The Annandale Improvement Club is almost as old as Annandale itself. Formed in 1898,
just 10 years after the city's beginning, the still-strong group is entering its hundredth year.

Annandale is accustomed to the club going all out for the good of the community, and the
kickoff to its centennial is no exception. A salad luncheon and silent auction will be held on
Thursday, May 7, at St. Ignatius Church in Annandale.

Members, with the help of friends and local businesses, have gathered 77 items - the
likes of sporting event tickets, weekend get-aways, pontoon rides, a hand-embroidered
quilt, Beanie Babies, golf packages, a jacuzzi tub, a variety of gift certificates and so much
more; to be auctioned off.

Bidding will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to
1:30 p.m.

In keeping with tradition, the funds raised will help refurbish the Annandale Public Library.

A bit of history

Back in 1898, 17 women first met with the mutual goal to improve the city in order to
benefit citizens. Though they soon adopted a library as their pet project, they were
committed, and still are, to improving a variety of community ventures as long as it benefits
Annandale's citizens.

The club's first project, nearly a hundred years ago, was the purchase of a piano for the
town hall. By doing whatever they could to raise money, the women were determined to
make a difference.

Within the year, plans were being made to form a library. Before the club's second
anniversary, a "reading room" was opened and, little at a time, the reading room grew into
the library Annandale knows today just off Main Street on Cedar Street West.

The building the library is currently housed in was, at one time, the Lee District School and
was situated across Pleasant Lake from the heart of Annandale. After being moved across
the frozen lake during the winter of 1912 to its present location, it was used as the city hall
and jail, apartments and some school programs.

In about the mid-20s, a portion of the first floor was set aside for the library. The
Improvement Club provided books, shelves, furniture, carpeting, a phone and even small
compensation for staffing when volunteers weren't available.

The club remained the library's main financial supporter until it became part of the Great
River Regional System in the early 70s. Though the change lightened the load somewhat, that
doesn't mean the club is lax; not in the least. In fact, they are stronger than ever, holding
at between 50 and 70 members for many years now.

While Great River has taken over buying most of the books for the library and the librarian's
wages, the city and the Improvement Club have been picking up building operating and
improvement costs.

"Without the Improvement Club, we wouldn't be here," said Sandy Otto, who has been the
Annandale branch librarian for 22 years. "If a library doesn't have a good "friends" group or
an "improvement" club, that's where a lot of cities run into trouble."

Fund-raising made fun

Fund-raising activities have varied over the years. Members have sold everything from
handmade aprons and cookbooks to Christmas wreaths in order to keep helping the library
and other worthy community causes.

A favorite activity of the past was flower sales. For many years, Saturday mornings on Main
Street meant baskets of freshly-cut locally-provided flowers; literally "local."

"Friday nights we'd put buckets of water in the cars and see how many flowers the
neighbors would let us have," said Mildred Shadduck, who has been a member for almost
50 years. Then, early Saturday morning, members would make baskets and bouquets to
sell.

Members agree that town's people were very generous with the flowers from their gardens.
"I think some of those people actually planted flowers so that we could have them,"
Shadduck said.

A bridal show in 1958, where members modeled old wedding gowns, was a popular event,
as well as "Women Through the Ages" in 1994, when a whole Saturday was filled with
informative, entertaining and enlightening activities, including then-State Sen. Joanne Benson
as keynote speaker.

Salad luncheons were also held in the past, but this year's event is the first in some years.
Former President Ruth Homuth, who has also been a member for nearly 50 years,
explained that the luncheons and some of the other fund-raisers, were getting to be a bit
strenuous for many of the older members.

"And three-fourths of them go south for the winter," she said. "If this club is going to
continue for another hundred years, we have to get more members." Her goal, as president
was to find activities that made the club interesting for younger people; thus, the
"Women Through the Ages" program; and then others.

The plan worked. "Young people are finally coming in and they're taking over and that's
good," Shadduck said.

Current President Elaine Gephart agrees. "We need new blood," she said. "It's nice. I think
the older people enjoy it and it gives us new resources and new ideas."

One of those "new ideas" is the silent auction. "This is going to be really big," Shadduck
said.

Funds raised from the salad luncheon and silent auction will be used to paint the entire inside
of the library.

Keeping up with trends

During its hundred years of existence, the club pays attention to trends and makes sure
changing needs of the library's users are met.

Just last fall, it provided the funds to equip the library with public internet access. Word is
getting out about the timely addition and people are taking advantage of the system.

User numbers are steadily going up, Otto said. last month 90 used it for research, browsing
or to access E-mail, up from 60 the month before.

More than the library

In between library improvement projects, club members find plenty of ways to better the
community with their efforts and financial donations.

Thanks to the Improvement Club, Annandale's main street receives special decorative
attention in the fall and at Christmas, beautification projects have provided flower beds in
various public areas, the "boys in the service" during World War II had books to read, trees
planted in the city park decades ago now provide shade on a hot summer day, an outdoor
PA system makes it easy to announce Heart of the Lake Triathlon winners, area youth have
received a financial boost here and there; and much, much more.

Why join?

Since its beginning, women have joined the Annandale Improvement Club for a variety of
reasons.

"For many I think it started out as kind of a camaraderie thing," Gephart said, "and then they
were interested in the library and that became important."

Gephart has never tired of the programs and guest speakers that have always been a part of
the club's activities. She remembers when her husband belonged to a club in another city
that didn't allow women to join. "They had great programs," she said. "I was always miffed
about that."

Then they moved to Annandale. "I was looking for something where there were programs
and that's what attracted me to the Improvement Club."

An endless variety of program topics ranging from health and nutrition to alcoholism and
abuse and more are still the norm. Experts are often brought in to speak on timely issues.
For instance, after the installation of the internet terminal, a representative from Lakedale
Telephone Company, the area's internet server, attended one of the club's monthly meetings
and offered suggestions for using the internet.

Now, in addition to great programs, the members themselves help keep Gephart and others
in the club. She believes, too, that women within the group itself have something to offer and
is thrilled when a member is enlisted as a speaker.

"And being a part of the projects is a way of giving back to the community," she said.

Homuth attended her first meeting in 1950. "Molly Bendix came up and visited me in our
apartment and invited me to the Improvement Club," she said.

"They asked me to do a book report and then there was the library, which benefits the kids,
and a variety of programs...." Homuth kept going. "It's a learning experience," she said.

Shadduck moved to Annandale in 1952. "I started hearing what the women were doing and
liked that," she said, "and I thought it would be a good place to meet people."

She began going to meetings and participating in the programs and fund-raising activities,
including a stint as president; and she's still going. "It's been a good way for people
around the lakes to meet each other," she said.

The beginnings of such commitments to the community is not much different with the newer
members.

Kathy Wenngatz joined the club just three years ago and is its current treasurer. "I joined
because a friend of mine joined," she said, "and she encouraged me to come."

Now Wenngatz is committed to its mission and has also made friends within the club. "I've
met new people, including older people, and that's nice. I enjoy their wisdom and they're
fun."

Come to the auction

Members realize that job and family commitments sometime make it impossible to fit in
Improvement Club activities as a member.

However, everyone is invited to support the library by making a donation or by coming to
the salad luncheon and silent auction and, according to Gephart, "find a little bit of fun in the
middle of the afternoon."

Tickets are available for $5 at the Annandale Library, Joan's Hallmark, Kaz Hardware and
at the door, the day of the luncheon.