ABINGDON, Va. � For the past year a special committee of the Booklovers Club of Abingdon, Virginia , has been planning a year-long celebration of the club's 100th anniversary.
The festivities will begin in September 2014 with a luncheon at the Martha Washington Inn for members and guests and conclude with the May 2015 meeting.
Several activities to commemorate the event are being planned, including a written history of the club and its continuous century of involvement in the community, most notably the establishment of the first public library in Abingdon which led to the present Washington County Public Library system.
The committee is especially interested in collecting additional information related to the history of the organization, including photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and similar source materials. Call 276-628-4789 for more information.
Club members have remained steadfast and generous in their support of the public library. They have also provided countless hours of volunteer assistance to many organizations and groups in the town of Abingdon and throughout Washington County.
Incoming President Carol Fields said that "This anniversary celebration will be a tribute to the legacy of those women who had the vision to organize the group and to all the women who have joined since. Their contributions over the years have indeed been noteworthy."
The planning committee for the centennial year is headed up by Sylvia Ferguson. She is assisted by the following committee members: Ginny Barker, Connie Bundy, Janice Cowan, Sandra Darden, Jayne Duehring, Joyce Ferratt, Carol Fields, Kathy Gibian, Kitty Henninger, Eleanor Hutton, Lisa Jett, Louise King, Beth Mahaffey, Ida Patton, Sue Ray, Suzanne Reid, Whitley Smith, Lillian Spicer, and Millie Woody.
Following the club's establishment in 1914, it became affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1919.