Kiwanis Club of St. Marys History
The Kiwanis Club of St. Marys was chartered on April 6, 1962 with 22 charter members. On May 14, 1962, Governor of the Kiwanis Georgia District Myles L. Cook, presented a charter to Kiwanis Club of St. Marys President Charles Hillis. The club was sponsored by the Kiwanis Clubs of Brunswick, Waycross, and Douglas. During the 1960's they held meetings in the Crab Shell Restaurant which was in the former Rudulph Brothers General Store - now torn down - at the northwest corner of Osborne Street and Stable Alley.
The First Officers included:
President -- Rev. Charles Hillis ( St. Marys Methodist Church)
Vice President - Clarke Mathewson
Secretary - Joseph J. Morris
Treasurer - Charles S. Edwards
Meeting Locations:
With 25 members, the club moved its meetings to the St. Marys Presbyterian Church, where the food was catered by Banner Grill. Tony Stanfield, the owner of the The Grill, brought the meals to the church. The meetings were held downstairs where the church offices are now located.
When the club grew to 35 members, meetings were moved to Larry's Chicken Box. When the club outgrew that meeting space, Larry's expanded to provide a meeting area next door to the building now occupied by Once Upon a Bookseller. The club was forced to move when Larry's health permit was revoked.
Seagle's Restaurant was the next meeting site, but the club moved once its membership swelled to 80 - 85 members; and Seagle's could not serve both the club and the public at the same time.
The next move took the club meetings to the St. Marys United Methodist Church Social Hall in the late 1970's, with meals catered by Jerry Harrison and John Ely of the Fourth Colony Restaurant. With the coming of the submarine base, the club's membership exceeded 100 members. Agnes McArthur took over the catering for many years until she retired due to declining health.
In the 1990's, meetings were moved to Tonua's restaurant owned by the club treasurer, Tonua Mock. The restaurant was located on what is now a vacant lot on the corner of Osborne and Hall Streets. Due to serious health problems, Tonua closed her restaurant in early 2000.
For the next six years the club went from Borrell Creek Restaurant to Colonial Dinner House until returning to the St. Marys United Methodist Church -- Bailey Hall - which is the current meeting place. We have been served by several wonderful caterers over the years. During the pandemic, meetings were suspended from March 2020 until July 2021 when they resumed. Southern River Walk graciously served as the temporary meeting place from February 2021 through June. Their outdoor dining area provided a great alternate location for meetings.
Fund Raising Projects History:
To accomplish the mission of Kiwanis of serving the children of the community and the world, the St. Marys Kiwanis Club needed to raise funds to support projects. In the early years, the first effort was door-to-door sales with club members selling brooms, mops, light bulbs, and Halloween candy - with net profits around $100.
Fourth of July Festival (1968) The club organized and conducted the first festival which included selling barbeque plates that were cooked and served by club members. Fireworks were provided by the paper mill and set - off at the St. Marys Elementary School. Later the fireworks show moved to the waterfront and the fireworks were set off from a barge with cooperation from the Volunteer Fire Department. After an unfortunate accident with the barge getting set on fire, the fireworks were moved to the property where the Gilman Waterfront Park is located. Over the years the July 4th Festivals have included a colorful parade, guest speakers, bands, evening street dance, hydrofoil boat races, parachute jumps, watermelon-eating contests, antique car shows, crab race derby, and running races for all ages.
Seafood Festival (1973) The club's first Seafood Festival was initially a time for the St. Marys Blessing of the Fleet. Club members caught and cooked catfish and sold plates for $2.50. Mid – 1980’s the Seafood Festival was renamed the Rock Shrimp Festival with Lang's Seafood donating the rock shrimp to increase the market for this type of shrimp. The festival then grew in popularity and the festival added the parade, food and craft vendors, entertainment, and 5k and 10k races. In 2021, our club took a year off from the festival due to COVID and supply chain issues making it difficult to acquire the rock shrimp. In 2022, the festival returned to the original name of Seafood Festival.
St. Marys Kiwanis Golf Tournament (1989) This event served to raise funds for Kiwanis charities and as a friendly rivalry between the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs. This event was discontinued in 2003-2004.
The First Officers included:
President -- Rev. Charles Hillis ( St. Marys Methodist Church)
Vice President - Clarke Mathewson
Secretary - Joseph J. Morris
Treasurer - Charles S. Edwards
Meeting Locations:
With 25 members, the club moved its meetings to the St. Marys Presbyterian Church, where the food was catered by Banner Grill. Tony Stanfield, the owner of the The Grill, brought the meals to the church. The meetings were held downstairs where the church offices are now located.
When the club grew to 35 members, meetings were moved to Larry's Chicken Box. When the club outgrew that meeting space, Larry's expanded to provide a meeting area next door to the building now occupied by Once Upon a Bookseller. The club was forced to move when Larry's health permit was revoked.
Seagle's Restaurant was the next meeting site, but the club moved once its membership swelled to 80 - 85 members; and Seagle's could not serve both the club and the public at the same time.
The next move took the club meetings to the St. Marys United Methodist Church Social Hall in the late 1970's, with meals catered by Jerry Harrison and John Ely of the Fourth Colony Restaurant. With the coming of the submarine base, the club's membership exceeded 100 members. Agnes McArthur took over the catering for many years until she retired due to declining health.
