The Rotary Club of Easton will officially be 110 years old on April 1, 2025. Our program featured BJ Metz who took us on a whirlwind tour of our Club’s history. The story began at Seip’s Café in December 1914 when a delegation of 9 members of the newly formed Allentown Rotary met with 8 Eastonians to discuss the possibility of forming a new Club. The Club chartered with 33 members and grew to 102 members by the end of the first year. The first President was Wesley Heiberger and meetings were held at the Huntington Hotel.
Other notable meeting locations included Karldon Hotel, Hotel Easton, Sheraton Hotel, Northampton Country Club, and the Pomfret Club. We also took quite a few road trips to local businesses and schools. There was an annual trip to a local farm for many years. Original dues were $16/year and one year quite a fuss was created when the price of lunch increased to $1.00 (up from $.90 cents). The earliest major charitable donation was $31,000 to the Children’s Home of Easton; a donation that would equate to over $500,000 dollars today. The Club sponsored a Golden Age Club for senior citizens in 1951. Membership was around 300 people and 90% were women.
Fundraising often centered around food and we spent many days selling sausage sandwiches, hot dogs, pancakes, and ice cream. The BIG Raffle was our largest fundraiser for many years and we took in $10,000 every year with a reverse raffle. The annual Cabaret Night showcased the variety of talent within our Club. There was an annual golf challenge between Easton and Phillipsburg Rotarians and the winner took home the coveted Golden Bedpan Trophy. Current traditions are highlighted by the Jack Bennett Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament which began in 1997. We support local youth with Student of the Month Awards. Our Teddy Bear Project has become a great favorite and has been going for 23 years. Our $100,000 gift to the Kellyn Foundation has enabled them to bring food to people throughout the Valley. Our crowning achievement is our support of Easton Rotary Field where the kids with special needs play baseball. It has been a great 110 years and we are still going strong.
Click below to download the PowerPoint Presentation
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