Events

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

After a 40 year career teaching music to students in Iowa and Wisconsin, Dean Beckman has just entered into his new role of retired teacher. He finds entertainment value in looking back on moments that prepared him to teach and recalling memories from his years in the role of teacher. He plans to share those moments and memories with our club. There is a strong possibility of a song or two at this meeting creeping back into the Decorah Rotary agenda.

Dean recalls when he was a new teacher, there were no pianists for a short time in Decorah Rotary. Former Rotarian Frances Peterson, who was the president at the time, worked it out with another former Rotarian (Elliott Christen) to have him stop by the basement of Mabe's Pizza, get a free lunch, play the piano for the song leader, and then make a quick exit before the business portion of the meeting to get to his afternoon teaching assignment on time.

During his tenure as a teacher, Dean directed over 37 operettas and musical productions at Decorah schools. He attended Luther College, performing under Luther’s famed conductor Weston Noble, and received his degree in 1985 before taking his first teaching job in Westby, Wisconsin, where he had been a student teacher. He started his position with the Decorah Community School District in 1988, and the first in what would become a long string of productions began the next year with a performance of “Tom Sawyer.” That middle school debut was followed by “Pandora” in 1990, and his resume includes titles such as “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Fiddler on the Roof Jr.” and “Hairspray Jr.” Just prior to his retirement this past spring, he chose to end his streak of productions with “Elf The Musical Jr.” at Carrie Lee Elementary.

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**Please complete your noon 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 After Hours Sponsor: Diana Morrow

Helping Services for Youth and Families Executive Director and fellow Decorah Rotarian Carson Eggland will join the After Hours team to share the backstory of Holiday Lights, one of the region's longest-running holiday light shows.

Holiday Lights, hosted at the Pulpit Rock Campground on the west side of Decorah, is Helping Services' biggest fundraiser of the year and enlists contributions from over 300 volunteers throughout the calendar year. A standout feature of the Holiday Lights celebration is the "Walk-Thru Night," which has grown into a popular community event since its inception in 2015. Originally a suggestion from visitors, this special preview event takes place the night before Thanksgiving, giving people a chance to enjoy soup and treats from local businesses and to see the lights up close before the drive-through display opens. For the 2025 display, the Walk-Thru Night is being held on Wednesday, November 26; the drive-through opens the following day on Thanksgiving, and the display runs through its final day of operation on Christmas Day.

Prior to assuming Executive Director duties in June 2015, Carson and his wife Chauncy resided in Iowa City where Carson served the local Ronald McDonald House for 12 years.

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DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Hannah Breckbill will be sharing her experience doing accompaniment and solidarity work last winter at Tent of Nations, a Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank. You'll hear about Mediterranean agriculture, living in a cave, public transportation in Israel/Palestine, life under occupation, and the joy of international connections.

Tent of Nations sits on a hilltop just southwest of Bethlehem in the West Bank. It has belonged to the Nassar family since 1916, when it was purchased by the grandfather of the current owners, during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It was registered at that time and in 1924 a survey was done to comply with requirements during the time of the British Mandate. The land has belonged to and been farmed and settled by the Nassar family throughout Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli rule. Unlike many Palestinian farming families, the Nassar family have ownership documentation dating from the original purchase.

In 2001, Bishara Nassar’s children transformed the farm into an international meeting place. The Nassar family runs the farm of approximately 100 acres as an educational and environmental farm. They welcome thousands of international visitors and volunteers every year and host camps in the summer for the children from the local refugee camps in Bethlehem. They are Palestinian Lutheran-Christians, making them a targeted minority in Israel. The farm is now surrounded by the Gush Etzion settlement bloc of nearly 100,000 people, settlements largely considered illegal by the international community. As a result, Tent of Nations has endured a long history of oppression, injustice, isolation, expropriation, and threats of violence. In the face of these challenges, Tent of Nations works for a better future and overcoming its obstacles through international partnerships and by operating and living in a peaceful, nonviolent way based on their Christian values.

When not involved in her courageous service projects, Hannah and her business partner Emily Fagen are the founders and operators of Humble Hands Harvest, a small, worker-owned organic vegetable, fruit, pastured pork, and grass-fed lamb farm located a few miles north of Decorah. They offer their products at the Winneshiek Farmers Market in Decorah and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for both produce and meat.

For more information on Tent of Nations please see their website at https://tentofnations.com.

For more information on Humble Hands Harvest please visit https://humblehandsharvest.com.

