Women’s Civic Club of Bethany Beach sponsors logo contest

The Women’s Civic Club of Bethany Beach is sponsoring a logo contest in honor of its 85th anniversary. The winning designer will receive a cash prize of $500 and the design will become the official club logo.

“In preparing for our 85th anniversary, we realized that the club does not have an official logo,” said Women’s Civic Club of Bethany Beach (WCCBB) President Suzanne Evans. “We thought a contest open to the public would be a fun thing to do and hope the prize money will motivate people to enter.”

Entries must be postmarked by Saturday, July 31. Applications, including contest rules and a summary of club history, are now available in the Bethany Beach Town Hall lobby, the South Coastal Library lobby and on the bulletin boards of the Bethany Beach Post Office and PNC Bank. They will also be available at the Bethany Beach Farmers Market this summer. The contest is open to all who wish to participate, including club members.

The club traces its beginnings to Aug. 3, 1925, when 18 women formed a group to carry out civic improvements in Bethany Beach. Early on, the club focused its energy on improvements to the boardwalk. Its first donations were for basic needs like benches and trash cans. Later, members purchased uniforms and equipment for the lifeguards along with lifeguard stands. As the years went by, the club grew into an influential group that was successful in helping lifeguards to get a raise.

The beautification of the town started in the 1970s under the guidance of Martha Jean Addy. She and other club members planted hundreds of flowers in the Garfield Parkway median and along Route 1. This area on Garfield is now known as the Martha Jean Addy Flower Garden.

Also in the early 1970s, the WCCBB was instrumental in having a museum of historic photos of Bethany Beach displayed in the Baltimore Trust Bank (now PNC). The club was involved in town issues and particularly concerned about those that affected its residents. In order to keep people informed, the WCCBB published an informational letter which was sent to all residents of Bethany Beach. It was filled with news from the town council meetings, zoning issues and town updates.

In 1984, the club sponsored a contest to produce a town seal. The winning logo is now on the town flag. These flags are given as a yearly donation to the town and can be purchased from the club. Today the club carries on its original purpose through yearly contributions. For more information about the Women’s Civic Club of Bethany Beach, visit townofbethanybeach.com
(search Women’s Civic Club) and bethany-beach.net
, or email wccbethanybeach@gmail.com
.