President Sarah Lee called the meeting to order at the appointed time on a beautiful summer day.
Julie Miller started us off with the Pledge of Alliance and national anthem. Ken Steele led “The Four-Way Test,” and Tom Davies gave a prayer of thanks.
TODAY’S LUNCH
Grilled chicken with ammoglio sauce, spaghetti pasta with Parmesan cheese, green beans, salad, rolls, and cannoli for dessert.
SARAH STARTED OFF WITH SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS
- First she let everyone know that the boat outing scheduled for the 16th was canceled due to the heat and smoke that day. The event could not be rescheduled due a lack of boat captains.
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- Also she said the club had a successful volunteer service day. She thanked Tom D, Nancy D and Malachi for helping sort food at the Macomb Food Bank
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LIZ WILSON INTRODUCED TODAY’S GUESTS
Steve Mahrle, a pending new member, Susan Bellefleur and our speaker, Marie McDougal.
VAL MILLER HAD FLOWER DUTY
No one was present for a birthday or anniversary flower but Val herself had a club anniversary — 23 years, so she picked the first flower.
Stephanie Mirabile got the next flower honoring her award as Rotarian of the Year. Gary bought three flowers, first for our server Tina, then for Julie Miller and for Ken Steele. Val bought one for pending new member Steve and then one for our speaker, Marie. Glenn Burton bought the last one for Nancy D, anticipating Nancy doing recognition.
JOYCE FOEHR LED THE SINGING
She chose “You are My Sunshine” (not in the book) and then “Rotary My Rotary.”
NANCY D ASKED FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS GOODWILL OR SUNSHINE REPORTS.
- Julie Miller had two. First she thanked the club for the donation to Bravo Programs of America. She circulated a thank-you letter which on the back showed pictures of of the 29 seniors who benefited from the grant. They are all off to college in the fall, one of them was Val’s niece.
- Then Julie had a suggestion for a club service project, assembling packages for Habitat for Humanity. There seemed to be interest from members so more info will be coming.
NANCY D STARTED IN ON RECOGNITION ASKING FOR ANYONE TRAVELING.
Someone paid $2 for a Mackinaw trip, Glenn Burton paid $4 for a difficult Mackinaw sailing race. Nancy had a picture of Tom D dressed as Benjamin Franklin, or was it Mrs. Franklin as some thought.The fine, after a club vote was $4, there being a 1$ discount for his volunteer efforts.
Eric Pierson not present, reported to Nancy that he received four tickets to a golf outing, Sam Sengupta and Joe Casasanta played in the tournament but left before the putting contest. So they all paid $2.
Jeff Furest was fined in absentia for a flattering article in The Macomb Daily.
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VAL INTRODUCED TODAY'S SPEAKER, MARIE MCDOUGAL
Marie is a Mount Clemens native, former teacher, book writer and Mount Clemens historian. Her topic; the city’s rich history of bath houses.
That history goes back to the 1870s. There were two stories of the origin of the famous healing powers of the water. One was attributed to a frail horse that laid under a leaking water tower and was restored to full health. The other origin story was about a sailor whose skin problems were cured by the water.
Whatever the origin, the first bath house was built by a Dr. Hayward in 1873. The popularity grew and eventually there were 14 more hotel-bathhouses in the city. People came from all over the country and overseas for the baths, including famous athletes, celebrities and politicians. Runners would meet people arriving by train and try to steer them to competing hotels. They would stay weeks, months or even years. Visitors would leave behind wheelchairs and crutches as evidence of their improved health.
The hotels were large and luxurious. They became a center for relaxing and social activity with people staying for weeks months or even years.
Mount Clemens was known to be “stinky” due the water’s odor. A few current club members recalled growing up in town and taking the smell for granted.
The decline and eventual end to the bath house era is attributed to the rise of modern medicine. The last one closed in the 1970s. Pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs were more convenient and treated the same conditions. Most of the hotels were destroyed by fires.
There is current interest in bringing back the baths. The current owner of Olympia Spa and Salon in Mount Clemens owns the rights to the mineral water. Lois Lombardo currently offers baths and bath products made from the water’s minerals at her salon location. She has plans to build a new bathhouse. The location is on Park Street, site of the original Park Hotel. The pump house is there now. Lois will be our club speaker in October.
Here is a link to a great news article about the plans, with picture of Lois and also today’s speaker, Marie. Mount Clemens mineral well owner plans city's 1st bathhouse in nearly 100 years
Thanks Marie for a great program.
