By Jean Schlegel
Valley City Times-Record

Enjoy a delightful sampling of wines (and beer), and support the Valley City Rotary Club in its mission of service.
The third annual Wine Tasting Social is Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Barnes County Historical Museum.
Valley City Rotary President Dawn Mathias said they hope to raise between $2,000 and $2,500. Tickets for the social are $15 per person. In addition to the wine sampling, something new this year is beer sampling. Snacks of crackers, cheese and fruits from local retailers are also served. Instructions are provided on how to look at, taste and smell wines just like the pros do, starting with different kinds of wines.
Mathias said proceeds from the benefit are earmarked to support several recipients, including the Barnes County Museum, Valley City Parks & Rec's Ruckus at the Rec, Boy Scouts, and VCSU's V-500 scholarship program.  
In addition, some of the proceeds from the Wine Tasting Social will also go to a new project the Rotary Club has this year. It is called the Dictionary Project.
"The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary," Mathias explained.
The dictionaries will be a gift to each third-grade student attending Barnes County schools to use at school and at home for years to come.  Dictionaries are to be given to third-graders in these schools: Jefferson and St. Catherine schools in Valley City; Litchville; Barnes County North at North Central and Wimbledon-Courtenay-Spiritwood; and Maple Valley at Oriska and Buffalo.
Mathias said she has already had response from several of the teachers in these schools, who are happy the Rotary Club has chosen to be a part of the Dictionary Project. Because the dictionaries will stay with the students, not with the classroom, Rotary hopes to raise enough funds each year to repeat the dictionary giveaway on an annual basis.
"Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn," Mathias said.
The teachers believe a dictionary is perhaps the first and most powerful reference tool a child should own. "Its usefulness goes beyond the spellings, pronunciations, and definitions it lists. It is a companion for solving problems that arise as a child develops his or her reading, writing and creative thinking abilities," she added.
The dictionaries Rotary will give the children also includes charts, facts, weights and measures, and other information.
Anyone wishing to help with this fundraiser for community organizations, the local museum and the Dictionary Project, may buy tickets from Rotary members or at MarketPlace Liquors and Dakota Silver (who are also helping the Rotarians with this project).