Our Vibrant History
The Rollingwood Women’s Club was founded in 1958 by four women Margaret (Marge) Chinn, Billie Dean Johnston, Maggie Gunn and Alice Scofield “to promote friendship and assist in the functioning of the newly incorporated city”.
Once Upon a Time in Rollingwood...
The Village of Rollingwood was incorporated on October 10, 1955 with Frank L. Scofield as its first mayor. At the club’s first meeting in September 1958, there were 37 charter members. The first yearbook was a spiral note book printed in 1959 that had a listing of 89 members and the Charter and the Club Constitution. Annual dues were set at $2 (raised to $3 in 1961 and then 25 years later went to $5 in 1983 and to $10 in 1996 and currently is at $40). It was decided that the club would meet once a month, the Fourth Tuesday in the homes of volunteers. Meetings were frequently held at the City Hall built in 1976.
In 1978, the women’s club raised funds to create a park next to the municipal building. There was just one lonely cottonwood tree on that tract of land. Members raised funds for the park by recycling aluminum cans, organizing a Sampler Supper with residents bringing a casserole or covered dish and ten copies of recipes that were sold for 25 cents each. Starting in 1978, the annual July 4th parade was the major fundraising event. The first playscape was installed in 1985 with funds from club events and individual donors. In the 1990s, funds were raised by the sale of commemorative bricks that now line a path in the park. Then in 2003, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the July 4th parade, a 5K race was organized and the race raised more funds than any previous event.