New Meeting Location, Starting April 6
Rockport Rotary meet at Rockport Inn & Suites, as of April 6, 2023. Our first meeting at our new location will be an evening one, beginning at 5:30 PM. Join us!
Stories
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Rockport Photo Contest for 2024 Calendar Do you have great photos that showcase the beauty of Rockport? The Rotary Club of Rockport will be producing a 2024 photo calendar as a fundraiser and is requesting amateur and professional photographers alike to submit their best high-quality photos of Rockport to be entered into our contest. The photography winners of each month plus the cover will receive $50. Please share photos of Rockport that emphasize qualities that make Rockport a special place to live, work and visit in each season. Examples include featuring the fishing industry, town events, parades, pets in a quintessential Rockport scene, quarries, architecture, and ocean scenes. The contest will run until March 20th, 2023. Please submit your high-resolution digital photos to photos@rockportrotary.org and include your name, mailing address and phone number so we can notify you if you have won. Questions can also be submitted to the same email address. |
Rockport Rotary Honors Rockport Fire Department The Rockport Fire Department was honored by the Rotary Club of Rockport at the Robert C. Wood Memorial Heroes Dinner at Danversport Yacht Club on November 10, 2022. The department was represented by Chief Kirk Keating, Assistant Chief Mark Wonson, Forest Fire Warden Mike Frontierro, and Captain Frank Favaloro. State representative Bruce Tarr was also in attendance to congratulate all the heroes who were honored by clubs in Rotary District 7930. |
Rockport Rotary Celebrates the Fourth Rockport Rotary has had an 11-year tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence to large crowds in Dock Square on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, it was shelved for a couple of years due to the pandemic. This year we were back in force and in full costume, despite our regular Town Crier coming down with—you guessed it—COVID. Bob Gillis and Alan Battistelli stepped up at the last minute with a rousing rendition of everyone's favorite declaration. The club followed this up later in the day with a Rotary float in the Fireman's Parade. Click Read More for more photos.
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Welcome to Our New Co-Presidents Co-Presidents Alan Battistelli and Janelle Favaloro were sworn in at the District Installation on June 30, for the 2022-2023 Rotary year. Both have served as President in the past, and we're happy to have them working together as a team. |
Photo Contest for Rockport Rotary Club 2023 Calendar The Rockport Rotary Club will be producing a 2023 raffle calendar as our fundraiser this year and we're requesting submissions for the 12 months and the cover. The photos should be taken of Rockport and can include images of our waterfront and fishing industry, town events such as parades, historical places, quarries and ocean scenes, just to name a few. The contest will run from February 20th to March 14th. Please submit high quality minimum 3.0 mb photos to photos@rockportrotary.org and include your name, mailing address, email and phone number. A stipend of $50 will be awarded to each successful photographer. |
Paws for Polio, Sunday, October 24 |
Brews & Burgers — August 14Rockport Rotary will hold its first-ever Brews & Burgers event on Saturday, August 14, rain or shine, from 4 to 8 p.m. Advanced tickets are not required. The menu will include gourmet burgers, hotdogs, corn-on-the-cob, street corn, and ice cream, among other items, with beer, wine, and hard seltzer available for your drinking pleasure. The event will take place at the American Legion Bandstand and will feature live entertainment by Mari Martin and the Lucky Boys. Rockport's annual fireworks will take place following Brews & Burgers, with great viewing from Back Beach.  Proceeds from Brews & Burgers will benefit Rockport Rotary Club's community and international service projects.
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Photo Contest for Rockport Rotary Calendar Fundraiser The Rockport Rotary Club will be producing a 2022 raffle calendar as their fundraiser this year and is requesting submissions for the 12 monthly featured photos. The photos should be taken in Rockport and emphasize qualities that make Rockport a special place to live, work, and visit in every season of the year. The contest will run from February 20, 2021 to March 15, 2021 at 12:00 PM. Please submit high-quality, full-resolution digital photos, to photos@rockportrotary.org and include your name, mailing address, email address and phone number. Photos must be your own work and should be free from any watermarks. A stipend of $50 will be sent to each successful applicant. Please send any questions to photos@rockportrotary.org. |
ZOOM in with us!During this time of social distancing, Rockport Rotary is meeting via Zoom on Thursday evenings, at 7:00 PM. Want an invite? Just contact any of our members or email us at info@rockportrotary.org.
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COVID-19 Coronavirus ResponseDear Fellow Rotarians, In the midst of the coverage around COVID-19, as places of business, schools, and other agencies are taking precautions to prevent the spread of disease the club's Directors have decided to suspend our weekly meetings for the next 2 weeks. We will reassess the situation on March 31st and decide whether to continue not meeting or resume meeting as of April 2nd. During this down time I encourage us all to stay in contact with each other. Peace, Derek Van Gulden President 2019-2020 Rotary Club of Rockport, Massachusetts |
Lobsterfest 2019 is coming — August 10!
