On Saturday, November 2, 2019, the Massillon Tigers once again won the "turf battle" of the ancient football rivalry between the Bulldogs and Tigers with a score of 24-14. President Mark Rojek will be making a trip to Massillon to present Massillon Rotary with a $500 check, which was once again the annual "wager" on the game between himself and the Massillon Rotary President Keith Nutter during Friday's joint rally meeting. As a side note, the "wager" winnings are donated from the losing team's Rotary Club to the winning team's Rotary Club's charitable/scholarship fund. Our last three Canton Rotary Presidents have had to make the same visit to Massillon that President Mark will make in the next few weeks.
If you were unable to attend Friday's meeting, you missed a stellar performance from the McKinley High School Marching Band! They performed their fight song, McKinley's alma mater and the National Anthem. In all, we had approximately 265 people, including the band members, at the Krassas Event Center to cheer on the teams led by Head Coaches Marcus Wattley (McKinley) and Nate Moore (Massillon).
Todd Porter, from the Canton Repository, was moderator for the meeting. Todd welcomed the many dignitaries from the Cities of Canton and Massillon. Canton Mayor Tom Bernabei caught a "Tiger by the tail" on his way into the meeting. Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry brought along the trophy, which she said would be returning to Massillon after the game. She also had the customary Massillon football jersey for Canton Mayor Bernabei to wear in his office again after Massillon beat McKinley.
Todd then took to the stage to do an interview with guest speakers Kenny Peterson (McKinley alumnus), Andy Alleman (Massillon alumnus) and Shawn Crable (Massillon alumnus). They spoke on what the McKinley/Massillon game meant to them as they grew from high school, college, as NFL players, and beyond.
Thank you to the many volunteers from the Krassas Event Center for the stellar service they provided to our Rotarians and guests! A special thank you goes out to caterer, Ron Darrah, for the amazing meal he prepared. We received numerous compliments on the food and the venue from Massillon Rotarians and other guests!!
President Mark concluded the meeting by asking everyone, "Are you ready for some football?!"
Congratulations to Massillon Football Head coach Nate Moore and his team on their win on Saturday. Also, congratulations to our guest from Massillon Rotary, Linda Litman, who had the winning 50/50 ticket worth $129.00.
Visit cantonrotary.org to view the entire photo album taken by PP Paul White.