Rotary traded carpentry and weeding for pears and wine this spring.
The Wine and Pear Festival, a Rotary event held in mid-May for the past four years, will not happen this year.
Location and leadership on the Wine and Pear Festival were the main reasons for what Rotary president Craig Ortega calls a “postponement” of Pear and Wine. The event could be restored as early as next year, if a place can be found and other factors resolved, according to Ortega. One of the two co-chairs recently encountered health problems, he said. The other factor was a venue to replace Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum.
“We had it planned for WAAAM this year, and they have been historically supportive but they made some changes in their building that made it hard for us to continue,” Ortega said. “We would have had to rent another tent, and that costs $10,000, so it didn’t make it feasible for us to continue.”
He said the club has put a focus on the work spearheaded by the newly-formed public service committee. Recent projects include replacing the deck at the Helping Hands Against Violence Shelter, and rehabilitating Collins Field, located next to Jackson Park on May Street. Rotary spent $3,000 on the field project, and Crestline, the city, and Your Party and Rental provided in-kind donations totaling $2,600. Baseball coaches and families also helped.
Crews brought in new infield dirt, replaced backstop netting, and did dugout and general clean-up,
Next Rotary project this spring: litter cleanup along Interstate 84 at exit 63.
Ortega said the Pear and Wine Festival “was very beneficial, but it boils down to having someone chair it, and having a suitable place,” he said.
“Events we do run in cycles,” he said. “We had this for four years, and we used to have an apple sale that was discontinued, and a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that fell by the wayside. It’s not unusual for fundraisers to change. It takes people to put them on, so we look at time and return involved, and impact on the community.”
He acknowledged that vintners and other vendors were disappointed.
“It gives them an opportunity to sell their wine and for a lot of people to see art and other projects, and that was a factor.
“We’ll look at it next year; we know it was really enjoyable for people who attended,” Ortega said.
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