. This hilarious adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s commedia masterpiece The Servant of Two Masters plants us in Brighton in 1963. Recently fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall scrambles to find work in this working class British beach town, where the ladies liberation movement has just begun to bloom. High and low humor collide in this British farce complete with live Beatles-inspired music.

The Theater Company will also be testing 3 new Play Workshops as signature stage readings. They are How the Light Gets In, On the Exhale, and Agent 355. Over the last eleven years, CTC has been committed to using resources to launch new work onto the stage and into the industry. The signature staged reading format offers a unique bridge between written play and production. Though performed script-in-hand, plays are staged, receive design and technical support, and run for three ticketed performances.

Andrew also shared some really good news about one of their play workshops. Birthday Candles, which premiered at Chautauqua in 2017, went on to Detroit and now will be going to Broadway in NYC in April 2020! Debra Messing will star in the Broadway play! Congrats CTC!

Andrew reminded us that performing outside of the Chautauqua gates is an amazing experience. The ease and playful acceptance of CTC in the community has been truly breathtaking. Her also reminded us that the transition every year from Los Angeles to Chautauqua is interesting. Andrew loves the rain. Everything is green and beautiful. For Andrew, spending time here in Chautauqua County is a tonic for his soul and an artistic home. He does not have to worry about all the things that may undercut ones artistry. Chautauqua is a place where playwrights can focus on the work. The people and the work are the reason he comes back.

Jeff Kroon - Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown

Posted by Sue Jones on Jun 17, 2019

Pictured L to R: Doug Nelson, Jeff Kroon, President Katie and Rhonda Johnson

Today’s speaker is Jeffrey C. Kroon who has served as Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club of Jamestown’s Executive Director for the past 111 years and has been employed by the local Club a total of 34 years. A Jamestown High School and Jamestown Community College graduate, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from SUNY Brockport in 1981 and later lived and studied in Sweden which led to teaching Swedish language classes at Jamestown Community College since 1985.

Volunteer community involvement includes 35 years with Jamestown Area Youth Soccer, serving as JAYS President for over 25 years. Jeff currently serves as President of the American Scandinavian Heritage Foundation, Treasurer of the Scandinavian Folk Festival and is a member of JCC’s Scandinavian Studies Program Advisory Board.

Recognized in 2018 with the Chautauqua Leadership Network’s Community Development Award, as a Jamestown Community College Distinguished Alumnus in 2004, the Chautauqua County Board of Realtors 1996 Citizen of the Year, the NYS Council of PTA’s Honorary Lifetime Member Award, SUNY Brockport’s 1981 Departmental Scholar Award and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1975.

Lifelong Jamestown residents, Jeff and his wife Kelly, an RN with UPMC Chautauqua, have two grown children, Krista, a licensed Physical Therapist in Port St. Lucie, FL and John, a geologist in Oklahoma City.

The Jamestown Boys Club was founded by the Rotary Club of Jamestown, NY in 1939 to build character in underprivileged boys. The cost to belong was 25cents per year.

Mrs. Lucille Wright founded the Jamestown Girls Club in 1947; which was long supported through the efforts of the local Zonta Club.

The Boys Club merged with the Girls Club in 1986 and the current home is at 82 Allen St. in the former Maddox Home. Additions and improvements to the Mansion over the years have created a facility which is unique as it is the only

Club with a swimming pool and all the activities that surround it. The first pool was built for $45,000 and 50 years later was rebuilt for $1.2 million. Adults may also use the pool at designated times for a small fee.

The Club also hosts an afterschool program with Jamestown Striders and the members can be partnered with tutors for help with homework and computer aided educational activities. There is also a well-equipped gym, arts and crafts, a game room and a well supervised space for young people to gather and simply talk. Membership today is $20 annually and the United Way campaign provides for scholarships for those who might need help.

Camp Hiak Tilikum, located on Curtis St. provides a space for outdoor experiences as well.

Jeff then gave us some case histories of some of the members and the situations they face in their home lives and the growth they have made in their lives by belonging to the Club and participating in its activities. Some of the children have only one parent, many brothers and sisters, move frequently, have no clean clothes or blankets, see parental abuse, drug abuse and have very little food in their homes. Of the 280 days the Club is open, these children may spend as many as 250 days at the Club. Staff at the Club provide support to these children in as many ways as possible when they learn the circumstances.

The Club does all that it can to instruct the children about personal safety as well as build character. Enrollment in 2018 was 1674 children from 5-18 (most are 10-14). 75 to 80% of these children are at risk and this year, the Jamestown Boys and Girls Club celebrates 80 years of giving these young people a safe place to go and learn to take advantage of opportunities.

Jeff and his small staff of 5-10 full-time and 20-25 part-time, plus many volunteers are doing a STELLAR job of providing for the needs of these children.

