Service club says farewell after 63 years

Thursdays were Kiwanis Days in Powell.

Since 1953, the Thursday luncheon meeting was carved in stone for Kiwanians. Perfect attendance was a badge of honor and the meetings a bridge to dedicated community service.

But there’s an opening on the calendar today (Thursday) and beyond for Powell Kiwanians. They were together for their last official meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22.

As with many other service organizations, membership has dwindled in recent years. Kiwanis has 27 members on the rolls, but many can no longer commit the time. At their final meeting, Kiwanians around the table numbered 10.

Farewell banquet

The Kiwanis Club planned to lower the flag a final time at a Wednesday farewell banquet, looking back on 63 years of activities in Powell.

“Kiwanis has been a wonderful experience for all of us who have been privileged to serve Powell,” said Susan Richards, club president. “We have provided labor and money to do so many projects over the years. Our emphasis is to support children in any way we can; that’s what drew many of us to the organization in the first place. Helping children in our community and getting to hang out with so many generous fellow Kiwanians, I will miss that.”

Kiwanis will wrap up a few projects on the way out the door. The club has one final highway clean-up day on the Willwood this Thursday. Kiwanis has been reading for years in Grades K through 4 at all four elementary schools (including Clark), and that reading program continues through the end of the month.

Richards said Kiwanis still has some money in its treasury and will continue to fund some youth projects as long as the money lasts.

A Kiwanian 65 years

Ken Witzeling is the longest tenured Kiwanian in Powell with 65 years of membership. He joined Kiwanis in 1951 in Worland and has been a member of the Powell club since coming to the community 50 years ago.

The names of other longtime Powell Kiwanians, many with 40 years and more of membership, rolled off his lips: Bob Gallagher, Ron Ohman, Ron Blevins, Phil Flom, Billy Greaham. Women were accepted into the formerly all-male club sometime in the mid-1980s, with Lynne Whitmore the first in Powell. She later served as Kiwanis president.

Witzeling also clicked off the names of former Kiwanians, now deceased, who helped build the club through the years. Among others, they included Bob Kolb, Mark Grosinger, Bob Bishopp, Ken Vontz, Whitey Linstrom, Dick Kragler, Ike Day, Vince Christie, Don Stolts and Bob Fordham.

A couple’s energy

Rex Myers and Susan Richards came to Powell in 2005. He is an NWC faculty member; she is director of the NWC Library. He has been a Kiwanian since 1972, and she has been a member since 1999. They joined the Powell club right away when they moved here.

“They have been stalwarts for us,” said Witzeling. “We were about to give up when they came to town. They really infused the club. Rex and Susan have more than done their share to keep us going.”

Both Witzeling and Myers have served Kiwanis beyond Powell as Lieutenant Governors, helping clubs around the Rocky Mountain Region.

For Witzeling, calling it quits in Powell is a sad day. But he is also proud of the legacy that Kiwanis leaves behind.

The highlight in Witzeling’s mind is the Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow event, showcasing the talent of area young people.

“Stars of Tomorrow was really big for years and years,” he said. “It was a lot of work, but we had tremendous turnout of young people from the area.”

Focus on youth

Youth activities were a focus for Kiwanis. The club sponsored baseball teams, soccer teams and swim clubs — even marble tournaments for kids. Each year at Kids’ Day at the Park County Fair, Kiwanis sponsored races and contests with prizes for kids.

“When the old swimming pool was in the natatorium, we made up vegetable cups and sold them at swim meets because they wanted something healthy,” remembered Phil Flom.

“We contributed to handicap hunters so they could continue to hunt,” Witzeling said. “Anything for kids.”

“I would hope Powell misses us,” he added.

Ron Blevins noted that for many years, Kiwanis brought in guest speakers and hosted a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast for young people. The club also sponsored an annual golf tournament.

Kiwanians in clown suits

Youth activities were prominent for Kiwanis, but their identity in the community was also shaped in clown suits.

For many years, the club’s major fund-raising project was the Kiwanis Apple Sale, with Kiwanians going door to door to sell boxes of apples in clown suits. The image gave Kiwanis high profile recognition.

“We had a lot of people, particularly older people, who said they couldn’t use a big box of apples, so they’d just give us $10 or some other donation to use for club projects. It was well supported,” Witzeling said.

The identification of Kiwanians in clown suits went further. For years, Kiwanis featured its “clown patrol,” participating in parades in Powell and Cody. Dick Kragler was hands down “the biggest clown,” Blevins laughed.

And then there was the ongoing, playful rivalry with the Powell Rotary Club. The friendly competition reached a high point one year after Rotary won sweepstakes honors in the Park County Fair parade with a tall dragon fashioned out of chicken wire and napkins in the image of a purple people eater. Bob Bishopp led a Kiwanis heist of the float from where it was on overnight public display.

The next morning there were painted purple footprints on the streets of town, but no purple people eater. Days later, hints were dropped that the dragon was “hiding” in a storage building.