In the 1990's, meetings were moved to Tonua's restaurant owned by the club treasurer, Tonua Mock. The restaurant was located on what is now a vacant lot on the corner of Osborne and Hall Streets. Due to serious health problems, Tonua closed her restaurant in early 2000.
For the next six years the club went from Borrell Creek Restaurant to Colonial Dinner House until returning to the St. Marys United Methodist Church -- Bailey Hall - which is the current meeting place. We have been served by several wonderful caterers over the years. During the pandemic, meetings were suspended from March 2020 until July 2021 when they resumed. Southern River Walk graciously served as the temporary meeting place from February 2021 through June. Their outdoor dining area provided a great alternate location for meetings.
Fund Raising Projects History:
To accomplish the mission of Kiwanis of serving the children of the community and the world, the St. Marys Kiwanis Club needed to raise funds to support projects. In the early years, the first effort was door-to-door sales with club members selling brooms, mops, light bulbs, and Halloween candy - with net profits around $100.
Fourth of July Festival (1968) The club organized and conducted the first festival which included selling barbeque plates that were cooked and served by club members. Fireworks were provided by the paper mill and set - off at the St. Marys Elementary School. Later the fireworks show moved to the waterfront and the fireworks were set off from a barge with cooperation from the Volunteer Fire Department. After an unfortunate accident with the barge getting set on fire, the fireworks were moved to the property where the Gilman Waterfront Park is located. Over the years the July 4th Festivals have included a colorful parade, guest speakers, bands, evening street dance, hydrofoil boat races, parachute jumps, watermelon-eating contests, antique car shows, crab race derby, and running races for all ages.
Seafood Festival (1973) The club's first Seafood Festival was initially a time for the St. Marys Blessing of the Fleet. Club members caught and cooked catfish and sold plates for $2.50. Mid – 1980’s the Seafood Festival was renamed the Rock Shrimp Festival with Lang's Seafood donating the rock shrimp to increase the market for this type of shrimp. The festival then grew in popularity and the festival added the parade, food and craft vendors, entertainment, and 5k and 10k races. In 2021, our club took a year off from the festival due to COVID and supply chain issues making it difficult to acquire the rock shrimp. In 2022, the festival returned to the original name of Seafood Festival.
St. Marys Kiwanis Golf Tournament (1989) This event served to raise funds for Kiwanis charities and as a friendly rivalry between the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs. This event was discontinued in 2003-2004.
History of Early Community Projects:
• Oak Grove Cemetery Clean-Up & Restoration (1972) Club members and Boy Scouts performed many hours of hard labor cleaning up the cemetery. For their efforts the club was awarded the best Kiwanis project for the state.
• Commemorative Coin Benefiting Orange Hall (1977) The coin was designed by club member, Alton Murray.
• Air Conditioning St. Marys Elementary School (1985) our club paid a portion of the cost of air conditioning of the school which had allowed the club to cook the July 4th barbeque at the school.
• Help Thy Neighbor Project (1986) Kiwanis members made repairs on the home of an elderly lady and her grandchildren. Much of the equipment as well as the labor was donated. The project was recognized as the #1 International Service Project for Kiwanis that year.
Toonerville Trolley:
The Toonerville Trolley is an important part of the history of St. Marys and the St. Marys Kiwanis Club. The Trolley dates back to 1928, when it was handcrafted by Philip Hopper, a local ship builder. With the wooden body of 1927 Model T truck and engine, the Trolley ran on a regular railroad track between Kingsland and St. Marys. From 1928 to 1936 the trolley carried mail, shrimp, cargo, and passengers, making several trips each day. In 1936, the trolley was retired. Mrs. McRae, a local resident, took the passenger cab of the trolley and incorporated it into a house where it served as a kitchen. The trolley cab remained intact until a Camden County High School teacher -- Danny Ellis -- and his history class -- were given the trolley for preservation purposes in payment for clearing the lot the house was on.
In 1974, Kiwanis stepped up to restore the trolley. The club raised money by selling railroad spikes from the old tracks that ran parallel to Dilworth Street to purchase a 1924 Model T truck. A Gilman Paper Company employee was given permission to work 30 minutes each day on the Model T chassis. The restored Trolley took six months and made its first appearance for Santa Claus to ride to the waterfront on Christmas Eve 1974. Santa handed out Christmas stockings to the children. In 1989, the club constructed a building to store and display the Trolley on Osborne Street next to the current St. Marys Welcome Center. The building was dedicated was on January 21, 1990, in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Kiwanis International. Kiwanian Ron Szelist faithfully maintained the Trolley for many years and drove it in parades and special events. It did not drive like a modern truck, so it took considerable expertise.
In 2015, there were some issues surrounding the ownership, driving privileges, and maintenance responsibilities of the trolley with the City of St. Marys. After much discussion and deliberation, the Kiwanis Board of Directors decided that it would not be prudent for the club to enter into an agreement with the requirements that the City would ask of the club. The anticipated expenses and legal requirements would divert the St. Marys Kiwanis Club’s resources from the mission of serving the children our community and the world. With that, the City of St. Marys assumed full ownership of the trolley along with the responsibility to insure, maintain and operate it.