2018-2019 Exchange Students

Posted by Sue Jones on May 24, 2019

Pictured L-R: President Katie Geise, Petra, Milko, Youth Exchange Leader Cheri Krull

Our program today was Milko and Petra our exchange students!

Milko attends Southwestern Central School and will graduate in June. He is from Paraguay and has lived with the Kreinheders and the Morrises.

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the heart (corozan) of South America, surrounded by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The language is Spanish and native Guarni.

Population is 7 million happy, easy-going people, who care less about money. It is the epicenter of Jesuit Ministries with the vast majority of citizens Roman Catholic.

Lots of internal wars and conflicts and Milko’s grandfather fought and received medals for his service.

Greetings between men are a handshake; greetings between man and woman are kisses on each cheek. Don is the title for Mister and Dona is the title for Mrs.

Tourism has been increasing because it is less expensive than Argentina.Carnival is celebrated in February with more than 100,000 visitors and celebrants. Women dance in the street with flowered dresses and there is competition between clubs.

The major town is on a river with 3 beaches. Other attractions include cathedrals, ruins and a 100 year old train.

Milko has 2 brothers and 1 older sister. His parents own a meat processing plant. He wakes at 6am Monday-Friday, dresses in his school uniform and walks to school. They start each money at school with a hymn. Everyday they head home for lunch for the big meal of the day.

After school and evenings, Milko and his friends play cards, soccer, etc. and enjoy the cold drink TERERE and asado barbeque, sometimes until 3 am. They all celebrate QUINCEANOS – the 15th birthday, very dressy and a BIG party!

Petra Sucic is from Croatia – her English is impeccable. She will graduate from JHS and has lived with the Beeches, the McCaslins and is now living with the Bakewells.

Croatia has a sea border with Italy. Petra lives in the capital of Zagreb but there are 21 counties; the language has 3 dialects – but only 1 is official.

The oldest Neanderthal findings have been discovered in Croatia. Ninety percent of the country is Roman Catholic.

There have been many political changes over the years and today they have a Parliamentary system. The president is now a woman.

Petra’s mother works for the Chamber of Economy, working on United Nations and European Union issues.

The Croatian language is extremely difficult with 7 different cases and they conjugate everything and have many adverbs and prefixes. They have their own alphabet, but it is no longer used.

The tallest building in Zagreb is the cathedral. Petra’s father’s uncle designed the main entry buildings to the cemetery.

Petra attends school at the Memira Museum and she can’t run in gym class because it would shake the building too much. She attends 15 mandatory classes including attending an opera each month and reporting on. She insists she suffers from opera PTSD!!

Petra spends every summer in Omis on the coast, enjoying swimming, water skiing, zip lining, etc. (IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT, TAKE A LOOK AT THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF ZIPLINING ON OMIS ON YOUR COMPUTER!)

1 Croatian Kuna equals 0.15 US dollar. The country is a member of the World Trade Organization, NATO and the European Union. The country excels in industrial production and tourism.

Petra’s father was a designer on the project to produce the fastest electric car.

Croatia is famous for designing the torpedo, the Dalmatian dog, the TESLA company, the necktie and doilies.

The entire country loves Coffee – but NOT Petra.

Croatia took second place in last year’s World Cup and the Dais Cup in 2018.

It was a delight to hear all about these young people and their homes.

Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program

Posted by Sue Jones on May 13, 2019

Dr. Lillian Ney, left introduced Lisa Schmidfrederick Miller who spoke on Lead Poisoning in Chautauqua County, and both were welcomed by President Katie.

Honorary member Lillian Ney introduced Lisa Schmidtfredrick Miller who spoke on Lead Poisoning and Prevention in our county.

The main goal of the Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program is to prevent young children from being exposed to lead hazards, thus preventing lead poisoning. The program activities are focused in neighborhoods that have been identified as "communities of concern" where children are at high risk for lead poisoning. Lead Primary performs lead based paint exterior assessments, provides lead education, and other interventions. Any lead hazards that are identified are required to be remediated by the property owner. Training and some resources exist to assist the property owner in making the repairs in a lead safe manner.

Lead poisoning is 100% preventable. There is no safe level of lead in the blood and unfortunately it occurs most frequently in small children who put everything in their mouth and often will chew on items that may contain lead paint. Most often the problem is lead particles in dust.

In small children, whose brains are just developing, lead poisoning causes loss of IQ, aggression, memory difficulties, attention deficits, lessened concentration, poor fine motor control, difficulty planning, lack of impulse control, poor cognitive flexibility and problem solving.

Lead poisoning can also cause physical problems such as digestion, muscle control, and cardiovascular issues. It is essential that children between 1 and 3 years old are tested and treated if found to have elevated levels.

