Anderson County Civitan Club marks century of service
Members of the Anderson County Civitan Club recently celebrated the club’s 100-year anniversary.
The celebration, held at Carl Kincaid Sr.’s former residence, honored the club’s rich history of civic engagement and community support.
When first chartered as the Clinton Civitan Club, the organization made headlines in The Tennessean, The Nashville Banner and The Chattanooga News, with an elaborate ceremony marking its establishment.
The club’s history includes winning a gold bell from Civitan International in 1927 for top attendance. After the bell was discovered in an antique store in the 1970s, it was returned to the organization and continues to be present at all meetings, which are held at 11:30 a.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month at Shoney’s in Clinton.
Throughout its century of service, the Civitan Club has undertaken numerous community initiatives. In its early years, the club financed recess lunches for needy schoolchildren, teaching them basic table manners and spirituality.
In 1926, the organization played a pivotal role in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with members canvassing Clinton to raise half of the county’s contribution to the park fund.
The club has maintained strong educational connections, partnering with the Clinton city school system in 1937 to improve local education.
This commitment continues today through annual scholarships for graduating seniors, including a milestone achievement in 2023 when the first special-education student received a scholarship to attend trade school.
Notable figures have addressed the club throughout its history, including U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, who in 1957 spoke about amending the TVA Act to recognize recreation on TVA lakes as one of the authority’s functions.
The organization expanded its reach in 1946 by sponsoring a new Civitan group in Oak Ridge, and in 2022 changed its name to “The Anderson County Civitan Club” to better reflect its service to surrounding communities.
Recent initiatives include the inaugural CHANGE Gala in 2023, which provided grants to special-education classrooms for supplies and materials.
The club holds two major fundraisers annually: a Vidalia onion sale, with hopes to sell 700 bags of onions in 2025, and an American flag service for businesses on federal holidays.
