What do our club’s film plastic collection and Operation Pollination have in common? Both are ways to protect our natural world. The Environmental Impact committee, led by Elsa Higby, will give a presentation Wednesday at the Wick Park Pavilion. Find out what we have accomplished and what’s next as we grow in environmental stewardship.

Sign up soon to attend the next Fireside Chat at 5:30 p.m. March 21 at Prima Cucina, 103 W. Federal St. New members must attend this orientation to earn their round badges. Current members also are encouraged to participate. It is free to register (see below). Appetizers will be provided; a cash bar will be available.

Ohio hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since 1806, and it won’t see another until 2099. So you won’t want to miss the eclipse on Monday, April 8, nor the club’s Rotaryclipse event from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at Penguin City Beer. President-Elect George Nelson says it will be a family-friendly event with a special brew on tap, a menu of mocktails, displays by America Makes and Youngstown Business Incubator, and lots of fun. RCY, in partnership with the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, already is selling eclipse viewing classes at weekly meetings. T-shirts and pint glasses also will be for sale soon.

Congratulations to Ana Torres for earning her round badge, and to Elisha Samra for becoming an official member!

An important message from District 6650 Governor Rich Tirpak: 

During my club visits, I addressed the hope that our clubs would sponsor a project about and for children.  An opportunity to do just that has presented itself. District 6650 has partnered with the Boardman Rotary Club, the nonprofit Hearing Missions Foundation, and Rotarian Dr. Sheryl Figliano to give the gift of hearing. 

Dr. Figliano will lead a team of professionals and volunteers to Guatemala City, Guatemala from April 7 to 13 to test, fit, and supply hearing aids and batteries to 150 children with severe to profound hearing loss, at a cost of $300 per child.  My hope is that each Club in District 6650 will adopt one or more children and supply them with the gift of hearing! 

Please consider participating as a club and/or as a group of Rotarians. All donations will be used for the hearing benefit of the patients. No money will be used for travel, accommodations, or meals of the professionals or volunteers. 

Make checks payable to The Hearing Missions Foundation and mail them to 126 York Ave., Youngstown, OH 44512. Anyone interested in accompanying the team as a volunteer may contact Dr. Sheryl Figliano (drfigliano@centersforhearingcare.com) or me (RSTIRPAK@NEO.RR.COM) for details.

Rotaryclipse will kick off with a special event Friday, April 5, at Penguin City Brewing Co. At 4 p.m., we will tap the Black Moon IPA that Penguin City has brewed for us and begin sales. Remember, $1 of each Black Moon pour will go to support our fundraiser for STEAM education. We also will preview some of the merchandise to be sold at the main event. Invite friends!

Join us again from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at Penguin City for the full Rotaryclipse experience. It will be a family-friendly event with fun, educational exhibits to include movie props from the science fiction and fantasy museum under development in Warren. Buy your NASA-approved eclipse-viewing glasses and be ready for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

With many new members in the club, it is time for another Fireside Chat. This orientation session will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 21 at Prima Cucina, 103 W. Federal St. New and seasoned members will gather to discuss club history, aspects of membership and getting involved. Please register here. Contact Justin Froelich for information at 330-942-0179 or email him at justin@temaroofingservices.com.

Thousands Of Hummingbirds Are Headed For Ohio During Their Migration This Spring

By April Dray

Is there anything more beautiful than spring in Ohio? Well, yes, actually, yes there is: Hummingbirds in Ohio! Thousands of joyful, colorful hummingbirds, like a miniature feathered rainbow fluttering through the air. Each spring, the hummingbird migration in Ohio will have thousands of these beautiful little birds appear in the skies over the Buckeye State. 

Are you wondering, “When do hummingbirds come back to Ohio?” You can usually start to catch them in late April, during their annual migration. They’ll be easy to spot in quiet yards, especially those armed with hummingbird feeders, all across the country. Read on to find out more about these bejeweled birds.

In February, hummingbirds began migrating from Mexico and Central America to the U.S. and Canada.

Fun fact: There are more than 300 recognized species of hummingbirds, but only about a dozen migrate to the U.S. and Canada.

Ohio hummingbirds are ruby-throated hummingbirds. The males are particularly easy to spot, with their bright red throats that give the species its name. The ruby-throated hummingbirds, in fact, are the only type of hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River.

Male hummingbirds typically arrive about two weeks before the females on the hummingbird migration in Ohio. Males usually arrive in early April. Visit the Hummingbird Central website to stay up to date about their migration patterns and the best time to see hummingbirds in Ohio.

At just under four inches long, the ruby-throated hummingbird is tiny but mighty. In fact, they flap their wings an average of 53 times every second and fly up to 25 miles an hour.

If you'd like to spot some hummingbirds in your yard this year, it's a good idea to put your feeders out a few weeks before their expected arrival. You don't have to purchase anything fancy, just a basic hummingbird feeder like those from an online retailer like Bed, Bath and Beyond will do.

Get your sugar water ready, have your camera on hand, and sit back and wait for the hummingbirds to arrive in Ohio! It will put a big smile on your face, we promise.

And if you’re feeling major spring vibes, be sure to check out this butterfly house in Cleveland — it’s stunning!