Rotary's Theme for 2017-18
The GREETERS:
07/27/2017 Dave Trout and Mark Febus
08/03/2017 Judy Budi and Katie Neubert
08/10/2017 Kim Senft-Paras and Joyce Young
08/17/2017 Club will meet at GraceWorks...Kisha Taylor and Matt Kuhn
If you cannot greet on the day assigned, contact Kitty and she will schedule a replacement.
Meeting on 07/20/2017
Lee Hieronymus (M) and Graham Ross (L) greeted this day. Ever-smiling
Brian Hayes (R) has just been welcomed.
Here Graham Ross is greeting member Gerry Eastabrooks, who looks a bit shy (She isn't).
Lee is shown greeting PDG Harvey Smith. He and Ray Merz and Sivaji Subramaniam are retired clergy, and have an in with God a bit more than most.
Jack Durnbaugh (L) and Don Overly have a lot in common. Jack is a principal at Centerville High School and Don was the superintendent at Centerville High School for a long time.
Here Graham (L) is seen with past club president Ron Hollenbeck and member Jim Harris (R). Ron conducted the meeting again this week, as our new president Peachy is still undergoing tests for his medical condition. Jim not only volunteers his service for the club but also for his church.
The Centerville Rotary Club met at The Club House at Yankee Trace at noon. Past President Ron Hollenbeck led the Pledge of Allegiance, PDG Harvey Smith led the prayer, and Arnie Biondo led the singing of God Bless America. "This may be the last time I do this," Biondo said before counting 1,2,3 and starting the song in a range a bit higher than most were accustomed to. The members struggled through and at the end someone shouted something about it being "the last time," and Arnie smiled his big smile in spite of it all. (Just so Peachy will know...it wasn't as good as the Marine song we sang a while back in Peachy's honor, but it was passable.)
Today's guests included:
Dottie Overly, wife of club member Don Overly; our guest speaker Karen Durham, general manager of the Fraze Pavilion; Matthew Kuhn Jr., son of club member Matt Kuhn. Matt Jr. is home from the U.S. Air Force Academy; and Theresa Cain, a pharmacist with Premier Health.
Dottie Overly, applauded for being a welcome guest.
Karen Durham, general manager of the Fraze Pavilion, is pictured here.
Matthew Kuhn Jr. is seen here with his father Matt Kuhn. We thank him for his service to country and his visit to our club.
Jeff Senney said he brought his guest Theresa Cain under the pretext that she would be among a young group of members. Some yes, others, no, but always young in spirit and a life of service.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Ron Hollenbeck has still been handing out thank you notes from Saloni Bagwani. We understand that India has a new president these days. Arnie Biondo said the Rotary youth exchange program has sent a person to northern India this year. We are sponsoring Robin Grigsby, who is going to Brazil, and Arnie has suggested she visit our club again before she heads out.
Ron reminded everyone that we will be meeting at GraceWorks for our Aug. 17 meeting, as a big event is scheduled for Yankee Trace that day and our meeting room will be unavailable here.
Ron read from several letters he received from Greg Bixler of Design Outreach, thanking us for our sponsorship of two life pumps for Mali that have been installed and are now providing safe and reliable water for around 700 people, 350 in one village and another 350 in another. One well had to be dug 168 feet deep and the other 300 feet deep, he said. It has helped the economy of the villages and also the health of the people living there, the letter said. Greg thanked the club for partnering with his company, which designs and supplies the pumps.
Ron then called Rebecca Quinones up front to present her with a pin for being a co-director of the New Generations program for the club. She and her family had been having fun in the sun in Puerto Rico and was thus she was not at the June 6 meeting at Benham's Grove when the other new board members for the coming year were installed.
Frank Perez reminded everyone that the club service day coming up is Aug. 19, with five locations to choose from. The House of Bread day will be Aug.18, a Friday.
Ron said sign up sheets will be available and the locations will be announced at a later date.
An option to be added would be to work with BOGG at their Chevy Chase outing Aug. 15, where they serve food and a hot meal to those living in the subsidized housing units in Centerville. This is a Tuesday and would be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. They serve food and talk to residents and have music and games to play.
