This an unusual holiday we are approaching. Normally, we play catch up after taking Monday off for a holiday. That is not the case with the 4th since it falls on a Thursday. Like most, in order to give our staff a much-deserved rest, we are taking Thursday and Friday off, then resuming our normal schedule on Monday.
So, instead of playing catch up, we are trying to get ahead of the game. The Citizens’ News goes to press on its’ normal schedule of late Monday afternoon. We normally have a day to rest and regroup before putting to Democrat-Central to bed on Wednesday afternoon for a Thursday distribution date. Since the Post Office will be closed on Thursday, we have to send the Democrat to the printer tomorrow, with no time in between. We have worked on getting both papers ahead. It looks like we will make it with the Citizens’ News. Keep your fingers crossed on the Democrat-Central.
I had the opportunity to visit with my old friend Dave Riggleman last Wednesday when he visited our Rotary meeting. When Dave was assigned to manage Mon Powers operation in the county, more than three decades ago, he reintroduced the ideals of Rotary to our area.
Dave came from Spencer and was very active in Rotary. He walked into my office one day after coming to Braxton County and asked if I wanted to join a new club he was hoping to form. He explained what Rotary was and how it worked. I was intrigued. But, as I told him, I didn’t know if I would be able to meet the 60% attendance requirement that was in place at that time. Dave was persuasive, so I told him I’d give it a try.
Dave continued his homework assignment and called a short time later to tell me about the first meeting that was held at the old Steak House that was located where the Senior Center now operates.
We had a good meeting, and I enjoyed the welcome break to the work week. I also found the meetings were informative and a great source for story ideas and networking with other local professionals. I guess the rest is sort of history… I’m still a big fan of Rotary and the work it does locally and internationally. I am proud to say I am a Rotarian and proud of the work we do here in our community. It was certainly good to break bread with someone like Dave who enjoys it as much as I do. Our Club and the community it serves, certainly owe Dave Riggleman a debt of gratitude. I’m glad we had the opportunity to express those sentiments last Wednesday…
