Kiwanis again-soon…

I have been looking to rejoin Kiwanis but my part-time job has been getting in the way. The local club here in Franklin meets at noon on Monday. When we come back from Arizona, I will see how it goes and try to attend a meeting. Service clubs have been experiencing a tough time with recruiting members as people find other ways to serve and businesses change how they relate and help communities. Banks provide members for service clubs but banks have been changing and merging so there are not a many employees available for membership. And, I have heard tell there is a banking crisis!!!

Talked to brother Dale about Kiwanis and he is not in a club at the moment either. He is looking to get back in also. Our father was a member for some 45 years or so. All spent in Manson, Iowa. And click, here, for a good history – look at August, 1944 about the Manson Journal. 

My Kiwanis career was spent exclusively in Long Beach. We had a great club. I was privileged to be president in 94-95. It was fun. My being from Iowa was featured from time to time.

At one meeting, I was presented with this T-shirt which was for Iowa’s 150 year celebration. A group of Iowans were meeting at the Queen Mary and then bike riding all the way to Iowa, joining there with RAGBRAI, and then continuing on to the east coast.

Of course, the shirt was immediately followed up with this. Matt Doyle once asked to be fined so I called on him and he reported that he had just taken a train trip across Iowa and wanted to share with the group the reason he enjoyed the trip so much. It was at night and he was able to sleep all the way through it!!! I fined him big!!!

There were lots of Kiwanis activities and chances to “dress up” and do the town.

We had lots of fun and worked very hard. I am looking forward to being involved again. Hopefully, at the local club, they have a “seniors” designation. And, I don’t think being from Iowa will have the same response here as being in Long Beach. Long Beach was known for a time as “Iowa by the Sea!”