The Lima Rotary Club celebrates the grand opening of the Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater August 2-6.
Lima Rotarian Rich Rudolph has traveled the world and he noticed one thing that many thriving small towns have in common...a downtown greenspace where the community can gather for concerts, festivals, socializing and more. He approached Rotary in 2017 to see if the club would like to help create a park and amphitheater downtown. Rotary said, “Of course!” Initially, the vision was for a small covered stage in a park at the corner of Spring and Union. But with input from the arts community, that vision expanded to include a full size stage, sound and lights, big screen TVs, and a park that covers almost an entire city block, transforming what used to be a depressed area filled with vacant buildings and weed-covered lots. Rudolph co-chaired the Amphitheater Committee along with Rotarian Tracie Sanchez. They, and the rest of the committee spent thousands of hours over the past five years bringing the vision to reality. The new facility, located at 128 E. Spring Street, is named the Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater, for the Greater Lima Region, which secured naming rights. The amphitheater itself is called Pangle Pavilion in honor of the Pangle family which was a major donor to the project. The Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater was designed by Beam Designs.
The investment of nearly $4 million for the park came from both public and private funds with $1.25 million from the state of Ohio’s capital budget and $800,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and $475,000 from the City of Lima. The rest of the funds were donated by Lima Rotarians, local businesses and grants. “The Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater is more than bricks and mortar in downtown Lima; it is a living, breathing representation of the kind of community Lima/Allen County is,” says Rotary Club President Lesley Fry. “The fact that Rotary started with a vision more than five years ago and that it grew to what we see today is nothing short of amazing. That’s what Rotarians do – they are people of action.”
The Lima Rotary Club donated the park to the City of Lima, which will manage its maintenance and security. The Lima Rotary Club and the City of Lima each contributed $150,000 to a maintenance fund for the Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater to ensure it stays in good repair. The Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center will manage the scheduling of events at the park and on the stage. The Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater is available for rental for such things as concerts, plays, family reunions, graduations, movies, tailgate parties, festivals and much more. When not rented, the green space will be open for use as a city park in the heart of downtown Lima.
The grand opening celebration of the Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater is August 2 - 6 featuring a variety of events:
Wednesday, August 2 6:00 PM - A Roast to the City, Presented by the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima A night of BBQ and Parker MacDonell & Friends in concert Parker MacDonell is the son of the late Martie and Sandy MacDonell who were enthusiastic supporters of the local arts community and well-known philanthropists.
Thursday, August 3 7:30 PM - All-4-One in concert with Naturally 7 and special guest Stedic Music
Friday, August 4 12:00 PM - Free Lima Art Fair, Presented by ArtSpace/Lima Arts fair, food trucks and live music from local bands 7:30 PM - Al Jardine in concert with special guests The Indoorfins and Kevin Ashba Al Jardine is a Lima native who is a founding member of The Beach Boys.
Saturday, August 5 12:00 PM - Free Family Fun Festival, Presented by Allen Lima Leadership Bean Town Baggers Cornhole Tournament, food trucks, live music from local bands. 7:30 PM - Ian Munsick in concert with special guests Derek Alan and Liam Stolly Ian Munsick is married to Caroline Rudolph, the daughter of Jim Rudolph, CEO of Rudolph Foods.
Register your team now for the Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing.
The Rex Perry Memorial Golf outing will be held on August 16th at Hidden Creek Golf Course. The Golf Outing raises money for our Rotary Club Scholarship efforts. The outing has a 9 am shotgun start. Hole sponsorships are $250, and a 4-man team is $380. We are looking also for volunteers for that day to help with the event. We will be selling 50/50 tickets for the event at the meetings before the outing so if you can’t attend you can still help our efforts. We are also looking for any door prizes you or your company can donate. Please reach out to Andy Wannemacher or Scott Neth with your interest in the golf outing.
Have a suggestion for a great speaker? Let us know!
