Events

The Decorah Rotary Club is honored and excited to host our friend Musa Kamaika Lengidari at our After-Hours meeting during his fundraising swing through the U.S. and his two-week Decorah stay in early November. Please plan to join us for this fascinating and engaging speaker.

Luther College has a long and fruitful connection to Tanzania and the Maasai culture through a continuing January Term (J-Term) Paideia course offering. Almost eight years ago (February 2017, to be exact) Decorah Rotarian and Luther Professor John Moeller spoke to our club about the course and its examination of the tension between the African national parks movement and pastoralist societies; and how wildlife conservation efforts and ecotourism have impacted the relationship of the Maasai people and their environment. Two months later, our longer tenured Decorah Rotarians may recall a visit by "The Maasai Guys" (<- link) at our previous meeting location in the upstairs room at T-Bock's. Leboy Oltimbau and Musa Kamaika joined us in full Maasai regalia and shared their personal stories of the Maasai culture, their lifestyle and traditions, their friendship and association with Luther College, and their efforts to balance traditional practices with new ideas and technologies.

Later in 2017 Musa founded the non-profit Natopiwo Organization, a non-governmental organization operating in rural Maasailand in northern Tanzania. Their work supports Maasai families in the Arusha Region through the education of youth, the economic empowerment of women, and the distribution of basic provisions such as food, water, and health insurance cards. They are presently raising funds to renovate a 40-years old water reservoir/dam that provides water to approximately 10,000 people and millions of domestic and wild animals in Monduli District.

Musa has dedicated his life to serving his community, promoting Maasai culture, and providing basic needs to people. The Natopiwo Organization is the realization of a life-long dream. He works to form partnerships and design sustainable development initiatives that meet the needs of the community now and envision a more resourced future for all. He also serves as an elected chairperson of Eluwai Village government. He works as a translator, tour program coordinator and guide, and research assistant for international researchers, university courses, and tourists. His family has lived in the community for generations, and he resides there with his wife and two children.

For more information about the Natopiwo Organization please visit https://natopiwo.org.

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DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity (WCHFH) Executive Director Gus Johnson will be joining us to talk about the history of Habitat projects in Winneshiek County, ongoing and future projects and collaborations, and opportunities for organizational and individual involvement.

Mr. Johnson grew up in Holmen Wisconsin, went to college in Nebraska and worked as a high school teacher for 35 years -- 31 of those years at South Winnneshiek High School in Calmar. He retired from teaching in 2000 and started volunteering for WCHFH in 2001. He lives in Spillville with his wife Jan, who was also a career teacher at South Winneshiek.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states and in more than 70 countries around the world. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat works toward this vision by building and improving homes in partnership with individuals and families in need of a decent and affordable place to live. Partner families must have employment, demonstrate that they currently have an inadequate housing situation, and be willing to invest at least 150 hours of labor ­or "sweat equity" ­into building their home and the homes of others. WCHFH houses are sold to low-income working partner families at no profit and with no interest charged.

WCHFH  is a locally operated affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical housing organization. Since its inception WCHFH has completed over 30 projects in the local area. With the recent build in Fort Atkinson, WCHFH has a presence in every single town in Winneshiek County.

For more information on WCHFH please visit their website at https://www.habitat.org/ia/decorah/winneshiek-county-hfh. 

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Quinton Liebl, owner and operator of Liebl Habitat Solutions in Decorah, will be introducing his business with our members and providing information on the cross-section of services his company provides to the community.

Quinton moved to Decorah in 2019 for a job opportunity. Relying on his background in Natural Resources, he started Liebl Habitat Solutions in 2022 as a side business, transitioning it to a full-time, full service business in March of 2024. Liebl Habitat Solutions focuses on assisting private landowners maintain, enhance, and restore their property and reach their habitat and land goals. They provide services such as tree cutting and timber stand improvement, invasive species removal; fenceline, yard, and storm damage clean up; prairie management including prescribed fire burns; and targeted pesticide applications. They prioritize customer service and performing work in a matter that is efficient for the landowner and low impact to the landscape.