HAPPY BUCKS: Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers was absent, so club member Lee Hieronymus collected Happy Bucks for Project/Operation (it's been called both) Warm. Each $20 donation buys a new children's winter coat distributed by Hannah's Treasure Chest in partnership with local social agencies. Lee calls his collecting "The fleecing of the flock," as he gets "shear" enjoyment out of trying to cajole everyone into giving "three bags full," or something like that. Or maybe he just likes making people feel sheepish for not giving while he's in charge...kinda Trumpish-like, when the sheep retreat at his request. (Baaaa-d analogy, perhaps.)
The whole coat-donating people this day included Harvey Smith, Arnie Biondo, Dave Trout, Jim Harris, Joyce Young, and Ron Hollenbeck. Don and Dottie Overly gave $10 in that regard, and Mike Wier gave either $10 or $20. Happy Bucks also came from Dan Johnson, Kisha Taylor, Dale Berry, Ed Flohre, Jack Workman, John Callander, Rick Terhune, Jim Briggs, Frank Perez, Judy Budi, Katie Neubert, Carol Kennard, Sivagi Subramaniam, Chuck King, Brian Hayes, Matt Kuhn...it was a fast round, so a few may have been missed...and the group got rather rowdy as Lee moved quickly from table to table, fleecing the flock.
Today's Speaker: Karen Durham, general manager of the Fraze Pavilion
Member Chuck King introduced Karen. Here he is seen talking with her and member Carol Kennard before the meeting.
Chuck said Karen has been with the Fraze since 1997. She has also been a marketing director for Kettering, and hails from southern Indiana. Her husband Dick is a pharmacist at Walgreens, he said. Someone shouted out that coming from southern Indiana that makes her a Hoosier, but she quickly retorted, "I'm a Boiler Maker (Purdue)." When a loud "oooooohhhhh," came from club members, she snapped: "Okay, speech over." Quick at the comeback.
Karen said the Fraze has three full-time team members and 275 part-time seasonally hired employees, with 50 volunteers each night of a performance.
She noted that in September, 1991 when the Fraze opened, Marvin Hamlich and the Dayton Philharmonic performed at the 4,300-seat outdoor amphitheater in Kettering. The Fraze is owned and operated by the City of Kettering’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department, she said.
The Fraze presents more than 60 events each summer. That includes more than 30 ticketed shows, about 20 free events, and eight major festivals, she said.
Karen said the Fraze Pavilion has received national recognition, as it consistently ranks in the Top 50 of the Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheaters based on ticket sales, according to Pollstar Magazine, a publication for the music entertainment industry. It was listed as number 68 in 1996, and is among such venues as Red Rock in Colorado, the Hollywood Bowl, and Riverbend in Cincinnati, Karen said, some much larger venues, five times the size of the Fraze.
The crowds have gotten bigger over the years, she said. In 1993, they sold 33,000 tickets, for sales of $660,000; in 1996 they sold 51,000 tickets, with sales of $900,000; in 2001, they sold 70,000 tickets, with sales of $1.5 million.
By 2016, the 25th anniversary season they had sales of $3.5 million, and offered three free concerts.
Karen said the top zip codes for ticket buyers include ...29, Kettering, 58, Centerville, 59, Kettering/Centerville, 40, Kettering/Beavercreek, 66, Springboro, 27, Dayton, 85, Xenia....Huber Heights, etc....
The growth is good despite the fact that since 2013 six new entertainment facilities have opened in the area, from gambling casinos to The Rose in Huber Heights, some five times the size of the Fraze.
Some of the artists that have played Fraze include (list taken from Karen's mentions and Fraze Internet site):
Josh Groban
Steve Martin...2013
Alabama
Ringo Starr...2008
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Bryan Adams
Bob Dylan
ZZ Top
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Michael Buble
Sheryl Crow...2003..a signature event for the Fraze, as they shot a video for the song Come on America, bringing in extra power to shoot it, Karen said.
REBA
James Taylor
Crosby, Stills & Nash
B.B. King
The Doobie Brothers
Journey
Harry Connick, Jr.
Garrison Keilor
Huey Lewis
John Mayer
Jackson Browne
Norah Jones
Vince Gill
Earth, Wind & Fire
Weird Al Yankovic
Howie Mandel
Joan Baez, a Hall of Famer
Willie Nelson
Bonnie Raitt
Backstreet Boys
Gregg Allman
Alice Cooper
Lady Antebellum in 2007 before they became big stars, and then they came back last year, Karen said.
