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Elizabethton Kiwanis Club marks ‘huge milestone’

By Ashley Rader

Happy Birthday Kiwanis!

Well, technically, Happy Birthday a few days in advance.

The Elizabethton Kiwanis Club celebrated its 85th birthday, which officially falls on March 2, during its weekly meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is a huge milestone,” said Kiwanis President Tim Bailey. “It was wonderful to be able to celebrate it as a club. Any milestone that we reach as a club is great.”

The Elizabethton Kiwanis Club was founded in 1928 and has been active ever since. Kiwanis International is celebrating its 98th birthday this year.

“It seems we are one of the older Kiwanis clubs in the area,” Bailey said.

Along with the anniversary celebration, Kiwanis Club members listened as Carter County Tourism Coordinator Annika Hampton celebrated tourism’s impact on Carter County and described ongoing efforts to promote tourism.
Hampton said tourism resulted in $31.5 million in direct spending and $3.75 million in state and county sales tax for Carter County during 2011. She said 180 jobs in the county are connected to the tourism industry.