DRAYTON – The Drayton Rotary club is celebrating its 75th anniversary on July 16 – and members have a few activities planned to mark the occasion.
“It’s a pretty big event for us,” said club president Bob Bignell.
Park unveiling
The day’s celebrations will start at 2pm, with the club unveiling Rotary Park. For over a year club members have been raising money, in conjunction with Mapleton Township, in order to build this outdoor space.
“It’s probably our biggest project we’ve ever done,” said Bignell.
The township has provided funding and is overseeing the project as the Rotary Club fundraisers to repay the municipality.
The total cost for the park is estimated to be about $200,000. So far the club has raised $140,000, primarily through sponsor donations.
The company that made the park structure, Earthscape Landscape Design and Build, has given $50,000 in kind to the project.
Events
Following the park unveiling, festivities will move to the PMD Arena at 3pm.
There will be plenty to do, with the event featuring a food truck, bouncy castle, and a hot dog eating contest, to name a just a few of the planned activities.
There will also be an archive display, showcasing past club members and history.
Club member and event coordinator Lori Spaling said she hopes some of the demonstrations might inspire community members to get involved with the rotary.
“It’s such a community-oriented group,” said Spaling.
She added she feels grateful to live in a community with so many active clubs, noting, “For our area, we’re pretty lucky.”
The club is also capitalizing on its 75th anniversary to honour past and present members, with a rotary dinner at 6pm.
At 8pm, the event will shift to dancing in the arena parking lot.
Spaling explained the celebration planning committee is a mixed group of about six people, including club and community members and township volunteers.
