Rotary clubs around the world have their own unique customs and traditions, and the Lander Rotary Club is no exception. Singing and fining have been a part of Lander Rotary's character for a lot of years, and along with our other "traditions" help make Lander one of the friendliest Rotary clubs anywhere!
Singing, fining and all that jazz!
Virtually all of the 35,000 Rotary clubs around the world have their own unique customs and traditions, and the Lander Rotary Club is no exception. They help make Lander one of the friendliest Rotary clubs anywhere!
Singing has always been a tradition in the Lander club. So says Bill Sniffin, our elder statesman at 51 years (membership, not age!). Sometimes, there’s a designated song leader and sometimes there’s a volunteer, Mike Jones being the most recent. There are some (really old) Rotary song books hidden away in the Oxbow’s “Rotary closet,” with some good old American favorites and some pretty corny Rotary songs. A club favorite seems to be “Home on the Range.”
Fining has a long tradition as well. Bill was the “permanent finer” for more than a decade; fines were levied on members for various reasons (Bill’s call). When Bill gave up the role, the club went to a “quiz” system that evolved into the “fining questions” that we have today. The small amounts of change dropped in the cup for fines support service projects and other club expenses. Instead of a quiz/fining system like ours, many clubs have a Happy Buck or something similar, where people contribute $1 and tell some good family or professional news.
Our 50/50 drawing has started in the last 10 years or so. To participate, you drop a dollar in the plastic Folger’s coffee can by the sign-in sheet. Half of that goes to The Rotary Foundation and half is donated as the drawing winner designates (to RYLA, PolioPlus, etc.). Loud hoots likely await the Rotarian who dares to pocket his or her 50% winnings!
Another fun (and corny) thing: When a guest or visiting Rotarian is introduced from, say, Billings, the President calls out, “Who’s from Billings?” and everyone shouts, “Billings!” It’s a fun way to make people feel welcome and give everyone a laugh.