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HOME > Civic Groups > Improvement Club > History > 1934 Annual Report
Improvement Club
1934 Annual Report
Annandale Advocate, April, 5, 1934- page 1
Mrs. Elmo Hill Head of Improvement Club
The Improvement club met in regular session Tuesday afternoon. The routine business was transacted and then came election of officers. The candidates were not quite as numerous as for county office and it took several ballots before anyone could be persuaded to take the presidency. Mrs. Jean Hill was prevailed upon and she was elected president with a decidedly large vote; Mrs. Eleanor Ives was elected vice-president; Mrs. Gertrude Sather, secretary; Mrs. Selma Kurz, treasurer; Mrs. Molly Bendix, member of the library board; Mrs. Flora Kurz, librarian.
Miss Eleanor Dougherty and Mrs. Tygeson gave thoughts on
the Northwest Conference held in
The report
follows:
The Annandale Improvement Club was organized in August,
1898, by seventeen
The meetings were then held in the homes of members who offered them for meetings. In the clubs 36 years the club has accomplished a great deal in literary, civic and social ways.
Their first function, held in September, 1898, was the formal opening of the village hall with a reception, and there have been many similar occasions since when the club has taken entire charge of such things. In the early years of the club there were many sociables, entertainments and plays given to increase their treasury, and it is interesting to know what the club has done with its money. In 1899 a piano was purchased and that entailed more expense; for insurance, a piano stool and cover and for tuning. The opening of the library and reading room in October, 1899, cost the club quite a little money before it began to pay. After the reading room opened, the club held their meetings there. The room and library were then in the town hall. When the library was opened there were 317 books in it, by purchases and donation. This number has increased greatly, until the last inventory, in 1930, showed a total of 1578 books, not, of course, including any of the magazines, which the club has subscribed to since.
The club sent copies of the library rules to the summer resorts, and some years opened the library to the public without use of cards for one month and in 1919 they issued free library cards to returned soldiers, for one year.
The improvements which have been made in the town are many, and for brevitys sake, I have listed just the more important of them. There were trees set out in the park several different years, and flower beds put in and tended, and the park has always been kept clean and furnished with plants by the club. They also helped improve the appearance of the cemetery, and helped to keep the weeds out of the streets. They put in the cement steps at the pavilion in 1903 and in 1911 put in the lattice work and the cement walk leading to the pavilion. They have helped maintain the band and various lyceum and lecture courses through the winter months. They have aided in keeping the court room clean, have co-operated with the authorities in enforcing the curfew ordinance and have donated to the American Legion Endowment Fund. They held industrial fairs for three consecutive years beginning in 1906 and held one in the years 1911, and 1912. They put the well in the park in 1908, have looked after cleaning of vacant lots and have held quite a number of flower and peony shows. The club has maintained clinics, had a number of food sales, receptions for faculties and sponsored movies. They have kept the rest room and library nicely furnished, put in the sidewalk from the corner of the block to the building in 1924 at quite an expense and had the grounds graded and improved the following year. And it is very interesting to note that there were discussions regarding the question of federating as early as 1901. That brings us up to the present day and the club is continuing in its good work. May the next thirty six years be as successful.