It’s a new Rotary year and a new Fine Master, George Fasching, took over. It’s been 11 years since George was in charge of recognitions, so look out, Arcadia Rotary!

Chris Haddow was first up on George’s list. With no vacations lately or planned and everything going well at the bank, what could it be? Chris is this year’s Social Chair and also on the Food Service committee. George proposed an addition to Rotary’s 4-Way Test, a Fifth test: Will it build strong bones eating chicken forty Fridays a year? Chris’ reply raised his fine from $35 to $70.

President-Elect Mike Hoey has been in the optometry business for 30 years, 13 of those years in Arcadia. As one of Mike’s patients, George received a letter last month noting that his last appointment had been in 2002 … oops! The letter continued to state, “At this time in your life, as with other things, expect your vision to go down.” Unable to explain what else might be going down or to justify the letter’s use of the word “spectacles,” which George maintains he hasn’t heard since his grandparents were alive, Mike was fined $40.

Finally it was Andy Bundesmann’s turn. Also with no vacation planned, just lots of work, Andy is the Administrator of a veterinarian hospital. Per George, she “runs the joint.” She agreed with George that pets cannot talk but he apparently found some of her patients whose faces he was able to read. A sweet-faced dog reported that Andy had taken him to the Derby where he enjoyed drinking beer out of a dish on the floor, while an unhappy cat maintained that Andy promised it wouldn’t hurt but she lied. Andy was fined $50 for being unable to dispute George’s translations.