The Oyster Bay Rotary Club Co-president Beverly Zembko has connected with Monica Rubin of School of Rock, at their November meeting at Café Al Dente.
“I know Monica as a great worker,” Zembko said. “We’ve already worked together on the Oyster Festival and she will be providing some of the musical talent for 2022.”
Rubin explained, “It’s a music-based performance program. We teach guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocals. It’s a fun fact that the school came before the movie that was based on the school. It is the largest music franchise, globally, serving the Syosset/Oyster Bay area.” Zembko added, “As a new Rotarian, you are now not only a member of the Oyster Bay Rotary Club, but of Rotary International.” OB Rotary Club will be planning the 2022 Oyster Festival, while aiming “to reach out locally for talent,” added Zembko. Call 516-234-ROCK for information.
The Rotary Club also continued its dedication to the Oyster Bay-East Norwich nonprofit organizations by inviting Friends of the B
ay (FOB) executive director Heather Johnson to give them an update on their work preserving Oyster Bay.
FOB recently created two rain gardens on the Western Waterfront,” Johnson explained. “They are located in front of the Oyster Bay 9/11 Memorial, across from Building J, home of the Ida May Project. The rain gardens capture and treat storm water runoff, to keep the bay clean.”
Johnson added, “Native plants are the best for rain gardens; those that thrive in a ‘drought and drench’ environment require little or no fertilizer; are an excellent food source for pollinators, and provide habitat for birds, insects and butterflies. Once established, their deep roots increase the water-holding capacity of the soil, and bind it together and prevent erosion.”
The FOB has participated in the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee’s shellfish restoration project that started in Laurel Hollow, has now grown to five sites where oysters are planted and are protected.
“They practically grow in front of your eyes,” she said.
FOB is also encouraging the Town of Oyster Bay in a Bay Management Plan to help save its declining shellfish population. Go to www.friendsofthebay.org to read their letter explaining the importance of guarding this precious resource in keeping the bay pristine. The Rotary’s next club meeting is scheduled for Dec. 15 at Café Al Dente.
OB Rotary celebrated Rotary’s centennial anniversary by commissioning and placing the statue of Theodore Roosevelt on the triangle at the entrance to Oyster Bay. Lori and Roger Bahnik, and the OB Rotary Club each contribute annually for its insurance, upkeep and surveillance. It’s a good reason to support Rotary in its endeavors.
