Guests and Announcements – 2/28 Meeting

Calendar of Events

Past Week, 2/28: Corey Bishop – “Restoration of Yaddo Gardens”

This Week, 3/7: Bob Van Vranken – “Ballston Spa National Bank – A Community Success Story”

Next Week 3/14: Eric Burgoine, Eagle Scout & Tim Sinnenberg – “Playground”

Coming Up 3/21: Awaiting Confirmation from Speaker
Coming Up 3/28: Dr. Philot from the Bioethics Institute – “Bioethics and Epidemics”
Coming Up 4/4: TBA
Coming Up 4/11: Tom Lopez of Ft. Edward, NY - "Jack Flanders Adventure Series

Invocation: George Bailey, Garry Morrow, Dan Stec or Bob Youmans

Suggestions for future programs may be given to Linda LeTendre

Tuesday, 7 March 2006

George Baily delivered an invocation anticipating the arrival of spring.

President Rey Whetten, Dan Stec and Ron Serapilio welcomed our guests:

John Ballentin, proprietor of Creative Photography in Burnt Hills

Richard Hodge, AG, Latham club

Anne Cargile, District Governor Elect

Alan Rhodes, President Elect, Champlain Canal club

Jim Fisher, Champlain Canal club

President Rey passed on the thanks of Community Human Services for Rotary contributions made in the memory of Floyd Baker

Anne Cargile announced that a District Assembly will be held on 7 April at Grace Chapel in Clifton Park.

Mark Gasparovic updated Rotary’s progress in eliminating polio worldwide. The World Health Organization has announced that Egypt and Niger are now polio free, leaving Nigeria, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan to go.

In Memoriam – Jerry Smallwood

Presentation – Restoration of Yaddo Gardens

President Rey led the club in a moment of silence for Jerry Smallword who had passed away that day, while on a visit to Maryland. Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized.

Corey Bishop of the Yaddo Garden Association delivered a slide presentation on their activities in restoring and maintaining the public gardens of this Saratoga Springs landmark. She is a retired Schuylerville schoolteacher who volunteers with the association.

Yaddo was built at the end of the 19^th century as the summer home of Spencer and Katrina Trask. The property consists of the main house, outbuildings and large gardens on a 400-acre estate. Ms Bishop discussed some of the tragic Trask family history such as the loss of four children in nine years due to illness, and Spencer’s death when his private railway car was rear ended by another train on the same track. Yaddo is now run as a year-round artists’ retreat, maintained by a non-profit corporation. Visual artists, authors and composers stay at Yaddo for weeks to months at no expense to themselves, while they undertake their projects undisturbed.

The Yaddo gardens were Spencer’s birthday gift to Katrina around the beginning of the 20^th century, and were originally maintained by a large staff of paid gardeners. Under the terms of the Trask will the gardens are open to the public 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. The Association conducts guided tours for the modest charge of $3 during the summer months. The proceeds are applied to the garden’s upkeep.

By 1991 the corporation’s resources were largely used up in conducting its artists’ retreat mission, and the gardens had fallen into a deteriorated condition. Jane Wait of Saratoga Springs founded the Association and recruited about 90 volunteers, who come from an area from Lake George to Johnstown. She sought help from local businesses, in projects such as replacement of deteriorated statuary bases. A major project to be undertaken in the future is the restoration of an elaborate terracotta pergola. The Association carefully cleans statues to maintain their appearance, and protects them with temporary wooden boxes during the winter months.

The slide show alternated pictures from a century ago when the trees, flowerbeds and other plantings were new, and the present time when things have grown up, overgrown in some cases. We were shown the statue of an idealized youth memorializing the Trask children, four very fine statues representing the seasons, the statue of a mermaid located in a pond, and other features of the elaborate layout.

All were urged to visit the gardens during their summer glory.

Our own Linda LeTendre and Corey Bishop, with a slide

of a portrait of Katrina Trask in the background

Reported by Fred Baily