Rockvale Ruritan Club

The Rockvale Ruritan Club was formed in 1953 with John D. Pinkerton serving as the first club president. The club held monthly meetings at the Rockvale School which is now the site of the Rockvale Community Center where the current Ruritan club meets. The club was a strong supporter of the Rockvale School, assisting with the school’s sports programs and the PTA’s fund raising events such as the annual chitlins supper. The club also held the community’s annual horse race which evolved into the July 4th picnic that continues today.

The club started the annual turkey shoot event that is held in November, and the event continues to present time. The turkey shoots in the 1950’s gave the winners live turkeys rather than frozen turkeys that are given to winners at present day shoots. The live turkeys were trucked to the early turkey shoots via a cattle trailer and were furnished by Earl McKnight, a local turkey farmer.

Profits from the turkey shoots, both past and present, are used to purchase Christmas baskets for the needy in the Rockvale community. The early clubs also provided Christmas candy, fruit and crackers for the community’s needy children. In the spirit of the National Ruritan Club’s mission to support the needs of the local rural community, the early club was instrumental in facilitating two major projects to better life for those living in the Rockvale community. In 1955 an ice storm significantly damaged Rockvale’s telephone lines, and the replacement of damaged lines seemed in peril due to finances. The club assisted in the negotiating the sale of the area telephone system from the Mutual Telephone Exchange, a private owner, to Bell South. The sale of the telephone system ensured the Rockvale community would continue to have telephone service.

The second major project was bringing a community water system to the Rockvale community due to many homes not having a reliable water supply. Rockvale was the second rural community in the United States to be awarded a Federal grant to pay for the installation of a community water system. The club facilitated the installation of the main line, distribution lines, individual home hook-ups, system repairs; plus, meter reading, billing, and collection of payments. The water was purchased from the Eagleville’s water system via an 8 inch main line that ran from Eagleville to Rockvale. The water system is now owned and operated by the Consolidated Utility District of Rutherford County.

The current day Rockvale Ruritan cub not only continues the tradition of the July 4th picnic and the annual turkey shoot; the club has the responsibility for maintaining the Rockvale Community Center, formerly the Rockvale School building. The Community Center is used by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, community clubs, and is available to rent for private events such as family reunions, birthday parties, meetings, etc. The club also maintains the grounds surrounding the Rockvale Community Center which has a baseball field that is used for the club’s youth baseball program; plus, two picnic pavilions and a playground that are open to the public at no charge.

Ruritan National is a service club located in small towns and rural areas in the United States. It aims to achieve "Fellowship, Goodwill and Community Service". The local clubs are autonomous from the national organization. Unlike most community service organizations, Ruritan rarely has national programs. Rather, each club surveys the needs of its own community and then works to meet some of those needs. Many clubs provide and supervise community recreational centers, sponsor little league and other athletic programs, sponsor anti-litter campaigns, help the sick and needy and provide a wide range of other activities to help improve their communities. The first Ruritan Club was chartered May 21, 1928, in Holland, Virginia, now part of Suffolk, Virginia. Since that first club, Ruritan has grown throughout the United States of America, and in doing so, has become "America’s Leading Community Service Organization," with over 30,000 members in more than 1,200 clubs.