The Drayton Kinsmen celebrated the club’s 50th anniversary by hosting a gala on May 17.
The event at the Drayton Mapleton Agricultural Society building brought Kinsmen past and present from Mapleton Township and neighbouring communities together to celebrate the success of the club over the past 50 years.
Master of ceremonies and Drayton Kinsmen life member Wayne Mick noted the Drayton Kinsmen’s 50th year was “quite a milestone” and it was “quite a chore” getting to that point. The club is stronger because of the Kin Kids, who are members along with their parents, he noted.
Greetings and congratulations came from Kinsmen clubs, service clubs and local politicians.
Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll said, “The Drayton Kinsmen are keeping up with the trends and are doing this above par. Congratulations on 50 years.”
Others described the Kinsmen as a group who answered the community’s call, as “the heart of Drayton” and as “an asset to the community.”
Current club president Ray Kuper and the club’s first president Robert McIntee gave a brief presentation on the 50 years of the club. The two focused on the club’s Dutch membership, occupations of the membership and dress codes.
Dress code in 1968 was professional. Today the code is more casual and McIntee quipped most don’t own a tie or know how to tie one as there was “no app for that.”
In true Kinsmen style, the club acknowledged businesses in the community that continually contribute generously to the community. Conestogo Agri owners Rick and Leanna Struyk, Dobben’s Ace Hardware’s Bernie and Irene Dobben and Drayton Freshmart’s Debra Ramage received handcrafted Adirondack chairs from the Kinsmen in appreciation for their dedication to the community.
Tables displaying Drayton Kinsmen memorabilia were on display along with a power point presentation featuring memories of the past 50 years.