Our housing stock in Jamestown and the County is old and under-cared for. Certain neighborhoods in this area are identified to receive a concentrated intervention. These neighborhoods are called “areas of high risk” and are identified by the Chautauqua County Director of Health based upon NYS guidelines in the NYS Health Manual. Forty one per cent of the housing stock in Jamestown are rental units and many landlords have more rental units than they can possibly handle. A landlord may slap paint over the lead base paint, but it will only decompose in 4 to 5 years.

Who can participate in the program?

Anyone (property owners, tenants, and landlords) living or owning property in the program area; 1,2, or more unit homes that were built before 1978 (this is 91% of the housing stock in the City of Jamestown); children living in the home under the age of six or who spend 6 hours a week or more in the home. Multi-family homes in the targeted high-risk areas are automatically a participant.

County Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program specialists are available to teach landlords and contractors “Removal, Remodeling and Painting” techniques as well as free training on how to conduct “Lead Safe Work Practices (LSWP)” when doing repairs or remodeling in the home AND… there are free materials and supplies for doing the work “lead safe” after taking the LSWP course.

Mrs. Miller indicated that the program needs community partners, letters of support from community organizations and of course…funding. Chautauqua County is a “HOT SPOT.”

Rotarian Dr. Brett Apthorpe, Superintendent of Jamestown Public Schools stated how he applauds the work Mrs. Miller is doing. He has 5000 students in school in the city and 75% of those children live in poverty. Lead poisoning is a REALITY and we need to be REACTIVE. This is not a political but an ethical problem.

100 Year Gala Sponsors

Thank you to all of the 100 Year Gala attendees and sponsors for supporting the Rotary Club of Jamestown!

Vince DeJoy and Billy Stevenson - Jamestown Local Development Corporation

Posted by Chris Anderson on Apr 29, 2019

Pictured (l to r) - Bill Stevenson, Vince DeJoy, Katie Geise and Kevin Sixbey

Vince DeJoy, Development Director for the City of Jamestown spoke to the club about the Jamestown Local Development Corporation (JLDC).

The Jamestown Local Development Corporation manages a fund for downtown programming. It was decided that the City needed a fund to bring some big-name entertainment to downtown Jamestown. The City of Jamestown applied for these funds from NYS and received a substantial amount. The fund will provide grants and loans to bring high level entertainment to the city of Jamestown. $600,000 will be available over 2 years. Two events have been approved already. Up to $50,000 in grants are available and up to $25,000 in loans are available as well.

Vince mentioned that the first event sold out very quickly! The JLDC partnered with the Comedy Center to bring in John Mulaney as a second headliner act to the main comedy festival act in August.

The second main event that is happening is the Music of Queen performed by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra! The event is also a fundraiser for the Jamestown High School Band and A'Cappella group to support their trip to Florida. To purchase tickets for this event, you can buy tickets at the Reg Lenna Box Office or purchase them online at www.reglenna.com.

Additionally, Vince said there are some other applications in to the fund but nothing is ready to be made public just yet. This fund is designed to bring people into the downtown area. It will help with revitalization efforts in the city and benefit downtown businesses. Many exciting events planned and will be announced soon!

The club then heard from Billy Stevenson – Mr. JHS Band! Bill talked about the band’s previous trips to Florida and how the process works. The journey is a 24-hour straight drive to Florida. Bill mentioned that he has never had any trouble with any of the students. Bill talked about how polite and well-behaved these kids are.

160 kids will march in the parades at the Disney Parks in Florida. In Bill’s own words, “It is a great opportunity for these kids and an honor to be able to take them on a trip.” Thank you, Bill, for all you do!

Janet Wahlberg – Author - Genealogy

Posted by Chris Anderson on Apr 15, 2019

Pictured (l to r): Sharon Hamilton, Janet Wahlberg, Katie Geise

Janet grew up in a military family and traveled quite extensively. She spent 35 years as a nurse at Warren General Hospital in Pennsylvania. Janet has been very active in Falconer Rotary and the Fenton History Center!

Janet admitted she has a lifelong obsession with Genealogy. She explained Genealogy as the search of the stories of your family history. This also includes the unique story of your distant ancestors.

Janet herself become interested in family history while in Junior high school. Very interesting to her. Maternal grandparent were immigrants. One from England and from Scotland. Her family itself was obsessed with history. It was only natural for her to catch the bug as well!

Janet’s tasks to find family history:

Gather what you know and what you think you know (who, what, where, when)
Interview family members and neighbors
Interview cousins
Write all of this down so there is a record
Write your own personal story down (todays items are tomorrows history)
Gather your documents (birth, marriage, death, immigration records)
Gather letters, cards and postcards
Gather many photos
Spend time with other family members looking at those photos
Ask everyone to bring their boxes of photos to a family reunion and take digital photos.
Take time to identify the photos you are taking today. Make sure you label them

Once you have gathered the above, you are ready to investigate your family history. Start with yourself and move backwards listing surname, forname, middle name, birth date, birth place, marriage date, marriage place, death date, death place, etc. Do this all nice and neat in a notebook or on your computer.