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**Please complete your noon 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

Community singing advocate and leader Liz Rog will be sharing insights with our club into the community singing movement and specifically into the Kitchen Table Singers. The Kitchen Table Singers have been serving Decorah since 2011, bringing songs of comfort, healing, and encouragement to individuals and families in homes, hospitals, and senior centers. They believe that a song or two, given as a gift to a stranger or a friend, is a meaningful way to offer community care.

Liz is a resident of Decorah and a long-time supporter and leader of community singing. In 2021 she joined in the creation of the Center for Belonging Folk School where people of all ages are welcomed to share stories, songs, food, handcraft, laughter and tears, all nested in a beautiful gazebo in a pristine wooded hollow near Decorah. She believes in singing together as an ancient technology for belonging, a simple and powerful tool for restoring our connection in community. She sings with all ages, teaching simple songs that can be woven into the seasons of the year and the changes and challenges of our lives in play, at bedsides, at rallies and in rituals. Liz delights in helping folks rediscover their ancestral birthright of group singing to nurture collective joy, courage and healing and supports songleading leadership practices to nurture our collective unfolding.

To learn more about the Center for Belonging Folk School please visit the website at https://www.centerforbelonging.earth.

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**Please complete your noon 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 21st anniversary of Holiday Lights for Helping Services and Decorah Rotary is excited to participate, not only by providing volunteers for the event, but also by displaying the lighted Rotary wheel again this year.

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: Ron Snell

Bob Rotach hails from Waukon and is the organizer and leader of Wednesday Night Riders, a motorcycle and converible group of enthusiasts with rider participation from Allamakee and Winneshiek counties. He will visit our club to talk about the group and several of community outreach activities they support.

Bob was raised in Manchester, graduating from West Delaware High in 1964. He attended State College of Iowa (later known as the University of Northern Iowa) where he played baseball. After graduation in 1968, he began teaching at St. Patrick Catholic School in Waukon where he coached baseball, basketball, and cross country. After closure of that school he transitioned to the MFL MarMac McGregor Center. He joined Farm Bureau Insurance in 1982 as an agent and a commercial specialist. Bob has a long record of community service including the Waukon City Council, the Veterans Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, Helping Services for Youth & Families mentoring, and contributing his time to many other local organizations. He has been married for 56 years and has children and grandchildren in Denver. He covers approximately 20,000 miles per year on his motorcycle, much of it associated with Wednesday Night Riders.

To see the record of Wednesday Night Riders activities visit their website at https://wednightriders.blogspot.com.

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**Please complete your noon 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

Oneota Film Festival Board of Directors President Nancy Sojka will join our meeting to deliver information and early insights into the 2026 Oneota Film Festival, scheduled for March 5-8. Following her presentation, Luther College Professor of Communication Studies Thomas C. Johnson will provide us with a preview his short production of The Girl's Race. 

Held annually among the rivers and bluffs of the Driftless Region, the Oneota Film Festival brings compelling, innovative, and inspiring films and filmmakers to Decorah from around the globe. Through films that illuminate the human condition, the Festival aims to engage a large and diverse audience in the critical issues of our time. Screenings and discussions take place in various venues throughout the downtown Decorah business district. The Festival series was initiated by the creative energy of Luther College alumnus Walter Ordway, a world traveler, photographer, and filmmaker; and by photographer and filmmaker Kyrl Henderson.

Professor Johnson is an award-winning filmmaker, his directorial credits including Ironhead, Marieke, and Love & Sugar. His latest film, the documentary short The Girls Race, depicts the power and authenticity of cross country through 39 schools and 242 girls as they compete at the Johnson-Olson High School Girls Varsity 5K, a race held as part of Luther College’s 50th All-American Invitational. The Girls Race is free of narration, interviews, and non-diegetic sound (sound which the audience hears but not the performers). Professor Johnson aims to present genuine moments and poignant stories, thereby drawing rightful attention to the virtues of girls sports, broadly, and girls cross country, specifically.

Nancy Sojka is a retired art teacher from the North Winneshiek School District. In addition to her tireless support of the Oneota Film Festival, she is the co-founder of the Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild and has been active in the group since its inception in 1982. She is also an avid cyclist and might be encountered during one of her many circumnavigations of the Trout Run Trail.

Details on the 2026 Festival will be coming soon to their website, accessible at https://www.oneotafilmfestival.org.

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**Please complete your noon 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.

Hosted at Rubaiyat Restaurant. Additional details TBA.