Organizations like rotary remind us of the power of community, compassion and volunteerism.”

Mayor Mary Fasbender

For 45 years, the Hastings Area Rotary Club has quietly shaped the community through service projects, fundraising and volunteer work that stretches from local parks and bike trails to international clean water programs and efforts to eradicate polio. Now, club leaders hope a renewed membership drive will inspire a new generation to get involved.
During a recent presentation at the 2nd Street Depot, longtime members reflected on the organization’s history, its growing list of community projects and the friendships that have kept the club active since 1981.
Mayor Mary Fasbender described service organizations as a critical part of small communities like Hastings, bringing together people from different professions and generations with a shared purpose.
“This rotary club will turn 45 years old and that has a very shiny example of what this group does to serve others, strengthen the Hastings area and make a positive impact beyond our city limits,” Fasbender told attendees.
Fasbender described service organizations as a critical part of small communities like Hastings, bringing together people from different professions and generations with a shared purpose.
“Organizations like rotary remind us of the power of community, compassion and volunteerism,” she said. “You remind us that meaningful change begins locally with neighbors helping neighbors, and that even small acts of kindness can create lasting impact.”
The club, chartered Oct. 15, 1981, began meeting at what was then the Mississippi Belle restaurant, now the Lock & Dam Eatery. Over the decades, members raised money through hot dog sales, beer booths, glow stick sales, wine tastings, concerts and flower fundraisers, all while steadily expanding the club’s footprint in the community.
Scott Northard, a longtime member who led the presentation, said Rotary’s mission has remained consistent throughout the years.
“We’re a nonprofit, community-based service club,” Northard said. “Our motto is service above self.”
The Hastings club currently has about 32 members and meets on Thursday mornings at the 2nd Street Depot. Meetings include breakfast, guest speakers and discussions covering local, vocational and international issues.
Northard said Rotary’s reach extends far beyond weekly meetings.
Among the club’s early accomplishments was a citywide tree planting project in the mid 1980s and support for Rotary International’s PolioPlus campaign, which has helped reduce polio cases worldwide to only a handful of countries.
Locally, the club has donated thousands of dollars annually to organizations and projects including Hastings Family Service, Feed My Starving Children, scholarships for Hastings High School students, the Rotary Reads literacy program and United Heroes League. Members also helped fund the large American flag near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.
One of the club’s most significant early projects came in 1993, when Rotary pledged $25,000 to help preserve the Vermillion River Gorge bridge, now part of the city’s trail system.
“If rotary hadn’t stepped up and partnered with the city, that bridge wouldn’t be there anymore,” Northard said during the presentation.
Today, the bridge has become one of the most recognizable overlooks in Hastings, frequently visited by walkers and cyclists.
The club also rebuilt the Carpenter Nature Center overlook deck in 2013, a project that took multiple weekends of volunteer labor. Northard joked that the steep worksite made the project memorable for all the wrong reasons.
“That project was terrifying,” member Katy Lindberg said with a laugh during the meeting.
Perhaps no Rotary effort has generated more emotional response than the club’s programs serving seniors and residents with disabilities.
In 2009, members launched Hastings Rotary Fishing and Boating, providing pontoon outings on the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers for veterans, seniors and individuals with disabilities. The program now includes dozens of volunteer captains and crew members and logged 76 outings and more than 625 passengers last year alone.
Northard said many riders believed they would never again experience time on the water.
“We get so many letters of appreciation that they didn’t think they’d ever be able to get out on the water again,” he said.
The club later added a local chapter of Cycling Without Age, using electric assisted trishaws to give rides to seniors throughout Hastings. The program has trained more than 100 volunteer pilots and provided hundreds of rides each year.
Earlier this week, Rotary members gathered to dedicate a new storage shed for the trishaws at the Tilden Community Center.
Fasbender described the structure as something much larger than a simple storage building.
“This shed is filled with more than bikes,” she said. “It is filled with love. Love built the shed. Love drives the bikes. Love steers the direction for those who are unable to view our beautiful community by themselves.”
Northard shared a story about his 103-year-old neighbor, who recently took one of the rides through Hastings.
“She was telling the pilot where they used to water the horses from the spring that came out of the ground at Spring Street,” he said. “It’s just kind of amazing, the stories and things you hear.”
The rides end with a stop at Dairy Queen, where riders and volunteers receive free ice cream cones donated by the business.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Northard said.
The club’s largest undertaking remains the Rotary Pavilion along the Hastings riverfront, which opened in 2016 after members raised more than $500,000 for construction before donating the facility to the city.
The pavilion now hosts concerts, comedy nights, movies, weddings, yoga classes, markets and community events throughout the summer.
“I think it sparked the riverfront renaissance in downtown Hastings,” Northard said, recalling comments made by former Mayor Paul Hicks when the project opened.
Members noted during the meeting that the pavilion’s 10-year anniversary is approaching quickly, prompting discussion about possible celebrations.
For many Rotarians, though, the club’s value extends beyond projects and fundraising totals.
Northard, who joined Rotary more than 30 years ago, said the organization has enriched his life through friendships, travel opportunities and service.
“There’s so many different ways you can serve,” he said. “I always say you get more than you give out of programs like these, because you learn so much about the world and the community and your fellow man.”
The club’s current membership drive aims to attract residents who want to become more involved in the community but may not have the time or desire for rigid attendance requirements.
According to membership information shared during the presentation, prospective members are encouraged to first volunteer or attend networking opportunities before formally joining. Club leaders emphasized that service participation matters more than weekly attendance.
“We are fun, diverse and active,” the membership materials state. “Our meetings are not mandatory, but service is encouraged.”
The materials also encourage prospective members to think about the broader impact they hope to make.
“Are you ready to make a huge impact on your community?” the application asks. “Do you feel like you can do more to make this world a better place?”
For a club built on four decades of volunteerism, leaders say the answer often begins with one small step, simply showing up and getting involved.