The Creeds Ruritan Club is a civic and social organization dedicated to work in southern Virginia Beach. It has been in existence for more than seven decades.
The club is organized in association with the Blackwater-Creeds Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarships. The club is affiliated with Ruritan National.
The Creeds Ruritan Club was chartered on Aug. 24, 1948. Monroe Mayo served as the first president. The club was involved in the establishment of the first volunteer fire station at Creeds.
Today, the club operates the Creeds Ruritan Community Complex in Back Bay. It includes the Creeds Ruritan Barn, the Dick Cockrell Arena and the Ralph Frost Activity Pavillion. The complex is the site of a number of community events and meetings, including forums during election season. The arena is the home of the annual Virginia Beach 4-H Livestock Club Show & Sale. In addition to meeting and event space, the barn houses the Virginia Beach Farm Bureau insurance office.
The club raises funds for community work, including providing holiday meals for families in need, assisting local 4-H events and providing scholarships to students from southern Virginia Beach. The club is also known for an annual springtime barbecue and craft show that was first held in 1976.
The Creeds Ruritan Club’s 2020 officers include president Dennis Keane, vice president Keith Stephenson, secretary Debbie Fuge and treasurer Scott Weirnich.
Sources:
- Blackwater-Creeds Foundation, 2019 Federal Form 990 [Accessed Aug. 30, 2020]
- Creeds Ruritan Club, webpage [Accessed Aug. 30, 2020]
- Doucette, John-Henry, The Princess Anne Independent News, “Creeds Ruritan Club food drive brings holiday spirit to families in need” [Dec. 31, 2018]
- Henley, Barbara Murden, ed. Glimpses of Down County History: Southern Princess Anne County [2013]