Fellow Rotarians; if I may, I’d like to ask for suggestions for speakers for the upcoming year, and into next year (2024). We want to do some different things, and yet still have some pertinent things that are a service to us all. It’s a lot easier, when I have an idea of people’s interests, and what makes them enjoy a program. I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions from our members!!
Hello fellow Rotarians! Another year of year of Rotary is now upon us and I am reaching out on behalf of the Sergeant at Arms Committee for your help! We are looking for volunteers to work the Sergeant at Arms table for the August 2023-July 2024 meetings. Its fun and easy to do!
If you are able available to assist, we would appreciate it! Please contact me to let me know what month you would be able to help us out.
The program committee is looking at some new ideas.
The Lima Rotary Club Program Committee is planning to do some different things in the upcoming year. One of them is quarterly networking meetings. Program Committee Chair Doug Wise told us that many people tell him that they got into Rotary was for the networking. He wants to build on that and give members a chance to get to know each other better. The networking meetings will include the opportunity for "shameless plugs," which offer members the chance to get up on stage and make a plug for their business or organization in exchange for a $25 donation to the Lima Rotary Foundation. Doug says they will also schedule all the interesting, informative programs we're used to. If you have any program suggestions, you can contact Doug at doug.wise@hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
Also at Monday's meeting we welcomed Andrew Rager, loan officer from First National Bank, as the newest member of the Lima Rotary Club. Please make him welcome!
For Stephenie, the past three years have been an incredible recovery journey after her nasty near-death bout with Cerebral Malaria.
In her birthday month this year, she's rallying your incredible hearts to join her in celebrating life and compassion. She is asking you to help Finish the Fight Against Malaria by making a donation towards vital resources for prevention, treatment, and research, such as mosquito nets and supporting community health workers. To help make Malaria history.
Malaria is not just a global problem; it’s personal. A child dies from malaria every minute. Malaria steals dreams and breaks hearts. It's wreaking havoc in communities where resources are scarce.
Let's celebrate Stephenie's birthday with purpose by donating to Malaria initiatives and making a real difference. Let's make Malaria history and save lives!Â
A new year means an opportunity to set new goals! Below are tools and resources to ensure your clubs and youth programs have the best Rotary Year yet:Â
Earn aRotary Citation - your Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact club can be recognized for growing your membership, developing sustainable projects, supporting the Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in your community
Develop real-world leadership skills in young people through service-learningÂ
Encourage your youth program participants to gain a broader Rotary experience by participating in RYLA, starting an Interact club, or participating in Youth Exchange
When it comes to fundraising, Interactors are crushing it
Interactors know that there are many ways to make a difference in the world. One way: fundraising! After researching and choosing the causes they want to support, Interact clubs devote themselves to raising money and driving impact. Notably, the 123 Interact clubs in District 5170 raised $40,000 during the 2022-2023 Rotary Year to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in Honduras. And, in just one night, The Honesdale High School Interact club raised $12,000 to support The Rotary Foundation’s Disaster Response Fund! For more fundraising inspiration, read the full Rotary magazine article. Â
Rotarians and RYLA alumni alike often attest that RYLA is a life-changing experience. For Danelle Davis, this rings true. A RYLA participant in 2008, Davis reflects that RYLA "nurtured in her an empathy that would shape her career and her life." In the 15 years since, she has lived a life informed by Rotary's core values, going on to become a Rotaractor and the recipient of a global grant-funded Rotary Scholarship that empowered her to earn a master's degree in gender, peace, and security. Â
Register for the Interact Sponsor and Adviser Virtual Training
Learn about how to make the most of your Interact club in this training! Gain inspiration from a 60-minute panel discussion with diverse Interact leaders from around the world. This webinar will be offered on Saturday,16 September 08:00 Chicago, USA (UTC 5) in English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Everyone who registers will receive access to the recording.
Young Leaders in Action is a monthly source of news, resources, and event information for young leaders in Interact, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, and New Generations Service Exchange and Rotarians who support them. Send questions and story ideas to youngleaders@rotary.org.Â
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