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HISTORY OF LAWRENCEBURG ROTARY
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CELEBRATING OVER 75 YEARS OF SERVICE Click Here To View A Video Presentation THE EARLY DAYS
Capital improvements continued with upgrades to the arena in 1978 and 1981. The caretaker’s trailer was replaced by a permanent structure in 1989, and upgraded to the present Jackson Street residence in 1999. The swimming pool at Rotary Park was completely rebuilt and conveyed to the City of Lawrenceburg in 1990. The gazebo was built in 1992, and remodeling of the office area and conversion to the club’s meeting room was completed in 1994. The meeting room was named Beasley Hall in 1997. Click here to view more information on Beasley Hall and a video of the first meeting. Agreements in our Members Only Section
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CONTINUED GROWTH IN THE 21st CENTURY 
Fairside Park Playground was built in 2000 by community volunteers during -a five day makeover coordinated by the Rotary Club and the Lawrenceburg Parks and Recreation Department. Twenty-four hour lighting was installed the following year. Improved food court lighting with permanent electrical connections and a major lighting upgrade for the arena was completed in 2001.
The fair office was upgraded to the Middle Tennessee District Fair operations building in 2002. The building was dedicated in memory of long time Rotarian J. W. Durham following his death in 2011.
A hard surface for the carnival midway and heavy equipment parking was constructed in 2006. The Weathers Court outdoor basketball facility was dedicated in 2007, and nearly 100 trees were planted in 2008. Land adjacent to the old National Guard Armory was purchased in 2009 and lighting upgrades at the front of the park were completed in 2011. An illuminated sign with electronic message board was installed in 2015 and upgraded to a larger entrance billboard in 2022. Additional trees were planted at the park and adjacent properties in 2017-18. In 2024, Rotary purchased two additional tracts of land along Jackson Street which, when combined with land purchased by the City of Lawrenceburg, extended the northern boundary of the park along road frontage. Over the years, land acquisitions have increased the size of Lawrenceburg Rotary Park to approximately 28 acres.
ROTARY PARK ARENA
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Rotary Day on Sepember 22, 2014
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CLUB MILESTONES
In 1989, the Rotary International Constitution was modified to remove long standing rules that limited membership to men. Within a year, Lawrenceburg Rotary invited Jane Jennings, Polly Powell-Marsh, and Margaret Weathers to become Rotarians. Margaret was elected to serve as Club President in 2005-06, Polly served in 2008-09, and Jane served in 2017-18.
The first annual Rumble At the Crossroads Truck and Tractor Pull was scheduled in May 2004, but heavy rain forced rescheduling of the event to a later date. This popular one night event has grown over the years and the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Rumbles were voted "Best One Night Pull" in the midsouth by the National Tractor Pullers Association. The event expanded into two nights in 2017 and, after the pandemic forced cancellation in 2020, was named the "Best Two Night Pull" in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Lawrenceburg Rotary joined with clubs from across the globe to celebrate Rotary's centennial in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, the Rotary Centennial Garden was created which included a stone marker with time capsule buried underneath. 
Lawrenceburg Rotary became active in International Service in 2006 when Rotarians Neal Beard and Jim Johnston led an effort to join an existing water and electrification project in Honduras. Under their leadership the club's involvement grew and Lawrenceburg assumed project leadership in 2008. Rotarian's Beard and Johnston have been recognized with RI's highest individual honor, the Rotary International Service Above Self Award, and the club has been recognized as a leader in District 6760's International Service effort. Click Here to view a full description of our Honduras Project. 
In 2008, Lawrenceburg Rotary partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build a home on First Street in Lawrenceburg. Rotarian Dean Erwin was the club's project leader and numerous Rotarians joined with Habitat volunteers to provide sweat equity.
The first annual Scramble for Humanity Golf tournament was held in 2009. The first tournament was held at Dixie Oaks golf club near Summertown and was moved to the Lawrenceburg Golf and Country Club in 2017. This has become a popular fellowship event for Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike. Proceeds are directed to the Lawrenceburg Rotary Humanitarian Fund which provides assistance to charitable organizations and needy individuals throughout our community. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic and was reinstated in 2022. The Tennessee Music and Food Festival opened in 2018 and became an annual two day event event with food trucks and a small carnival in 2019. The festival features local bands as well as up and coming artists from Middle Tennessee and North Alabama. The event was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021 in the interest of public safety. The event returned with a one day show immediately following a Monster Truck Show in 2022. In 2023 the festival was produced as the Music Bash at Crocket Theater and returned to Rotary Park in 2024. in tandem with a Barbeque Cook Off.
The club held its first food packaging event for Rise Against Hunger in March, 2019. Rotarian Maria Santini organized the event which was repeated in 2020 and has since become an annual service project.
In 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic caused major disruption to club programs. No fewer than five fundraising events including the music festival, spring tractor pull, a monster truck show, golf scramble, and most importantly the Middle Tennessee District Fair were cancelled in the interest of public safety. This had a major impact on club finances, however Lawrenceburg Rotary is well on the way to recovery with successful Monster Truck Show, Rumble At the Crossroads, and Middle Tennessee District Fair events in 2021. Fairside Park became the Blue Cross Healthy Place in 2022 with installation of upgraded playground equipment on a handicap accessible rubberized surface. The project was funded by a $750K Grant from BCBS of TN which was awarded thru the efforts of Rotarian Pam Hyde in her role as Director of Lawrenceburg Parks and Recreation. Project management was handled by the Blue Cross Foundation. Responding to a request by city officials, the club followed up with perimeter fencing to improve security and parental supervision of children on the playground. |
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LEADERSHIP AND RECOGNITION BEYOND THE CLUB LEVEL The Lawrenceburg Rotary Club and local Rotarians are active in Rotary District 6760. The club sponsored the Savannah Rotary Club in 1955 and the Waynesboro Rotary Club in 1967. Four Lawrenceburg Rotarians have served as Rotary District Governor:
*Districts 236 and 676 were predecessors to District 6760
Dr. Virgil Crowder, Jr. represented District 6760 in the 2007, 2010 and 2013 Rotary International Councils on Legislation.
Lawrenceburg Rotarians who have been recognized at the district level include:
*As Rotary’s highest honor for individual Rotarians, the RI Service Above Self award recognizes Rotarians annually who have demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service, with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary. The following Rotarians have served as district officers:
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WHAT'S NEXT?
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Click Here for Information About Becoming a Member
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