SALEM HIGH HOLIDAY CONCERT
Cynthia Napierkowski, Lianne Goodwin, and Salem High Musicians
The pandemic did not prevent our Club for hearing the talented student musicians from Salem High School. Cynthia Napierkowski brought news and music from the Salem High Jazz Band with videos from recent performances. She also brought some of her students who shared their experiences playing instruments during this public health crisis, including a demonstration of how they play while wearing masks. Cynthia shared how important it is to the teachers and students to keep traditions going during the pandemic and that they were pleased to be able to play, in one form or another, to the Salem Rotary Club.
Lianne Goodwin described how the Chamber Choir is coping with the pandemic. She noted that the rules for singing are not as far along as those for band and that students are singing remotely. Lianne receives raw footage from each student with their singing and then needs to compile them into one video for a full performance. This is a challenging and time consuming process but seeing the raw footage of each student allows Lianne to hear each student individually, which is a new and rewarding experience as compared to seeing the group sing all together. Lianne shared a couple of compilations with the Club.
December 18
SALEM ROTARY HOLIDAY PARTY
In true Salem Rotarian fashion, we made the best out of these unusual times and had a blast with our virtual holiday party on Friday, December 18. There were contests, prizes and even a visit from Santa himself! The best part was getting to know more about our fellow Rotarians and their significant others and friends. These events serve as a nice reminder of how wonderful Salem Rotarians are and also as a hint of how much fun we will have together in service and fellowship when we can be in-person again!
December 22
PATRICK CORNELISSEN
General Manager, Alden Biesen
Live from Belgium, former Salem Rotarian Patrick Cornelissen joined us to share stories of his new adventure managing one of the largest castle domains in Northern Europe, particularly amidst the challenges of the pandemic. He started with news of how COVID-19 has spread throughout Belgium, noting that they have seen a lot of per capita cases and have been labeled the “worst hit” country in the world. Part of this is due to how Belgium reported its numbers and how deaths in senior living spaces were counted. There is also a difference within the country between the north and the south, and Patrick noted that the southern part of the country was initially impacted more, likely because it is customary to kiss people hello in that region. The country has been in and out of lockdown, which has greatly impacted the hospitality industry, but they are adapting to the regulations and taking advantage of the downtime to address deferred maintenance projects.
Alden Bissen was founded in 1220 by the Order of Teutonic Knights and is one of a few remaining sites still in existence. The castle has been government-owned since 1971 and currently serves as a cultural conferencing and events center, hosting over 500 events and receiving 250,000 visitors a year. For the last two and a half months, they have focused on renovation projects and adapting to hosting meetings and events in a COVID environment, making changes to capacity and service.
Besides managing this 800-year-old property, Patrick still enjoys photography and classic cars. He is also a member of the Arendonk Rotary Club. The club hosts 2 main fundraisers, a Champagne Drive that sells over 3,000 bottles each year, and the “Motary,” a classic car rally that literally allows car owners to drive through factories and companies of major sponsors.