Club events
Tell us about your club’s upcoming event: Write to magazine@rotary.org and put “calendar” in the subject line. To be considered for inclusion in Rotary magazine’s print edition, submissions must be received at least five months before the event.
15 August | Rotary Club of Edwardsville, Illinois
Criterium Festival
This festival features a series of high-speed bike races that draw hundreds of cyclists seeking to win a portion of the $15,000 prize purse. There are also free races for kids and a casual community ride. All races take place on a closed street circuit in downtown Edwardsville. Participants and spectators can enjoy live music and food and drinks throughout the day; a kids’ zone includes an art tent and games. Proceeds benefit local and international projects.
15 August | Rotary Club of Gloucester, Massachusetts
Pancake Breakfast
For more than 45 years, the club has served up stacks of flapjacks at this annual breakfast. The Saturday morning event kicks off the two-day Gloucester Waterfront Festival at the historic Stage Fort Park, where English settlers arrived in 1623. Funds raised through the breakfast have supported club projects ranging from the installation of a playground at the park to the donation of generators to a school and a medical center in Rwanda.
20 August | Rotary Club of Quesnel, British Columbia
Seniors Trip to Barkerville
This outing, which the club has organized since 1962, brings more than 100 senior citizens to an old mining town that was at the center of an 1860s gold rush and is now a living history museum. The expedition starts with tea and biscuits at the Quesnel branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, followed by a bus ride to Barkerville, where participants can explore dozens of restored buildings. The experience includes a boxed lunch and a ticket to a performance at the town’s theater.
21-22 August | Rotary Club of Superior, Wisconsin
Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival
At this annual event, dozens of teams paddle dragon boats, a type of watercraft that originated in ancient China, in a bay off Wisconsin’s northern coast. The festival begins on Friday night with a 5K run/walk followed by sprint boat races in which the vessels are illuminated by glow sticks. On Saturday, a series of traditional 400-meter boat races are held. Both days feature food trucks, a beer garden, and music. Event proceeds benefit local nonprofits, including Second Harvest Northland.
28-30 August | Rotary Club of Amherst, Massachusetts
Town Fair
The club’s annual fair is a beloved summertime activity in the quaint New England college town of Amherst, where poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost once lived. For three days, the town common is filled with carnival rides and attractions, including a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, and a climbing wall. Food and drinks will be on sale. Proceeds from the fair benefit local nonprofits and scholarships.
11-12 September | Rotary Club of Rotary Club of Edmonds, Washington
Oktoberfest Family Festival
Local craft beers and traditional German varieties are served in a beer garden at this annual Oktoberfest celebration. Attendees can pair their brews with food from a range of vendors, from bratwurst to gumbo to Indian street food. The event also includes a lineup of live musical performances, a pet parade with prizes, and a kids’ area with crafts and activities. Proceeds benefit local nonprofits and scholarships.
12 September | Rotary Club of Raymond Area, New Hampshire
Thunder Run
The club’s signature fundraiser consists of a unique family-friendly fitness challenge: a 5K race across rugged terrain, with nearly two dozen obstacles along the way. Competitors must crawl through pipes, climb over a wall of tires, and navigate multiple river crossings, for instance. The race ends with refreshments and live music. More than $200,000 has been raised in support of local and international projects and scholarships since the annual event began in 2013.
18-20 September | Rotary Club of Wisconsin Dells
Wo-Zha-Wa Fall Festival
Embrace the fall season with a vibrant weekend dedicated to community connection in Historic Downtown Wisconsin Dells. Browse unique treasures at an arts and crafts fair and antique flea market and stroll through Maxwell Street Days. Enjoy a street carnival, live entertainment, and a festive parade. Most importantly, don't leave without tasting our signature culinary tradition — the world-renowned Rotary Beef Sandwich. Funds raised support local initiatives, international projects, and scholarships for students.
19 September | Rotary Club of Milwaukie, Oregon
Sustainability Fair
A collaboration between the club and the Milwaukie Environmental Stewards Group, this fair brings the community together to celebrate and learn about environmental sustainability. Highlights include a printmaking workshop and a “trashion show,” in which participants model creatively recycled apparel. There will also be eco-friendly vendors, food and drinks, and music. To help make it a “zero waste” event, attendees are encouraged to bring tote bags and reusable drink containers.
24-27 September | Rotary Club of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
Alligator Festival
Just west of New Orleans, St. Charles Parish boasts thousands of acres of wetlands that provide an ideal habitat for alligators. And for nearly 50 years, the club has put on a festival in honor of what is now Louisiana’s state reptile. A live exhibit overseen by expert gator handlers offers the opportunity to see the critters up close. Meanwhile, attendees can eat alligator prepared in numerous ways, from burgers to egg rolls. The festival, which benefits local scholarships, also includes live music, carnival rides, and craft booths.
26 September | Rotary Club of Monteagle-Sewanee, Tennessee
Hunger Walk
Held yearly since 2014, this 2.5-mile walk raises awareness about food insecurity in three southern Tennessee counties. It also raises funds to support efforts in the area to help address the issue, including the Community Action Committee Food Pantry and the Grundy County Food Bank. About $100,000 was generated last year alone, much of it from students attending the University of the South.
26 September | Rotary Club of New Bern-Breakfast, North Carolina
Oktoberfest
Festival attendees can expect a bounty of German fare, such as bratwurst, chicken schnitzel, and giant Bavarian pretzels, at this annual event, now in its 15th year. A local brewery will provide a special Oktoberfest beer and other refreshments, while the Little German Band and Dancers will sing and dance in traditional costumes. A strength contest awards $100 to the man and woman who can hold a 1-liter stein full of water the longest. Event proceeds benefit the club’s Kicks for Kids project and local scholarships.