It all began in the Massapequas on the evening of Sept. 24, 1949. A lavish charter night dinner dance was held in the Wagon Wheel Restaurant where the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church now stands. The event attracted 226 visiting Kiwanians from throughout Long Island, up-state, Massapequa club members and friends of Kiwanis. Daniel C. Wall was elected to be the first Massapequa Kiwanis Club president and accepted the club's charter from Si Reynolds, Governor of the New York District of Kiwanis International. Wall was the immediate past mayor of Massapequa Park at that time. The Massapequa club was sponsored by the Manhasset club. The new club banner was presented by Manhasset Kiwanian James Dowsey and accepted by Herman Maass. The Invocation was given by the late John Malcolm Haight from the Grace Episcopal Church. George Dippel, a prominent Massapequa architect who later became the designer of the Massapequa schools, was the event chairman.

For the past 57 years the Kiwanis club can boast a number of community projects that included the building of the Kiwanis Fishing Bridge, the Berner School Bridge, moving and restoring the Fred Stone Log Cabin in the John J. Burns Park, the brick entrance wall to the Walker Street Park, the Massapequa Park Berm on Sunrise Highway, concrete walks at the Cpl. Albert F. Klestinec, Jr. Plaza, the handicap ramp at the Brady Park Community Center and several handicap ramps and home repairs for seniors. It was Massapequa club member Carl Schornstein who came up with the idea that there should be a bicycle path to Jones Beach. The membership agreed and appointed Schornstein chairman, to present the plan to the Long Island Parks Commission. Following numerous meetings with parks department officials, work began. The path is used by thousands of hikers, skaters, and bikers year round. Kiwanis also sponsored bicycle safety programs and gave out reflector tape to young and old bikers.

The Massapequa club membership during the 57 years has never grown to many more than 40 men and women. However, for a small club, members seem to thrive on hard-to-do projects. The club has raised the money for community programs and projects by sponsoring community entertainment that included two championship rodeos, Ed Sullivan-type variety shows, Broadway plays on the high school stage, Strawberry Festivals with a queen, art auctions, three Flag Day parades and for the past ten years sponsoring a very successful golf outing, Celebrity Bartenders' nights held in local restaurants round out some of the fundraising projects that help to support Kiwanis community programs.

Some of the clubs' community commitments include treating disadvantaged boys and girls to a summer-week's stay at Kamp Kiwanis in Taberg, NY. Sponsoring sports activities that include the MHS hockey team, local sports teams, and the NFL sports clinic each summer at the Burns Park, Boy Scout Troop 5 and the Al Prato Scholarship fund. During the Christmas holidays Kiwanians can be found at the mall tending a Salvation Army kettle ringing the bell and Key Clubbers singing holiday songs.

Some of the huge projects taken on by the club that benefited the entire community and New York State included that they strongly encouraged the more than 300 Kiwanis clubs throughout the state to push for the toughest anti-drug laws. The club's anti-vandalism and anti-graffiti campaigns were quickly picked up by other community clubs. There is hardly a sign of that kind defacing public or private property in the Pequas these days due to the hard work of all of the local organizations thanks to Kiwanis's lead.

Maybe an anniversary of 91 years isn't as glamorous as 90, but it does mean Kiwanis International is one year closer to celebrating the milestone of 100 years. In Detroit, in August of 1914, a group of businessmen met for lunch on a regular basis. During one of the luncheons it was suggested that the group get involved with some sort of charitable projects. The men all agreed and a committee was formed to start a club. The men began recruiting members. The group had been using the name, The Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers. However the growing membership soon fixed that. They quickly grew tired of belonging to an organization known as BOB for short. With a helping hand from Detroit's official historian, an Indian phrase - Nun Kee-wan-is was adapted as a name translated as "We trade." A more thorough check later revealed that a truer meaning is "We have a good time - We make noise."

During a club meeting in the first week of January 1915, Kiwanis was approved as the new name for the club, which had attracted nearly 200 members in only six months. The corporate charter was returned by the State of Michigan, dated Jan. 21. That date has been the birthday of Kiwanis ever since.