Macon County’s community clubs got together Tuesday to review the year’s accomplishments and honor some of their most dedicated members.
They also honored Cooperative Extension director Alan Durden for his 30 years of service. Durden is retiring at the end of October.
The last award of the night appeared to take Durden by surprise. Tuesday marked his 30-year anniversary as director of the extension, which coordinates the county’s nine community clubs.
In acknowledgement of his dedication to the job over the last three decades, the community clubs and Macon County commissioners presented Durden with a plaque and thanked him for his service.
“We have one of the best agricultural extension services in North Carolina, and you can bank on that,” commissioner Ronnie Beale. “If that doesn’t deserve a hand for this man and this staff, I don’t know what does.”
Durden said it’s important for the clubs to communicate and acknowledge all the work they put in.
“The value of what these organizations do for their communities and the individuals in those communities is really difficult to calculate,” Durden said. “We’re here to celebrate what they do and say thank you.”
There was a lot to recap for the clubs, including the concealed carry classes offered by Carson, the $500 senior scholarship fund offered through Nantahala, first-grade class supplies donated by Pine Grove and the work of the Otto club to help in a plan to bring broadband internet to parts of southern Macon County.
The clubs tackled a wide variety of community building projects in the time since their last banquet, but one thing they could all agree on was the need to build up their own memberships.
Charles Bryant of the Cowee Community Club said that it was especially important to reach out to young adults to sustain the club for future generations.
“We can have 100 folks that’ll turn out in Cowee, but unless we’re having it at the fire department, we aren’t going to have the children,” Bryant said. “We won’t have those folks who will be there to serve our seniors later, and that’s one of the things that we really need to work on.”
Joan Maki of the Holly Springs Community Club agreed, saying that the clubs needed to be more diligent in their outreach to new people if they wanted to see an end to dwindling attendance.
“Whatever we’re doing, we’re not doing it right or we’re not doing enough of it,” Maki said.
The night ended with an awards ceremony. Andrea Terrell and Miles McClure, both from Clarks Chapel, were recognized as Young Woman and Young Man of the Year for their engagement in volunteer service through their community club, as well as in sports, clubs and student government at Franklin High School.
Joe Doster of Clarks Chapel was named Man of the Year, and Woman of the Year was a three-way tie between Ann Blaine of Clarks Chapel, Lovelda Harper of Pine Grove and Keri Harper of Pine Grove. The staff members at the extension were also each presented with a bouquet in recognition of their work.
“The purpose of these awards is to recognize individuals in the community who, through really hard work and dedication to a better way of life, can help make significant contributions to the life of the community,” Durden said. “These individuals do so much.”