The Abingdon Ruritan Club is celebrating its 65th anniversary this month. The club was chartered in 1956 with 29 original members. As the third largest club in all of Ruritan National, it has been a major community supporter of Gloucester Point.
When the club was founded, members met at Bethlehem United Methodist Church and at a now closed restaurant, Seawell’s Ordinary (currently the location of AutoMax of Gloucester). It wasn’t until 1981 that the club purchased the land where the club building, which was dedicated in 1993, now sits.
According to longstanding member L.T. Wells, the land was purchased for $55,000 with the aid of a loan from a local bank. The land was put to use and became the new site for events including the Seafood Festival.
The Seafood Festival is the club’s signature fundraising event that is held in May and October each year. During 2020, ARC was unable to hold any of its fundraising events including the festival. Current ARC president David Onesty said it was pa...