As a result of a family tragedy, Steven Fine began the Melanoma Education Foundation https://skincheck.org/ to highten awareness of how to prevent a deadly skin cancer from occurring. Rotarians who heard Steve's presentation today paid rapt attention to Steve's message - informative and scary at the same time. To hear what Steve had to say, please click https://iplayerhd.com/player/video/823c7839-9b68-4d2c-8a83-d124f097e3b4/share This link will take you to a video focusing on middle-school children https://iplayerhd.com/player/video/1b559154-5c9c-4a6e-89a7-b08e54ba34eb/share Melanoma is a common and serious skin cancer which, if not addressed early on, can spread internally and can turn fatal. Please watch the videos - then take a few minutes to perform a simple self-test. This could, literally, save your life.
We've inducted another new member to our club. Welcome to Krista Berger, Director of Elder Care & Volunteer Services at Mercy Care for the Adirondacks. Krista tells us she's joined Rotary as she loves to support her community and Rotary is one way to do that. Being interested in community service, she'll be right at home on our community service committee. Krista is quite familiar with the needs of our area residents, having worked for over 20 years for our county's Department of Health, in particular the WIC program. Krista is flanked by John Huttlinger and her sponsor, Mary Liz Alexander. Krista had been to several of our meetings prior to her induction and we look forward to her regular presence at our meetings. Welcome Krista!
Ben kicked off his new member talk by sharing a bit about his roots and hobbies. The youngest of four siblings, he grew up in Gloversville, New York, historically known as the glove-making capital of the country. Outside work, he’s an avid hockey fan, comic book reader, and proud rescuer of two cats, Jonathan and Scotty. A neighbor inspired Ben to pursue audiology, leading him to earn degrees from Herkimer County Community College, SUNY Fredonia, and Illinois State University. From there, he gave the room an insightful, practical look at how hearing works. Ben holds a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D) degree. He explained that our ears collect sound vibrations, but it’s our brain that has to process and decode them. Ben stressed that simply hearing is passive, whereas understanding takes active effort—especially in noisy rooms. With common high-frequency hearing loss, vowel sounds stay loud, but consonant sounds like s, f, and th drop out, making voices sound muffled or mumbled.
While hearing aids amplify sound and use tech like AI to manage background noise, Ben noted they aren’t an overnight cure-all and can’t replace active listening. He wrapped up with a few great everyday communication tips: face the person speaking, cut down background noise, speak clearly, and rephrase your sentence instead of repeating the same missed words.
Meet one of our newest Rotarians, Dr. Jeffrey Arliss! At today’s meeting, Dr. Arliss delivered an "About Me" vocational talk, giving members an inside look at his life and distinguished career as a retired hand and orthopedic surgeon.
Growing up in Locust, NJ, as one of six children, Jeff spent his youth playing pond hockey and navigating high school during the baby boomer boom. After studying biology at the University of Vermont, he pursued medicine in New York City, completing rigorous training at Columbia and Bellevue. Over decades of practice in NYC, Kingston, and New Paltz, he specialized in intricate hand procedures—from microvascular repairs and complex fracture fixations to delicate frostbite care.
Jeff shared personal memories, clinical insights on bone healing and arthritis, and candid reflections on the high-pressure world of surgical residency. Now retired and enjoying life in the Adirondacks, Jeff is passionate about hands-on community service, admitting to having a sharp eye for roadside litter pick-up.
Over 100 players harnessed brain energy to come up with the answers in our Fall Trivia Night Event at the Lake Placid Olympic Conference Center. As always, funds raised this evening go to benefit all-important literacy projects in our area. And it was a good night raising almost $3,000 -- money that will be put to good use over the coming weeks. Before the Milwaukee Brewers became the Milwaukee Brewers, they were? The Seattle Pilots. MC for the evening was Rotary's CJ Dates ably assisted by Carolyn Bordonaro for the visuals and a skillful team of question creators/judges. Our next Trivia Night will be towards the Spring - hope to see you there.
It's the 2026 Howl-O-Ween 5K Fun Run! 55 entrants came out on a brisk Lake Placid morning to support the (now open!) Rotary Bark Park. See the two-legged and four-legged runners line up, make the first turn into Peacock Park, sprint by the Post Office and head for the finish line. Followed by a costume contest with prizes from Lake Placid's Man and Beast. So many great pictures. Find them at Rotary's photo site here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2WWmqSFY6mHvAJEE7 Thanks to all who participated. What fun!
The Lake Placid Rotary Bark Park is a reality! Ahead of a formal opening in the Spring, the park is now available for your fur babies to play and socialize. We thank Man & Beast and Origin Coffee for providing treats for dogs and their humans. Over the winter we'll plan out amenities such as benches (courtesy of The Devlin), agility objects for your dog to play with plus shaded spaces all in a safe, gated location at the North Elba Athletic Fields. Spectacular vistas are included. Our club thanks Town Supervisor Rick Preston, Highway Superintendent Ken Porter for their invaluable help with this project.
Susan and Alec Friedmann told us about their unforgettable week in Iceland with their grandson. From their base in Borgarnes, the family rode uniquely gaited Icelandic horses across wide-open landscapes. A stroll through a quirky troll park, meeting the locals, and enjoying geothermally heated town swimming pools were just some of the activities. They also experienced venturing deep into lava tubes and exploring Iceland's second-largest glacier by walking in man-made ice tunnels. Of course there were lots of waterfalls and erupting geysers. Dramatic memories made for unique family memories. If you have a travel bucket list, Iceland is a place that should be on it.
