OLDIES CONCERT HERALDS NEW STYLE OF ROTARY.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

Local Rotary clubs are supplementing their traditional fund-raising staples of pancake breakfasts and chili cook-offs with a spectacular oldies rock concert tonight that organizers hope will provide scholarships well into the future.

``We're really stepping out,'' said Marc Vertin, district club service director for Rotary District 5240, which encompasses 61 clubs in Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Kern and Inyo counties.

Larger Rotary clubs typically are able to finance their own scholarships, while smaller groups with less money-making potential can apply to the national Rotary for matching funds, Vertin said. If tonight's event is a success, the hope is that a new local Rotary foundation might someday be able to provide scholarship money within the five-county district, he said.

In the future, the district may sponsor some regional concerts or one massive concert at a major auditorium, Vertin said.

``We need to get this first one under our belt,'' he said.

The old image of Rotary is that of a good-ol'-boys club, where fat-cat members pulled out their checkbooks when money is needed, Vertin said. But modern Rotarians are younger, he said. ``They don't have that kind of money.''

Plus, with more and more people vying for limited Rotary funds, Rotary groups needed to find creative ways to raise more money, Vertin said. This greater demand for assistance also means that Rotary clubs must shirk their low-profile, behind-the-scenes traditions and become more visible, he said.

``Rotary is kind of coming out of the closet, in a sense,'' Vertin said.

Vertin expects tonight's concert to come with a price tag of about $30,000. But as of Friday, the event was already in the black, he said.

About 1,000 tickets in the 1,800-seat Charles E. Probst Center for the Performing Arts have been sold, which means the 16 Rotary groups who sponsored the event with cash and volunteer work will get their money back, he said. Profit beyond that goes to the new foundation.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are $25, $35 and $45, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at [phone], or through the Civic Arts Plaza box office at [phone].