Rotary Club of Hancock NY

04/20/2026

MULLIGAN!

In a development that shocked absolutely no one who has ever tried to herd a calendar of civic-minded Hancockians, the evening dinner meeting originally slated for Thursday, April 23rd has been gently nudged down the fairway. It seems the "Gather & Feast Dinner" planted its flag on the 23rd first, and rather than play through, the Powers-That-Be have wisely elected to lay up.

Through no fault of ours — and we wish to be clear on that point — the scorecard has been amended.

So here is the new lineup:

This Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 12:10 PM — back to business as usual at the Circle E Diner, 368 East Front Street, Hancock, NY. Same diner, same fellowship, same dependable lunch.

Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM — the rescheduled evening dinner meeting at the Hancock Golf Course, Golf Course Road, Hancock, NY. The sunset will still be there. The Chef will still be there (she was very gracious about the reshuffle). And so, we hope, will you. Please RSVP to Event Chair Jerry Vernold at [email protected] so she can plan accordingly. Don't forget that guests, including spouses, are welcome to join us for this social event.

In the immortal words of Emily Litella: "Never mind!"

See you Thursday noon at the Circle E — and then a week later at the nineteenth hole.

04/17/2026

FORE!

To all of you who have been clamoring for an evening meeting, your ball has finally landed on the green. Mark your scorecards for Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM, when the Hancock Rotary Club tees off its first evening dinner meeting at the Hancock Golf Course on Golf Course Road — a street name that, mercifully, brooks no ambiguity.

This is no mulligan. The Chef is standing by, but she flatly refuses to swing blind at the buffet line without a solid headcount. So please RSVP to Event Chair Jerry Vernold at [email protected] just as soon as you read this — before you find yourself stuck in the rough come Thursday evening.

Remember: in golf, you play the ball where it lies. In Rotary, you show up where it's scheduled. Don't leave Jerry — or the Chef — shanking into the trees because you forgot to reply.

See you at 6:00 PM sharp. No handicap required, just an appetite.

04/12/2026

HANCOCK ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY LUNCHEON
Thursday, April 16, 2026 – 12:10 PM
Circle E Diner, 369 East Front Street, Hancock, NY

Fellow Rotarians:

This week's Rotary theme reminds us to "Unite for Good" and offers a heartfelt "Thank You for Your Service." Now, before any of you start checking your mailboxes for medals or composing acceptance speeches, let me clarify — this means ALL of you. Yes, even those of you whose greatest act of service last week was passing the pizza at the Circle E without being asked.

Rotary International calls us "People of Action." And indeed we are. Every Thursday at 12:10 PM, we spring into action — ordering lunch, pouring coffee, and occasionally doing something for the community in between bites of pie. If that isn't uniting for good, I don't know what is.

The gold ribbon on this week's graphic says "Thank You for Your Service," which I think is Rotary's polite way of saying, "We noticed you showed up. Again. Despite the weather, despite the parking, despite the fact that nobody laughs at Mike's jokes anymore." Well, to that I say — you're welcome.

Speaking of service, I regret that I will be unable to attend this week's luncheon due to a medical appointment. Yes, my doctor apparently believes my health is more important than my attendance at Rotary. Clearly, she has never had the grilled cheese with tomato at the Circle E. I trust you will Unite for Good without me — or at the very least, unite for a decent lunch.

Please join your fellow Rotarians this Thursday. Remember: Service Above Self. Lunch Above All.

Lenny
(Uniting for Good from a safe distance this week)

04/12/2026

Did You Know?

On May 10, 1775 — just three weeks after the shots at Lexington and Concord — Ethan Allen and 83 Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain in the dead of night and captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British without firing a shot.

The cannons seized that morning would later be hauled 300 miles to Boston, where they forced the British to evacuate the city.

Hear the full story from Revolutionary War historian Scott J. Payne — in period dress — on Saturday, May 9, at 2 PM at the Town of Hancock Town Hall. Free and open to all.

Presented by the Rotary Club of Hancock as part of our USA 250th Anniversary Living History Series.

04/08/2026

HANCOCK ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY LUNCHEON
Thursday, April 9, 2026 – 12:10 PM
Circle E Diner, 369 East Front Street, Hancock, NY

Fellow Rotarians:

This week's Rotary graphic gives us "The Recipe of a Rotarian" — and frankly, it's about time someone wrote it down. Most of us have been winging it for years.

The recipe calls for 1 measure of good thought, 1 measure of consideration, 1½ measures of forgiveness, 1½ measures of well-beaten faults, 2 measures of sympathy, 2½ measures of sacrifice, and 2 measures of kind deeds — all mixed thoroughly, stirred with kind words, flavored with charity, poured into daily life, and baked with the heat of human kindness.

Now, I've reviewed this recipe carefully, and I have a few observations. First, "well-beaten faults" sounds like something that happens to your golf game on a bad day. Second, 2½ measures of sacrifice seems about right — that's roughly what it takes to find parking on East Front Street during lunch hour. And third, the instruction to "bake well with the heat of human kindness" clearly refers to the Circle E kitchen, where Rotarian fellowship has been rising like a good soufflé since we got back from our brief exile across the river.

Notice the recipe does NOT call for a single measure of excuses for missing lunch. That's because there is no acceptable substitute.
So bring your appetite, your good humor, and at least one well-beaten fault. The Circle E will handle the rest of the cooking.

