On Saturday, September 5, volunteers from the Ipswich-Rowley Rotary club gathered in Rowley to prepare the 9-11 Memorial Park for this year's remembrance. The park was created by the Town of Rowley and is maintained by Rotary to remember the three Rowley residents who tragically lost their lives in the 2001 World Trade Center attack.
Rotarians were once again led by our 9-11 team captains from Rowley, Doug Shealy and Bob Snow.
Ipswich-Rowley Rotary volunteers continue weekly food deliveries in Ipswich and Rowley on behalf of the Newbury Food Pantry.
In the photo, John Herth loads up his truck for deliveries in Ipswich in August.
As reported in our bulletin this week, Ipswich Inn Head Chef Steven Kuchar regaled our club with anecdotes about his career as a chef and his activities in town. The following are excerpts from Cindy Quinn’s report.
Steve Kuchar began in the cooking industry while attending Whittier Tech. He didn’t want to use a card to pay for a meal, so the person in charge told him to eat and then come back later to work. Back at home he realized that “I know what I want to do – Culinary Arts.”
He worked for 7 years in Haverhill and Ipswich at the Henrich House, then joined his brother-in-law who opened a new restaurant in Salisbury, the Stripers Grille. He also helped open another restaurant in Topsfield.
After his children were grown, Steve took a position assisting Ray Morley at the Ipswich Inn. “When Ray passed, I received a call to run the Ipswich Inn and found it rewarding to cook, bartend, be a waiter and busboy, etc. It wasn’t easy, and the rule was that after 5 pm, there was no shop talk.” He added, “Julia Child changed everything about eating.”
Rowley resident Danika Prendergast accepted her $2500 scholarship from Ipswich-Rowley Rotary at the club’s regular meeting on July 30 at the Village Pancake House in Rowley. 
Ipswich-Rotary Rotarians volunteer weekly at the First Parish Newbury Food Pantry, delivering food to both Rowley and Ipswich residents. Pictured is Rotarian John, assisted by fellow Rotarians Ann Witzig, John and Diane Herth, and Gina and Joe Healy.
The pantry serves the seven towns of Newbury, Newburyport, West Newbury, Salisbury, Rowley, Ipswich, and Georgetown. The 100% volunteer First Parish Newbury Pantry provides food to over 750 people each Friday, serving guests by assisting them with online ordering, filling orders, delivering groceries, and offering contact-free pickup for those who have transportation. https://www.newburyfoodpantry.org/
The former Pony Express Farm property was purchased by the town about ten years ago with financial assistance from Essex County Greenbelt and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. Chris Davis, Rotary’s Community Service Co-Chair outlined the project: "Although the grounds are frequently used by Ipswich youth soccer teams and their fans, the fields and parking area remained barren with almost no trees.'"
oles, modern day heroes from the Ipswich and Rowley Fire Departments immediately swung into action, securing the areas and protecting the public. Thanks to their prompt and valiant efforts, “Flags for Heroes” 2026 was saved and promptly restored by Rotary Club volunteers. 
About a dozen Ipswich-Rowley Rotarians attended the District Installation Dinner in Danversport on June 25 to support our new President, Susanne Pedersen. Susanne joined the other incoming Presidents installed by incoming District Governor Terry Rezendes Curran. Terry succeeds Past District Governor Pooja Singla who was honored for her service and many achievements. 
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of one of Rotary International’s most prestigious honors, the ‘Service Above Self’ award, to our own Joan Arsenault. Only 150 Rotarians receive this recognition annually out of a population of 1.2 million worldwide. Joan, herself a Past District Governor, accepted the honor from former Rotary Trustee and Past District Governor Julia Phelps. DG Pooja Singla also was on hand to congratulate Joan. 
The club annually awards academic scholarships to a student from each of the two communities we serve. These recipients are exceptional leaders and scholars who have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service.
Susanne Pedersen was installed as the club’s 123rd President by Past District Governor Joan Arsenault. Our new Board of Directors who will support her also were installed. The incoming officers include Katie Filtranti and Joe Healy as co-President’s Elect, Ted Garside as Treasurer, Mary Foote-Hill as Secretary, and Clint Dalton as Vice President Rotary Foundation. Our other Directors beginning July 1 will be Chris Davis, Diane Herth, Deb Mahoney, Christina Manikas, Martha Mauser, Lisa Shanko, and Immediate Past co-Presidents George Gray and Doug Shealy. 
Another highlight of the evening was the announcement of our ‘Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Person of the Year’. We were thrilled to honor and thank Denny Drislane, recently retired head chef of the Ipswich Dinner Bell, who for 13 years served countless delicious and nutritious meals free to Ipswich residents who needed them. In addition to his culinary skills, Denny is remembered for his kindness and friendly demeaner. On hand to celebrate with Denny was his wife Elana, Ipswich Dinner Bell Executive Director Dorothy Calandra, and other members of Denny’s family. 
Pine Grove students spent a day studying wetlands in the Upper Mill River Watershed
A Community-Based Field Study - Thanks to a Rotary District 7930 grant to Ipswich-Rowley Rotary, two 5 th grade classes at Pine Grove Elementary School each spent a day studying a local wetland pond that forms the headwaters of the Mill River watershed. CLICK HERE to explore an illustrated, interactive summary of this community-based study.
A Community-Based Classroom Study - "How do scientists measure the water quality of our local wetlands and rivers?" This question was demonstrated by Ipswich-Rowley Rotarians in a brief water quality field study, and then presented to Pine Grove 5 thgraders in a classroom inquiry. Students used the professional water quality meter, shared by the Parker River Clean Water Association, to determine the overall health of the Mill River watershed.
At a gala dinner last Saturday evening at the Ipswich Country Club, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary was one of seven area Rotary clubs that were honored with Massachusetts Senate Citations presented by State Senator Bruce Tarr. Senator Tarr noted the clubs were being recognized for their historic founding by local business leaders in 1923, and for their many years of community service and social support. As he put it, “700 years of community and international service are represented in this room”.
Rowley, MA 01969
United States of America