Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott Kiwanis celebrates 60 years

The Prescott Kiwanis Club has been involved in the community for 60 years, and theyre celebrating that fact with a coffee planned for July 28 at 9:30 a.m. The coffee will be held at the Prescott-Nevada County Library, and members of the Kiwanis will be on hand to greet guests.

Kiwanis, one of several service clubs active in the Prescott area, may be best known for their pancakes. Though the famous Kiwanis pancake breakfasts and suppers are very popular, theres more to this organization.

According to a historical account written by member and local historian John Teeter, the club was chartered on June 13, 1946, with 45 members. Teeter indicates that he didnt join with the club until 1959, but that he did observe some of the clubs early projects. The club raised $10,000 for the Nevada County Recreation Association - a project Teeter indicates had community support. Playground equipment, renovations to the building then being used as the library and organization of a Little League program were among the projects spearheaded and supported by those early Kiwanis members.

A womanless wedding was apparently one of the clubs earliest fund raisers. Teeter indicates that the Kiwanis Club put on a number of very funny shows over the years, and that the performers sometimes took that show to Hope as a fund raiser for the Hope club.

The local members were also actively working to form other clubs. According to Teeters notes, Our club made many trips getting these clubs started. Mark Justiss was new club chairman. Vuel Chamberlain refused to accompany Mark on these trips because Marks car never contained enough gas to complete the trip!

Teeter writes that the annual Kiwanis Honor Banquet was by far the greatest and best project we have developed. The program begin in 1972 and the club members still recognize outstanding students in the community each fall.

Kiwanis member Howard Austin spoke for the group regarding the more recent activities and projects. He listed the honors banquet as one of the most important aspects of Kiwanis. Little League teams are still sponsored by this group. Members participate in the Adopt-a-Highway litter program and pick up trash along the Ron Harris Road.

The Kiwanis Club members also read to kindergarten students each year. According to Austin, the members take turns reading to local kindergarten students. Naturally, the purpose is to promote reading for the children, but theres another goal.

Before you know it, youve got a class of kids every year that knows you, Austin said.

He said some of those students go on to participate in the Key Club, a high school service club sponsored by Kiwanis.

The Prescott Kiwanis Club meets on Wednesdays at the Broadway Hotel in Prescott. For more information about Kiwanis, contact current Kiwanis President Booie William at 887-1012 or any Kiwanis member.