Kiwanis celebrate 75th anniversary here

The Fort Frances Kiwanis Club celebrated its 75th anniversary with a dinner Sept. 24 at La Place Rendez-Vous.
“The 75th went off quite well. It was great to see everyone out,” said Robin Wright, who took over as club president for 1999-2000 from Ken Allan that evening.
Many long-time club members, as well as a few guests from the International Falls chapter, were on hand for the occasion. Several dignitaries, including George Harvey, governor designate of Western Canada, and Bernadine Martin, governor of Minnesota and the Dakotas, also attended.
Seeing many generations of Kiwanians, including one seminal member, Dave Lerman, who joined the club in 1932, together provided a good opportunity to reminisce.
One such member was past president Dr. Bob Lidkea, who emceed the evening. He was eager to comment on how far the club has come over the years.
“Well, I’ve been a member for 47 years so I’m certainly aware of what’s going on,” Dr. Lidkea noted. “I’m really impressed with the amount of work we’ve done in the community, and it’s a pleasure to see what we could do.”
Dr. Lidkea said the club’s priority has always been to get children active and healthy.
“Years ago, we did a lot of work with the 4-H club. But now we do more on an international scale, such as the iodine deficiency program–just five cents changes a life.
“Countries like France and Germany have pockets of their population that need it even though you think of them as highly-industrialized,” Dr. Lidkea remarked.
“Other countries include Central America and China.”
After opening ceremonies, including both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems and an appearance by the Fort Frances Highlanders, the crowd enjoyed a hearty meal.
This was followed by the installation of John Collins, Lt. Gov. for Western Canada, and Reuben Peterson, Lt. Gov. of Minnesota and the Dakotas, as well as Wright.
Wright, a club member for about three-and-a-half years, figured he wouldn’t have much of a problem taking over the reins.
“Basically, I’ll have to make sure to carry on the activities the Kiwanis have established, such as ‘Children Priority One’ and Sunny Cove,” he remarked.
“There’s an excellent membership here and it shouldn’t be too hard to carry on,” he added.