Tickets are $27.50 in advance or $35 the day of the event. Your ticket provides a hot boiled lobster, clam chowder, corn on the cob, a roll, watermelon and soda or water. There will also be a cash menu of burgers, hot dogs, chips, beer and wine. Live entertainment by Two Weeks From Everywhere, playing a variety of music, drawing from diverse influences of Americana, country, rock, folk, pop and bluegrass. Tickets are still available at the John Tarr Store, Village Silversmith or from any Rockport Rotarian. To pay with a credit card, call 508-317-6206. Advanced tickets are strongly recommended. Proceeds to benefit Rockport Rotary Club Community and International Service Projects. |
Rockport Installation and AwardsOn Wednesday, June 19, 2019, Rockport Rotary installed their new President and Officers and presented community citations at their annual awards dinner. Wendy Hyatt, director of Rainbow Day School, was honored as Citizen of the Year, and Erin Caniff, Physical Education Teacher since 2004 at Rockport Elementary, was honored as Town Employee of the Year. In a special commendation, Peter Beacham, a longtime member of Rockport Rotary, was posthumously awarded for a Lifetime of Service. His wife, Janice Beacham, accepted the honor on Peter's behalf. Derek Van Gulden was sworn in as President for 2019-2020 by Past District Governor Ingrid Brown, along with the Executive Board including Present-Elect Rob Liebow, Secretary Kecia German, Treasurer Rob Audano, Sergeant-at-Arms Phil Chalmers, and Directors Sean Fennessey, Nikki Marin, James Moore, Matthew Wigton, and Peter Willcox, Immediate Past President Susan King, and Foundation Chair Dennis Doolin.    |
Rockport Rotary Helps Action Shelter Keep CoolRockport Rotary, along with Breen & Sullivan Mechanical Services and Emerson Swan, Inc., stepped up to help the Action Shelter in Gloucester keep their cool with a new central air conditioning system. Rockport Rotary provided funding for the project in the form of a $5,600 District Grant in cooperation with Rotary District 7930.   |
Living the Island LifeThe John Lane Auditorium at Rockport Middle/High School was filled with the sound of Rockporters laughing at themselves as Rockport Rotary put on a single showing of Living the Island Life — "A wicked funny musical comedy about life on our side of the bridge." The ensemble cast of talented locals played to a full house, on Saturday, January 19, 2019, in the musical comedy conceived by Rockport Rotary's own Linda Sanders who wrote the book and lyrics and directed the production. A second show planned for Sunday was canceled due to an ominous winter weather forecast. The cast included Jeff McKeen, Wendy Betts, Guy Parsons, Emily Marques, Kathleen Morgan, Bob Ellis, Sue Bonior, Andy Heinze, Jack Reed, Chas Kreis, Gordon Baird, Evelyn Reed, Carolyn Howard, Derek van Gulden, Anne Hyde, Frances Fleming, and Chariclo Malcolmson as Kitty the Dog.         |
22nd Annual Lobsterfest!
Tickets are $25, which includes a hot boiled lobster, clam chowder, corn on the cob, a roll, watermelon and soda or water. There will also be a cash menu of burgers, hot dogs, chips, beer and wine. Two Weeks From Everywhere will provide live entertainment. Tickets are still available at the John Tarr Store, Village Silversmith or from any Rockport Rotarian. Advanced tickets are recommended. Proceeds to benefit Rockport Rotary Club Community and International Service Projects. |
Rockport Rotarians Donate $14,100 Toward Hurricane ReliefWith three major storms hitting in less than a month, Rockport Rotarians answered the call in a major way — raising a combined total of $14,100 from club member contributions and matching funds from the club's coffers. Checks have gone out, including $4,700 each to:
Rockport Rotary trusts in the Rotary Foundation and Disaster Aid USA, and know that these funds will be put to the best use. The membership is happy to help out with the recovery after these destructive storms.
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Rockport plungers raised $1,915 to fight polio
The numbers are in from this year's Polar Plunge, and Rockport Rotary raised a total of $1,915 to raise awareness and fight polio. The Rockport Rotary members were among more than 250 Rotarians and others who plunged into the icy waters of Long Beach in Gloucester as part of the Rotary District 7930’s seventh annual Polar Plunge on February 4, 2017. The Rotary effort will pay for over a quarter of a million polio vaccines — at just 60 cents per vaccine — for children worldwide. This year’s event added to the over $510,000 raised by local Rotary clubs since the Polar Plunge began seven years ago. “If you want to feel alive, do the Polar Plunge to end polio,” Rockport Rotarian's largest contributor, Bob Gillis, said. In the fight to eradicate polio, Rotary has contributed $1.2 billion, and its members have logged countless volunteer hours to help immunize more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. Case numbers of the disease have never been lower, and only three countries — Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan — have yet to stop the transmission. |
The Rotary Club of Rockport is hosting its 23rd annual Lobsterfest, rain or shine, on August 10 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall Bandstand at Back Beach.
The Rotary Club of Rockport is hosting its 22nd annual Lobsterfest, rain or shine, on August 11 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall Bandstand at Back Beach.