As a charter club of Rotary International, Oak Harbor Rotary members decided to commemorate the organization’s 100th anniversary with their own centennial projects and celebrations.

Members decided to come up with a centennial project, intensify fundraising for a new town stadium and continue strongly in annual or ongoing projects.

This year the club’s centennial project is working the grounds of Oak Harbor Farmers Market, located next to Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, into a parklike environment.

“We’ve been working on Rotary Park, and that will be dedicated as our centennial project — the community’s centennial project for 2005,” said Steve Metcalfe, Oak Harbor Rotary president.

Preparing the park entails clearing the property, planting grass and getting rid of brush.

Metcalfe said Rotary members hope to finish in time for the 2005 opening of the farmers market.

The other big 2005 project Rotary has taken on is the Build the Pride Memorial Stadium Project. Club members are working to raise funds, create public awareness about the effort and network communications between the city, school district, businesses and contributors.

“That will probably be the biggest project that Rotary will take on in in a long time,” Metcalfe said.

Jill Johnson, secretary for the Build the Pride Memorial Stadium Project and not a member of the Oak Harbor Rotary, said she is impressed a group of residents saw a need in the community, stepped up to the challenge and united others in the same cause.

Lyle Bull, a Rotary Club member and head of the stadium committee, said he feels providing a stadium and sports complex for Oak Harbor youth, their families, the school district and guest sports competitors will improve the community greatly.

Two other large projects Oak Harbor Rotary club has taken on since its inception in 1936 is creating Oak Harbor’s City Beach Lagoon in the mid 1960s and raising funds for John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool, named after an Oak Harbor Rotarian. The pool was completed in 1983.

Along with the occasional mammoth project, Rotary also takes on several ongoing projects.

“Our biggest thing that we try to do is provide scholarships for the kids,” Metcalfe said.

He said to raise money for these scholarships, Rotary has two annual fundraisers: the Luck of the Irish and rose sales.

Currently the Oak Harbor Rotary is in its third year of a four year attempt to gather wheelchairs for third-world countries and its third and final year of raising money to help eradicate polio. Metcalfe said both goals are Rotary International goals, but each club is responsible for its own part.

All in all, Metcalfe defined the Oak Harbor Rotary as a group of individuals working, thinking and playing together to provide opportunities, programs and items that are beneficial to local and international communities.