If possible, locate the missing info before continuing to move backwards in your family history. You are going to find you need lots of help. The Prendergast Library and the Hall House at the Fenton History Center can assist with getting you started in Genealogy. There are a lot of resources available in Chautauqua County and Jamestown in particular. Prendergast Library is free. Hall House is $10 per day or $40 for an entire year. There are also local libraries and churches and a few historical societies. Not everything is on the internet!!!! Although there are great places to do research online.

Ancestory.com is a good web site to use. Many ways to maximize your dollar with a 14 day free trial! Really dedicate an hour or two every single day to try and do the research in that two week window. Can use Ancestory.com at the Prendergast for free and for a fee at the Hall House at Fenton.

Janet mentioned that stories of people are very interesting. She had a lot of family members who were veterans. Some from the War of 1812 and others. Janet also shared some wonderful stories with us about her family from historical perspectives. She found her family had many connections to New England and the Boston area.

Road trips are also part of the Genealogy experience. Janet travels to Salt Lake City every year for a couple weeks. And, has traveled to other areas as well to do some of her Genealogy research.

There are so many different ways to find information. On the way, Janet has met many interesting folks. Janet left the club with a “Give it a Try!!!”

Janet Northrup

We had the privilege to be a part of a fascinating interview of author Janet Northrup today. Janet was raised in Jamestown where she attended family events at the Consistory, now the Robert H. Jackson Center. Her father and grandfather were Masons. Janet taught English Language Arts in Fairport, NY. She wrote the book Founding Women: Inspiration and Impact on Chautauqua and the Nation for the Chautauqua Women's Club.

Janet sat across from Greg Peterson, who led the interview (which was also recorded). In attendance were several of the RHJ Center's docents, who lead tours around the facility. They were there to glean from some of great information Janet was about to provide.

To begin, we learned that Greg and Janet lived in the same neighborhood of Jamestown.

As the interview progressed, we first learned that the Jackson Center has had 5 owners since it was built back in 1859. The architects were Warren and Wetmore. According to Wikipedia, Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866[1] – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and was known for the designing of large hotels.

Among Warren and Wetmore's accomplishments are Grand Central Terminal and several other train terminals here in the U.S. and abroad.

The Jackson Center mansion was also the first permanent residence in Jamestown as it was built with brick. The first owner was Alonzo Kent, who came to Jamestown from Vermont with no money and just a few meager possessions. Over time, he gathered wealth, and actually donated $10,000 to the Methodist Church to buy property along Chautauqua Lake where Chautauqua Institution now sits. Alonzo and his wife Mercy had 5 children, 3 of which who reached adulthood, but later moved away from Jamestown.

Janet told a story of a visit made in the 1870's by Ulysses S. Grant who was traveling through the region. When Alonzo Kent was asked to host lunch with Grant, he initially declined because he felt his home wasn't good enough to host the President. Since then, the mansion and center have hosted several dignitaries.

The second owner of the mansion was Alba Kent and Rose Hall Wetmore Kent. Alba also built the Kent House Hotel in Lakewood, and bred Black Angus cattle (one of the first people to do so in the U.S.). The Kent House burned down, and the location where it stood is now where the Yacht Club stands.

Rose had amassed a fortune because her first husband, C.C. Wetmore, left her all his money. Born in Busti, Rose's family owned huge amounts of land in Chautauqua County. Rose was also a member of the Christian Scientist Church, and reportedly had a tunnel built between the mansion and the church across the street so she come and go as she pleased.

Rose's son also lived in NYC and would often bring famous friends of his home to preform at theaters in Jamestown.

During this portion of the interview, Janet also mentioned that were we meet each Monday was originally where the horse stables were for the mansion. When the Jamestown Consistory bought the building in 1920 (for $20,000), they transformed the space into what it is today. It is believed that Lucille Ball performed on the Consistory stage a time or two.

Janet recalled coming to the Consistory as a child and learning to play billiards in the 2nd floor billiards room. She was also amazed that when her and her friends were brought to meetings, they were left to roam the building as they pleased.

The Jamestown Consistory Rose Croix Chapter owned the building from 1920 to 2001. After sitting empty for nearly 2 years, the Robert H. Jackson Center purchased the facility, and has been there ever since.

We all marveled at the tales told by Janet, and many of us were eager to buy a copy of her book A House Preserving History For 150 Years The Robert H. Jackson Center.

In honor of her attendance and presentation, a donation was made to the End Polio Now Campaign, which Janet was very happy to learn.