The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin": Vol. 2025 #13: 1-8-24

VOLUME 2025          JANUARY 8, 2025         NUMBER 13

President Greg McCune welcomed the membership and guests, then Greg Wurst presented the reflection.  The flag salute followed.

Mike Fincham introduced Cherie’ Trieb and Ethan Ibendahl, representing Triple E 4-H Club, one of our grant recipients for many years.  Cherie is a Certified Master 4-H Volunteer and has been a 4-H leader for 49 years.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education from Purdue University in 1980 and was certified in Agricultural Education in 1984.  She has also earned two master’s degrees from Kansas State University in Family Life Education and Consultation and Guidance Counseling and Personal Services.  She is originally from Indiana.  She is married and she and Tom have four adult children.

They presented information on their Interstate 4-H Exchange Trip.  Cherie began the presentation.  She thanked the Optimist Club for their funding support.  Triple E 4-H Club is a multi-county club and includes members from Riley, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee Counties.  In the past they have had participants from Clay and Morris Counties.  It is a 4-H group for ages 12-18.  Some attend citizenship trips to Washington, DC and these exchange trips help prepare them for being away from home for a period of time.  She passed around two books covering their trips to Ohio in 2023 and North Carolina in 2024.  They also took 15 teens to Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota in 2018.  In 2019 they hosted 4-Hers from Pennsylvania.  In 2020 they had planned to travel to Pennsylvania, however the COVID epidemic prevented that trip.  Some states still did not allow travel in 2021, so they were unable to take a trip.  In 2022 they hosted the Ohio group here.  They will host North Carolina here in July 2025.  She introduced Ethan, who is a 4-Her from Pottawatomie County who has done 4-H projects in foods, woodworking, electrical, and horticulture.  He graduated from Wamego High School in May of 2024, is 18, and he is working doing contracting for welding, landscape work and looking into colleges.  He will be working at the Manhattan Boy’s and Girl’s Club very soon.  He has applied to the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri.  Ethan shared information about their 4-H Exchange trip to North Carolina.

They traveled in several cars and the first stop they made was in Tennessee due to the length of the drive to North Carolina and had dinner at the Golden Corral.  Their second stop was in Asheville North Carolina.  While there they visited the Biltmore Estate located in Asheville, an 8,000-acre estate and mansion.  While there, they learned about the estate and the Vanderbilt family.  After leaving the Biltmore Estate, they toured a family farm owned by one of the families who hosted the 4-Hers.  On the large farm, they grow potatoes, watermelon, tobacco, soy, as well as other things.  They also toured a peanut factory where they packed their own peanuts.  The factory sells nationally as well as locally.  Next, they visited a poultry farm located in Pine Tops, North Carolina where they went through an educational presentation about how they maintain their poultry and learned about what they are fed.  They did not see the birds because the night before the generator failed, and the farm workers had worked all night to ship 22,000 birds out so they wouldn’t lose them and the revenue they generated. 

The next day they visited Atlantic Beach and the Aquarium in Morehead City.  Many of the 4-Hers had not visited the coast before, so this was a new experience.  Following the Aquarium, they toured Fort Macon, a well-known pre–Civil War fort located on the Crystal Coast.  They next had a day at the beach, however the weather was rough, but that did not matter as they wanted to see the beach and find seashells.  Several group members were surprised when they opened their eyes under water and got salt in them.  They really wanted to stay longer but had to leave.  They ate dinner that evening at the Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City, which serves a variety of different foods and was started in 1938. 

They took a boat tour of the Crystal Coast.  There are small islands that have wild horses on them.  They then went to a lighthouse but could not go up in it because it was being renovated, but there was a museum in the former lighthouse keeper’s residence.  Next, they went to tour North Carolina State in Raleigh, which is their agricultural college.  They saw the bell tower and toured a food mall with many international food choices.  After this, they went back to their host’s house for dinner. 

The next day they went to Mayberry, North Carolina, where they toured the Andy Griffith set.  After that they went to the Ark, a representation of Noah’s Ark and with many biblical items.  Next, they went to the Slugger Museum, in Louisville, KY.  Following the Slugger Museum, they visited Church Hill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby where they learned about racehorses and their training and how expensive the sport is for the owners.  For his final slide, he showed a picture of the Wendys they had eaten at in Biltmore Village before the flood and after the flood.

Our presenters, Cherie’ Trieb and Ethan Ibendahl, representing Triple E 4-H Club, Pat Bidwell, and Ashley Urban’s two children Atzie and Eli.

President Greg McCune noted Steve Owens, who was president of the Manhattan Breakfast Optimist Club during the 1971/1972 year, passed away.  He also noted the birthdays of Jim Franke, and Ed Klimek and two births, Nicole Margaret was born on Christmas Day to member Margaret Haden and her husband Brett.  Also, Wrenlee Jane was born on December 28th to Optimist board member Kale Terrill and his wife Olivia.  Cards were circulated for members to sign.

Ashley Urban is organizing the social committee, and they are planning a couple of events quarterly.  Surveys were handed out to get an idea of what kind of activities they might enjoy.

 

Jim Franke updated the group on the Tree Lot; it was a successful season, with 39 trees left. 

Thad Hall noted that the Hoop-Holler& Shoot was nearly complete.

Bill Wisdom noted the Dime-a-Day program and that information was on the tables.

SAVE THESE DATES: Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction March 29th.

Adjourned with the Optimist Creed

JANUARY 15: MORNING MEETING: PROGRAM: Youth of the Month – Amanda Arnold & Northview Elementary Schools

JANUARY 22: NOON MEETING: Megan Moser, Manhattan Mercury News Editor: Topic: “Off the Beat”

JANUARY 29: MORNING MEETING: Business Meeting