CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A Cleveland Ruritan Club that raised $25,000 for a school gymnasium and helped re-establish the Bradley County Fair has lost more than half its membership.
But club members in surrounding areas say the Taylors Ruritan Club is too important to allow it to fade out, and they hope to restore it.
“Some of the youthful people got old and they failed to recruit younger people,” said W.W. Johnson, district growth and development chairman of the Ruritan Cherokee district, which includes Taylors Ruritan Club.
TAYLORS TIMELINE1958: Taylor Ruritan Club established and named for Taylor Elementary School. Club agrees to help students from that school when they go to college.1970: Taylors Ruritan Club has an average of 40 members1973: Club pays $25,000 to help provide a school gymEarly 1990s: Club buys land on Old Kinser Road for a clubhouse2007: Club’s lawn equipment is stolen but payments must continue on uninsured property2008: Ruritan Club starts youth chapters in several Cleveland middle schoolsIF YOU GOWhat: Ruritan Club Mow DownWhen: 5 p.m. June 26Where: 221 Old Kinser RoadAdmission: $5 adults, $3 children ages 6-10, free for children 5 and younger
Mr. Johnson is among several Ruritan members assisting the group with fundraising activities and club maintenance to restore its membership.
To help raise funds for the Taylors club, a Mow Down is set for June 26 at clubhouse on Old Kinser Road. Instead of racing cars, participants will run in souped-up lawn mowers. The event is sponsored by the East Tennessee Lawn Mower Racing Association.
On Aug. 27-28, the club will host its 29th annual Taylors Ruritan Rodeo.
Both events help pay for the club’s insurance and support projects such as making holiday baskets and providing scholarships to high school seniors.
Hannah Trotter said that, without the $530 scholarship the organization gave her this month, she would probably have to get another job to purchase her books for college.
“Some groups need to survive,” said the 18-year-old. “This is one of them.”
At its peak in the 1970s, the club had an average of more than 40 members. Since the mid-1990s, that has fallen to about 15, Mr. Johnson said.
Taylors Ruritan President Elizabeth Kalabus said she joined the club in 2003 because she wanted to help others and provide family entertainment for the community.
“With the economic situation the way that it is, community events are going to be important again,” Mrs. Kalabus said. “And it’s good for teenagers to get involved and want to do stuff for others, even if it’s just cutting the grass.”