Santanya
Tony Bennett in 1992 and then returning in 2013
Fraze Pavilion Highlights:( A combination of Karen's presentation and the Internet list)
1991 – Fraze Pavilion opens on September 14 with Marvin Hamlisch
1992 – Fraze presents 40 events during the first full season
1993 – Festivals are added to the Fraze summer calendar
1996 – First Annual Swamp Romp Festival
1996 – Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra names Fraze “summer home”
1997 – Fraze hits $1,000,000 in ticket sales
1999 – First MIX 107.7 Summerfest concert with Rick Springfield
2002 – Programming increases by 57% since 1992; from 40 to 63 events
2002 – Fraze breaks all previous sales records with over $1,870,000
2003 – Sheryl Crow sells-out 2 concerts & records a DVD at Fraze
2004 – Fraze Pavilion named to Top 50 Amphitheatres by Pollstar
2004 – Ticket sales nearly top $2.1 million breaking all previous records
2005 – Fraze Pavilion named to Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheatres by Pollstar
2006 – Fraze Pavilion named to Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheatres by Pollstar
2007 – Fraze Pavilion named to Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheatres by Pollstar
2008 – Former Beatle, Ringo Starr, and His All-Starr Band perform on the Fraze stage for the first time.
SummerFest with MIX 107.7FM celebrates ten seasons at Fraze with an all-day music festival featuring 10 popular ’80s music artists and groups. Fraze is named 51 out of the Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheatres by Pollstar.
2009 – Introduced S.O.S. – our Save on Seats program offering over 30 events with ticket prices under $20. Fraze Pavilion named to Top 100 Worldwide Amphitheatres by Pollstar.
2010 – Introduced Summer Savers Series with Friday and Saturday night concerts $5 to $7. Launched Fraze Spotlight – a 48 page coffee table quality magazine with articles and advertising about the 2010 season.
2011 – 20th Anniversary Season featured three free performances by national recording artists Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Temptations and Air Supply. Kickin’ Chicken Wing Fest was added in July with tremendous response and presented in conjunction with the Miami Valley Restaurant Association.
2012 – Etix, the new ticketing provider for Fraze Pavilion, enabled ticket buyers to choose their seats to performances.
2013 – Fraze FanFare opens in Town & Country Shopping Center, our year round ticket office, selling Fraze concert tickets, gift certificates and Fraze branded merchandise. The Dayton Dragons All Star Block Party held at Fraze Pavilion in June the night before the Dragons hosted the Midwest League All Star Game.
2014 – Regional Star-Spangled Celebration featured comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Cassano’s celebrate their 60th Anniversary at Fraze with Pete Rose and 2014 featured the most concert sell outs in venue history.
2015 – REBA concert sold out in 7 hours – a venue record. Park improvements included a new patio in the fountain area along with a new light tower/entryway to amphitheater seating.
2016 – 25th Anniversary season featured Lady Antebellum, Jim Gaffigan, Johnny Depp, Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan.
The Perfect Audience
Fraze Pavilion draws the majority of its event-goers from a nine-county, 700,000-person area surrounding Dayton and Kettering, Ohio, plus along the I-75 corridor to Cincinnati. This region represents the most affluent and one of the fastest growing areas in southwest Ohio.
Karen said there are signature festivals, with a brand new Miami Valley Restaurant festival that brought record crowds. There's a Blues Festival and in 2016 a Boulevard Bash was added. Gordon Lightfoot and Idina Menzel (Frozen and Wicked) are among this year's featured singers coming up soon. A Bacon Fest is scheduled for Aug. 20, and among other events this year is a Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion show with much of the group Garrison had with him.
They are already working on 2018 scheduling to keep up with the local competition for the groups so as not to overlap or miss when they are coming through this area, Karen said.
"We try to be the best, and do what's right for this area," she said.
Asked what was the most unusual request from a performer they have had over the years, she mentioned John Tesh, who said he wanted a WWE Action figure in his dressing room. The WWE happened to have an event at Hara Arena the night before, so when the 6-foot-7-inch Tesh arrived they had a live 6-foot-7 WWE wrestler, Hillbilly Jim, in his dressing room waiting for him.
The Fraze is a good venue because it's in the middle of a park, in the middle of a neighborhood, Karen said. That's a great place to enjoy a concert, she said.
The meeting was closed with the reciting of the Rotary Four-Way Test.
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