Knox Ruritan Club celebrated its 50th birthday at a meeting in June during which the club celebrated recent graduates and highlighted big moments in the group’s history.
Two charter members – Terry Blickensderfer and Lee Johnson – were on hand for the event at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Georgetown, along with Ohio District Gov. Dave Wingett, who presented a certificate from the national club.
Awarded scholarships were Nate Legros, a graduate of West Branch High School who will attend technical school to become an electrical technician, and Kaitlyn Bondoni, who is majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Mount Union.
Blickensderfer spoke about the club’s early days and its activities.
“In checking the June 1974 charter membership, we have lost 28 of 34 members to date,” he said. “The charter comprised of one businessman, one milk hauler and the rest farmers.”
Blickensderfer’s first note was about the move in to develop a baseball field, when club member and local butcher Jeff Rose offered one. In 1996, a new location had to be found, and the late Clayton Conrad, a member of Bethel Church, asked if the club could lease a part of the grounds owned by the church to make it into sports fields.
“It has been said that some 400 to 450 kids play every year,” said Blickensderfer.
Several scrapbooks were on display showing various club projects, including helping place flags on graves for Memorial Day, Adopt-A-Highway, along with five other Ruritan Clubs in Zone 6, the donation of reading books to all West Branch third graders, providing financial assistance to Bethel Church for the food pantry, Boys State and offer financial assistance to Homeworth and North Georgetown fire departments.
“We have received many awards for community service,” said Blickensderfer. “The last five years we have received the Ruritan Blue Ribbon Award a long with president and secretary awards.”
Fundraisers include pedal tractor pulls, dunk tanks and the sale of spaghetti sauce made by the Albrecht Family. The club sells a community calendar with names of family members and friends’ birthdays and anniversaries.
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