See you Thursday!

04/06/2026

03/31/2026

HANCOCK ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY LUNCHEON
Thursday, April 2, 2026 – 12:10 PM
Circle E Diner, 369 East Front Street, Hancock, NY

Fellow Rotarians and Friends,

Paul Harris, our illustrious founder, once declared that "Rotary is a force for good, bringing people together to make a positive difference in the world." Of course, when Paul said that, he was using a fountain pen and an inkwell — which, if you've ever tried writing with one, explains why Rotary meetings are only an hour long. Nobody's wrist can take much more than that.

But here we are, 121 years later, still bringing people together — only now we do it over pizza and salad at the Circle E instead of scratching out invitations on parchment. Progress!

April has arrived, which means spring is officially here in Hancock. And by "officially here," I mean we've upgraded from "frozen" to "muddy." The crocuses are cautiously poking their heads up, probably wondering if it's safe yet. (Spoiler: it's the western Catskills. It's never entirely safe.)

So join us this Thursday as we continue to be that "force for good" Paul Harris talked about. At minimum, we'll be a force for good conversation, good fellowship, and good pizza. Paul would have approved — assuming he could put down that fountain pen long enough to pick up a slice.

A Wonderful Time to Join! Know someone who'd make a great Rotarian? Bring them along! We promise not to make them write anything with a fountain pen.

Service Above Self — Lunch Beside Friends

03/24/2026

HANCOCK ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY LUNCHEON

Fellow Rotarians,

Spring has officially sprung — and if you don't believe the calendar, step outside and watch the mud prove it. Yes, the season of renewal is upon us here in the western Catskills, and with it comes that ancient and irresistible urge to emerge from hibernation, spread your wings, and migrate toward a hot meal.

Speaking of spreading wings, you may have noticed that butterflies are already appearing in our neighborhood — at least on Rotary graphics. Three of them, in fact, in dazzling blue, pink, and gold. Whether they represent our three avenues of service or simply couldn't agree on a color scheme, one thing is certain: they're all headed in the same direction. Toward lunch.

And so should you.

This Thursday, March 26th, at 12:10 PM, the Hancock Rotary Club convenes once again at our beloved Circle E Diner, 369 East Front Street, Hancock, NY — where the coffee is strong, the company is stronger, and nobody judges you for ordering pie at noon.

Spring is indeed "A Wonderful Time to Join," as the graphic reminds us. So if you've been thinking about inviting a friend, a neighbor, or that person at the post office who always looks like they could use a good lunch and some fellowship — this is your week. Butterflies don't stay in the cocoon forever, and neither should prospective Rotarians.

Rotary: People of Action. And on Thursdays, People of Lunch.
See you there!

Graphic courtesy of Rtn. Debbie Vance – Rotary Graphics

03/20/2026

Hancock Rotary Club formally welcomes new members Denise Steele and Jerry Vernold with the presentation of their "New Member Kits".

03/18/2026

HANCOCK ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY LUNCHEON
Thursday, March 19, 2026 — 12:10 PM
Circle E Diner, 369 East Front Street, Hancock, NY

Friends, Rotarians, and lovers of lunch:

Are you feeling like something's missing? Like a piece of your week just doesn't quite fit? Like you're staring at a big picture but there's a gap right in the middle — maybe somewhere around the North Atlantic?

That's because YOU are the missing piece.

Every Thursday at 12:10, the Hancock Rotary Club assembles at the Circle E Diner, and — much like a jigsaw puzzle — we don't make a complete picture without every piece at the table. Some of us are corner pieces (you know who you are — steady, dependable, holding everything together). Some of us are edge pieces — keeping things from falling apart. And some of us are those weird middle pieces that nobody can figure out where they go, but somehow they end up being essential.

The point is, no matter how oddly shaped you may be, you fit.
Rotary connects 1.4 million members across the globe — and right here in Hancock, we're doing our part, one puzzle piece (and one piece of Circle E pizza) at a time.

So snap yourself into place this Thursday. The picture isn't complete without you.

"Service Above Self" — some assembly required.

03/11/2026

Fellow Rotarians,

The light bulb has spoken.

You'll notice our graphic this week features a rather large, luminous light bulb hovering majestically over the Rotary wheel — which, we are told, represents Ideas. Big ones. Brilliant ones. The kind that illuminate humanity.

We at the Hancock Rotary Club took one look at that glowing bulb and immediately thought: someone finally figured out the new floor at Circle E Diner.

Yes, dear friends, we are HOME. Back at the Circle E, East Front Street, Hancock, where the coffee is hot, the pie is real, and the floor — oh, that magnificent new floor — practically glows with a wattage that rivals the bulb in our logo.

A warm and heartfelt thank you to Amanda's Riverside Bar & Grill in Starlight, PA for their gracious Pennsylvania hospitality during our extended road trip. Amanda's treated us royally. But as any Rotarian worth his or her service pin knows — there's no place like home. (Cue the ruby slippers.)

So bring your brightest ideas, your dimmest excuses for why you almost didn't show up, and whatever wattage you've got left after a long week.

Lunch. 12:10 PM. Thursday, March 12th, 2026. Circle E Diner.
The bulb is on. Are you?

Service Above Self — and Above All, Show Up.

— Lenny, your faithful Scribe and Keeper of the Announcements