For more information please visit their website at https://www.lieblhabitatsolutions.com.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Holiday Lights for Helping Services and Decorah Rotary is excited to participate again this year, not only by providing volunteers for the event but also by creating a Rotary wheel display that will be part of the event going forward.

Every night, visitors come from near and far to see the wonder of the holiday displays. These bigger than life depictions of Santa, elves, snowmen, and reindeer can range in size from 5 to 25 feet tall.

They fill the night with blinking lights and charming animations, capturing the wonder of the couples, friends, and family that travel through.

Every event of this type needs a feature display, and for Holiday Lights, it is the Tunnel of Lights. Consisting of eight rings, the lights are synchronized to light in order from first ring to last, making an exciting drive-through experience.

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Vesterheim President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Johnson will talk about the Vesterheim Museum's plans for the upcoming year, including commemoration of the 200th anniversary of organized Norwegian immigration to the United States.

In 2025, Norwegians and Norwegian Americans will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the voyage of the Sloopers. On July 4, 1825, 52 Norwegian's departed Stavanger, Norway on the sloop Restauration taking three months to sail to New York in what would become the first in successive waves of immigration from Norway to the North American continent. Between 1825 and 1925, roughly one-third of Norway's population left their home country to start new lives in North America. Chris will talk about Vesterheim's plans to commemorate this important event as well as share exciting opportunities that folks here in the Decorah area have to take classes in Vesterheim's nationally recognized folk-art school.

Chris Johnson is in his tenth year serving as President / CEO of Vesterheim, the National Norwegian American Museum & Folk Art School. His ancestors emigrated from farms near Norway's Sognefjord in the 1860s and settled in parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota. Born and raised in New Hampton, Iowa, he remembers visiting Vesterheim as a child on school field trips. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Luther College, and a master's degree in museum studies from the University of Nebraska. He has worked in the museum field for more than 35 years, holding positions at places such as Living History Farms, Arbor Lodge State Historic Site, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Decorah Rotarians may also recognize Chris as the father of Hallie Johnson, the club's Rotary Global Scholar who is presently in Scotland for graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx will visit our club to discuss the topic of scams, including the most common and recent trends. He will give examples of real-world, local encounters with scam artists and the ways they use to exploit their victims, often with veiled threats and promises of wealth or romance. 

Dan Marx’s family moved to the Decorah area when he was preschool age. His calling to service began early, as he became certified as an Emergeny Medical Technician prior to graduating from high school. As Sheriff, Marx serves as the chief law enforcement officer in Winneshiek County. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, his functions include patrols, investigations, jail operations, civil processes, court orders, court functions and community/public relations. Sheriff Marx has been involved with county law enforcement for the past 26 years. He was appointed to the position of Sheriff in 2015, was elected to that position in 2016, and was recently reelected to a third term. He holds a degree in police science and criminal justice and is a member of Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association.

Decorah Rotarian Roger Huinker will be distributing "Fraud Fighter" pamphlets at the meeting.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Ward Budweg

Dave Smutzler, founder of the paranormal investigative group P.I.G.s (Police Investigating Ghosts), will be sharing his group's techniques used in paranormal investigations (which differ from what most people are used to seeing on TV shows) and will share some spooky stories!

Dave's interest in the paranormal began in college. He didn't have any actual experiences at that time but the fascination continued into his career as a Decorah police officer, which began in 1991. He has a desire to help people even when a logical or obvious explanation isn't available, and that desire makes Smutzler and his team passionate about investigating perceived paranormal occurrences. Smutzler claims he’s participated in more than 100 investigations, including some of Iowa’s more famous haunted sites — like the Cresco movie theater, Edinburgh Manor in Scotch Grove, and many others.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.