A local Rotary club that was chartered 25 years ago merged with its satellite club in a ceremony held Tuesday, Feb. 13, in downtown Arkadelphia.
Rotary Club of Arkadelphia-Sunrise officially joined forces with Rotary Club of Arkadelphia-Sunset, a newly formed offshoot of the original club that meets — as one might have guessed — during the evening.
Tuesday’s Change of Gavel ceremony included a speech from the district governor, as well as longstanding traditions from the Sunrise club’s meetings.
Having formed in February 1999 as an offshoot of the original Arkadelphia Rotary Club, the Sunrise club celebrated its 25th anniversary this month. The original club, which meets each Friday at noon, formed in 1919 and at one time had a membership of more than 100 local community leaders.
The merging of the Sunrise and Sunset is expected to be beneficial for both clubs as well as the local community, as Sunrise brings years of leadership experience and institutional knowledge to the Sunset club of younger, energetic members.