New President and Rotarian of the Year announced for Belfast Rotary Club

Waldo County High Sheriff Jason Trundy has been elected president of the Belfast Rotary Club. Inducted at the club’s annual meeting on June 26, Sheriff Trundy will take the helm of the 70-member club in its 100th year of service to the Belfast community. The club’s centennial plans include the construction of a $200,000 handicap accessible playground in City Park in partnership with the City of Belfast.

“This is a legacy project,” Trundy said. “The whole community will enjoy it for many years to come.”

Silent and live auctions at the club’s annual dinner raised nearly $4,000 for the playground heritage project. Proceeds from the club’s gala and auctions on August 16, “Evening by the Bay,” the kickoff event of this year’s 17th Belfast Harbor Fest hosted by the Belfast Rotary, will also benefit construction of the new playground.

Also honored at the annual dinner were Dorothy Havey, Executive Director of the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce, and her husband, David McCurdy. The two club members were named Rotarians of the Year in recognition of their ongoing service to the club and the community.

Outgoing club president Steve Norman, director of the Belfast Free Library, received the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award in recognition of his service to others and the club’s donation in his name to the Rotary International Foundation for its humanitarian efforts. During his one-year term, Norman oversaw the club’s strategic plan and welcomed ten new members, making it one of the largest and most active Rotary groups in the region.

Through its year-round projects, the Belfast Rotary Club raises and distributes over $150,000 each year in the form of high school scholarships, support for food banks and soup kitchens, Christmas gifts for over 200 low-income children, donations for community projects, and assistance to families in need.

Belfast Harbor Fest, the fundraiser held August 16, 17 and 18, begins Friday evening, August 16, with “Evening by the Bay,” celebrating the city’s maritime history and traditions. Saturday, August 17, begins with a 5K road race and blueberry pancake breakfast and continues all day with activities for adults and children. There will be tours of the Front Street Shipyard, rowing and sailing in the harbor, a Come Boating! Regatta, arts and crafts vendors and exhibitors, a Pinewood Derby wooden car race, live music, food trucks and children’s activities. Harbor Fest concludes Sunday morning, August 18, with the Cardboard Boat Race at Boathouse Beach. For the full schedule of events, visit belfastharborfest.com. You can also become a Belfast Harbor Fest sponsor.