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Show -N E W S- Spanish Fork A10 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007 Covering what matters most Gone fishing Amy Baitm / Spanish Fork News ON THE JOB: Local firefighters work to contain the blaze that burned 175 acres in Spanish Fork Canyon. Thistle Fire contained Steve Hardman EDITOR Local and slate firefighters worked lo contain a wildfire that started on June 24 in Spanish Fork Canyon. The Thistle Fire, one and a half miles above the community of Covered Bridge, burned approximately 175 acres before being contained late Monday. According to Delbert Jay, Utah County Fire Warden, Covered Bridge was not threatened by the fire. A helicopter, two engines and two crews, including Spanish Fork firefighters, battled the blaze that started Sunday afternoon. The cause is still under investigation, but believed to be snooting. According to Jay, over a dozen fires have been suspected or actually started by firearms this year alone. "We can't do anything to prevent lightning-caused fires, but fires caused by people can be prevented, by following the rules and using good judgment." said Mike Melton, a Slate Fire Management Officer in a press release. "These wildfires put people and property at risk. Fires don't respect property lines; fires can impact your neighbors and the community as a whole. People need lo stop and think twice about what they are doing. We live in a fire-prone environment here in Utah." With dry fuel and high temperatures, a spark from any source, according to Melton, can turn it into an event that can have a longlasting effect. "People need to realize that they will be held accountable for their actions, whether an accident or not. Wildland fircfighting is expensive lo the taxpayers." he said. "We are being very aggressive in collecting the cost from people that start fires." l^greatreosonstoswltch REASON fed Miuhelit, Via- PirsnUut/lj^in Officer YOU ALWAYS TALK TO A LIVE PERSON. NOT A MACHINE. None of those annoying, automated voice answering machines for us. Call us, and a real prrMm answers. A nice person, in fact. It':, the way we prefer to do business. You can talk 10 a computer-automated voice here if you want. You just have to ask a real person first-This neighborly service is available to you at our Spanish Furk branch, as well as our 10 other branches. Another good reason to switch to Bank of American Fork, www.bankaf.com - 1-800-815-BANK Bank of American Fork - BIG CITY BANKING - SMALL TOWN SERVICE" 625 North Main, Spanish Fork (801) 794-3500 S.ilt LiluMtmiilv Muiuv • Sjndy - DM|H<I • Rivciimi U1.1I1 founiy; Alpine • llii-hl.ind • (.eh! • American Foik • Ple.ivint Gmvo • Oicnj/Prnvii - Spanish folk Steve Hardman / Spanish Fork News CATCH OF THE DAY: Devin Butler, eight, holds his catch at the Spanish Fork Reservoir. Devin, the son of Jana and Dan Butler, was fishing with his grandpa and uncle. International: From ROTARY • A l on a demonstration for their entertainment. Rotarian Bill Summers of Maceys catered the dinner. Payne said Lucille Taylor made 150 neckerchiefs to distribute to the visitors. The international visitors also received an official 2002 Olympic pin as a souvenir. The local Rotarians brought their children and grandchildren to the event, and Payne said that it was a neat experience to be able to share the special evening with her family. Lana Dahl of Triple T Heating and Plumbing has been involved with the Rotary Club for a year and a half. She said she was very impressed with how friendly the international people that came to Spanish Fork were. "My son went to Brazil on his mission, and when two people stood up from Brazil, he walked over and spoke with them for about 15 minutes in Portuguese," she said. Dahl said that the Rotary Club is entirely a service organization. "That's what the people who are involved are all about," she said. "You can tell just by speaking to them that that's their end goal.'1 Dahl said that two or three of the visiting Rotarians came up to her and told her that they loved their experience in Spanish Fork. "They said thank you, this is the neatest thing, and they loved the feel of the town." Payne said that many people also stopped her throughout the course of the evening and thanked her for the experience. "They were only here for two hours, but some of them stopped me three times each and shook my hand and thanked me, saying how they really enjoyed getting to know the Spanish Fork area and some of the people here," she said. The international convention was supposed to be held in New Orleans this year, but difficulties following hurricane Katrina made it difficult for New Orleans to host such a huge event, so the Rotarian board made the decision to come to Salt Lake instead. One of the visitors from Vancouver, Canada, Ajit Thandi. has been involved with the Rotary for three years. He said he was interested to visit Salt Lake City after hearing about it in the 2002 Olympics. "I wasn't expecting [the convention] to be so big," he said. "There were 15,000 people from 140 countries." Thandi's wife, Menjit, said that the people in Spanish Fork were very hospitable. "They made us feel welcome, especially when we split into smaller groups like this. It is a better opportunity to interact and learn from each other." Worldwide, the Rotary has 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries, totaling 1.2 million members. It was the first established service organization, and is currently the largest. The purpose of the Rotary is to "bring together business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world." The Spanish Fork branch has been in existence for over 20 years, and throughout, they have worked to better the community. Among other things, they raised money and built the snack shack and rcstrooms at the high school. They implemented the annual Rotary/Chamber of Commerce golf tournament, through which they have raised over $100,000 in scholarships for local students. Payne said this year alone the Rotary Club gave out close to $20,000 in scholarships. "We've also brought in an old iron lung machine to raise money for worldwide polio vaccination, which is a big push with Rotarians worldwide," Payne said. Tracy Frandsen, who is a physician at the Spanish Fork Clinic, also made a trip to Russia a few years ago where he was able to do some medical training to hospitals there. The Spanish Fork Rotarians, in conjunction with local businesses, have also distributed almost 2,000 dictionaries to third grade students in Spanish Fork, Salem and Payson schools. "We're always working on something," Payne said. •* I 'm |