A century after a small group of local leaders turned an ambitious civic dream into a lasting institution, the Rotary Club of Estes Park marked its 100th anniversary Thursday with a celebration rooted in service, history, and community.
More than 70 Rotarians and guests gathered at American Legion Post 119 for a buffet luncheon reflecting on the club’s local impact and its connection to the global mission of Rotary International.
Former club president Peter Sinnott opened the program with a call to service, quoting words often attributed to John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
The sentiment echoed throughout the afternoon as speakers traced the club’s evolution since its founding in 1926 and highlighted decades of humanitarian and community work. Projects have included support for Estes Park Schools, the Estes Valley Library, and area nonprofits, as well as national and international efforts such as solar panel installations in Ukraine, global water projects, playgrounds, summer camp initiatives, disease prevention efforts, and scholarships.
Several attendees were recognized, including former Estes Park mayor and two-time Olympian Wendy Koenig-Schuett, who received a Rotary collegiate scholarship in 1973. Since 1966, the club has awarded 361 scholarships totaling more than $1,022,000.
In 1989, local Rotarians launched what became the Great Estes Park Rotary Duck Race, an event designed to support charities while drawing visitors during the shoulder season. Held on the first Saturday of May, the duck race has raised more than $3.7 million for local organizations. Each year, more than 15,000 adopted yellow rubber ducks are released into the Big Thompson River.
Rotary’s international reach was also highlighted through its partnership with ShelterBox, a disaster relief organization founded in 2000 by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall, England. ShelterBox provides emergency aid kits — including tents, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets, cooking utensils and tools — at a cost of about $1,200 per box for families displaced by disasters, conflict or climate change.
Since 1979, Rotary International has supported global polio eradication efforts. Cases have declined to fewer than 50 worldwide in 2025, primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a milestone credited in part to Rotary’s sustained funding and advocacy.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Tara Manning, noting that a full accounting of the club’s century of service would take far longer than a single luncheon program.
The celebration also recognized other longtime members, including Suzy Blackhurst, senior editor of the Estes Valley Voice, who served as the club’s first female president in 1998-99 and again in 2010-11. A 1968 graduate of Estes Park High School, Blackhurst previously worked as an editor for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette, a communications specialist for the Town of Estes Park, and interim CEO of Visit Estes Park.
Rotarian Tom Maher, who has attended every duck race since 1989, also received special recognition for his years of service.
A dream that sparked a club
The anniversary event also looked back at an ambitious — though ultimately unsuccessful — campaign that helped bring the club into existence.
Local storyteller, Kurtis Kelly, reenacted the role of Joe Mills, a hotelier and early promoter who lobbied to bring the 1925 Rotary International convention to Estes Park. Although the convention was awarded to Cleveland, the effort united local leaders and laid the groundwork for the formation of the Estes Park club the following year.
“If you come, we will build it,” Kelly said in character, recounting the community’s pledge to raise $600,000 to construct a heated coliseum that could seat between 3,000 and 3,500 people and be used year-round — a vision reflecting the town’s ambition in the early 1920s.
While Mills’ ambitious campaign fell short, civic leaders moved forward to establish the Rotary Club of Estes Park in 1926.
The celebration also served as a reminder of the club’s ongoing mission — and future challenges, including attracting a new generation of members.
Between introductions, a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” and a commemorative group photo, Rotarians reaffirmed a guiding principle that has endured since the club’s earliest days: service above self.
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