The year was1976 – the minimum wage was $2.30/hour, Jimmy Carter was in the White House, a gallon of gasoline cost 59 cents and “Happy Days” was the top-rated TV show. Oh, and the Kiwanis Club of West Racine was formed and officially recognized on November 11, 1976.
Our club’s sponsors – the Kiwanis Club of Racine and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Racine – supplied the much-needed support to get us going. Our first club officers were President Bob Zach and Vice President Glenn Kirchner.
Breakfast meetings were held at the Golden Lantern Restaurant on Washington Avenue with 23-25 members. We never knew what area would be set up for the meeting. Sometimes we were in the bar area, sometimes upstairs. Cost for the meal varied from week to week, causing major problems for the treasurer. Dues often didn’t cover expenses; it took a lot of creative bookkeeping to keep the club afloat. At times it was necessary for members to prepay their dues so that expenses could be met.
Early fundraisers included selling cheese crocks, City of Racine Sesquicentennial (1884-1984) plates, a Racine Signage Plaque, and catering for groups such as Racine physicians, S.C. Johnson executives, and Downtown Days on Sixth Street, where we served Buffalo burgers prepared on our charcoal cookers. A long-time annual fundraiser was catering the Case company picnic at the Racine County Fairgrounds.
The club finally moved from the Green Lantern to the Hatch Way Restaurant, which was located at Washington Avenue and Emmertsen Road. We met there until the IRS closed its doors. Fortunately, we found Obie’s Restaurant on Lathrop Avenue that served as the site for our breakfast meetings for several years until the owners retired and closed the business. We then moved to the YMCA for a short period and then to Dania Hall on State Street. Finally, at a chance meeting with the public relations manager at St. Mary’s Hospital (now Ascension All Saints), we learned that the hospital was looking for local service clubs to use some of the available space for meetings. Our weekly breakfast meetings were held at the hospital’s Spring Street campus from September 1985 until the COVID-19 global pandemic began in March 2020.
The pandemic forced our club members to get creative – and fast! Not wanting to give up the connection of weekly meetings, we first met via Zoom. Then, as guidelines for safe distancing became available, we met in-person in a large room at Roma Lodge and some members chose to join us via Zoom. A few months later, we moved to a new space at The Main Project Café on State Street. In the fall of 2022, we moved again to our present meeting location – the spacious basement of Living Faith Lutheran Church in West Racine.
Our club celebrated its 45th anniversary on Nov, 11, 2021 (Veterans Day) with a special dinner meeting and program that included patriotic music, a flag-folding demonstration by a color guard and photo boards filled with memories.
Home of some firsts. In 1989, Susan Boles became the club’s first female member. Cheri Esch Franch became the club’s first female president (2005-2006). Barbara Walker, in 2006, was the club’s first female member to receive the Kiwanis Hixson Fellowship Award.
Lieutenant governors serving Division 1. Our club is proud to boast of seven lieutenant governors in its history: Bob Witteman, Chuck Bruhn, Mike Wagner, Cheri Esch Franch, Reed Sampson, Melissa Loebach and Paul Holley.
Club history
Serving Since 1976
The year was1976 – the minimum wage was $2.30/hour, Jimmy Carter was in the White House, a gallon of gasoline cost 59 cents and “Happy Days” was the top-rated TV show. Oh, and the Kiwanis Club of West Racine was formed and officially recognized on November 11, 1976.
Our club’s sponsors – the Kiwanis Club of Racine and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Racine – supplied the much-needed support to get us going. Our first club officers were President Bob Zach and Vice President Glenn Kirchner.
Breakfast meetings were held at the Golden Lantern Restaurant on Washington Avenue with 23-25 members. We never knew what area would be set up for the meeting. Sometimes we were in the bar area, sometimes upstairs. Cost for the meal varied from week to week, causing major problems for the treasurer. Dues often didn’t cover expenses; it took a lot of creative bookkeeping to keep the club afloat. At times it was necessary for members to prepay their dues so that expenses could be met.
Early fundraisers included selling cheese crocks, City of Racine Sesquicentennial (1884-1984) plates, a Racine Signage Plaque, and catering for groups such as Racine physicians, S.C. Johnson executives, and Downtown Days on Sixth Street, where we served Buffalo burgers prepared on our charcoal cookers. A long-time annual fundraiser was catering the Case company picnic at the Racine County Fairgrounds.
The club finally moved from the Green Lantern to the Hatch Way Restaurant, which was located at Washington Avenue and Emmertsen Road. We met there until the IRS closed its doors. Fortunately, we found Obie’s Restaurant on Lathrop Avenue that served as the site for our breakfast meetings for several years until the owners retired and closed the business. We then moved to the YMCA for a short period and then to Dania Hall on State Street. Finally, at a chance meeting with the public relations manager at St. Mary’s Hospital (now Ascension All Saints), we learned that the hospital was looking for local service clubs to use some of the available space for meetings. Our weekly breakfast meetings were held at the hospital’s Spring Street campus from September 1985 until the COVID-19 global pandemic began in March 2020.
The pandemic forced our club members to get creative – and fast! Not wanting to give up the connection of weekly meetings, we first met via Zoom. Then, as guidelines for safe distancing became available, we met in-person in a large room at Roma Lodge and some members chose to join us via Zoom. A few months later, we moved to a new space at The Main Project Café on State Street. In the fall of 2022, we moved again to our present meeting location – the spacious basement of Living Faith Lutheran Church in West Racine.
Our club celebrated its 45th anniversary on Nov, 11, 2021 (Veterans Day) with a special dinner meeting and program that included patriotic music, a flag-folding demonstration by a color guard and photo boards filled with memories.
Home of some firsts. In 1989, Susan Boles became the club’s first female member. Cheri Esch Franch became the club’s first female president (2005-2006). Barbara Walker, in 2006, was the club’s first female member to receive the Kiwanis Hixson Fellowship Award.
Lieutenant governors serving Division 1. Our club is proud to boast of seven lieutenant governors in its history: Bob Witteman, Chuck Bruhn, Mike Wagner, Cheri Esch Franch, Reed Sampson, Melissa Loebach and Paul Holley.
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