Rotarians hold belated centennial celebration

WASHINGTON — Members of the Washington Rotary Club celebrated their centennial anniversary two-and-a-half years behind schedule last week, with an Alive After Five and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The club was chartered Nov. 1, 1920, but canceled the observance in 2020 as COVID-19 numbers climbed and public gatherings were discouraged, according to Club President Becky Patterson. Not wanting to throw a party with nothing new to celebrate, the club waited until the completion of a pavilion in the Wellness Park, which its members and partners spearheaded.

That festivity, too, was delayed by weather, after the finished space was turned over to the city Nov. 7, 2022. Patterson said the ribbon cutting on May 4 marked the occasion under warmer temperatures.

“It was very nice, and a beautiful day, (and) it’s a nice pavilion, with tables and everything,” she said. “Every time a rotary club reaches 100 … we want to do something for the city, something special.”

Patterson said she was proud of the club’s history.

“We’re a good club, we do a lot of service projects in the city and we don’t really talk about it a lot,” she said. “And we have good members. I don’t know how to even describe our club.”

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