By Taylor Boyd
An effort is underway to bring the Virginia/North Carolina Road Ruritan Club back to life nearly 20 years after the organization disbanded.
Community members are now working to revive both the club and its longtime building, which has sat vacant since 2007.
Ruritan National Director and Ararat Ruritan Club President Kevin Smith said an informational meeting was held last month for residents interested in restarting the club. A second meeting is scheduled for April 13 at 6 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church on Moorefield Store Road.
“We need 16 people to get the club started back. The building’s been sitting there vacant for almost 20 years. It needs a lot of TLC, but it can be done,” Smith said.
According to Smith, about 15 to 20 people attended the first meeting.
“We’ve had some others who expressed interest who were unable to come, so we have around 20 people who are interested. If we can get them all interested and get them signed up, we can have the club back,” he said.
The Virginia/North Carolina Road Ruritan Club operated from 1957 to 2007. Smith said the group originally formed to advocate for improvements in the community, including paving Moorefield Store Road and extending telephone service to area residents.
“Then, they were heavily involved in raising money and getting the Moorefield Store Volunteer Fire Department building built — back in 1978-79,” he said.
Smith said he and his wife, Pam Smith, became involved after Chad Lange posted a photo of the building on Facebook and asked whether anyone knew more about it.
“Then my phone blew up and Pam’s phone blew up, you know people were messaging us with links to his post, and they were putting our names in the comments. So we reached out to him, and met with him, and talked to him. He has a vision, a great vision, to try to turn this club, get it restarted, and get the club house repaired and use it for the community and as a community center,” Smith said.
Lange said he has lived next to the building since moving from Ohio 16 years ago and has watched it slowly fall into disrepair.
“It’s been vacant for all those years and I’ve kind of seen it go into disrepair more and more. My kids play at the basketball court outside and ride their bikes, play basketball, play tennis, whatever, so they used it a lot growing up and it’s always been vacant,” Lange said.
Over the years, Lange said he often imagined ways the building could be used, though he has heard that bringing it back would be a long shot.
“So I just made a post on Facebook and said, ‘does anyone know anything about this Ruritan building?’ It was like three hours later maybe and Kevin and Pam Smith hit me up,” he said.
Lange said he believes the building’s deed requires it to remain a Ruritan building and community center.
“If it’s a Ruritan building and the charter is needed around here, then that’s something I’m willing to start up to get that building back up and running again. I have visions of that building also of what I ultimately want it to be, and if it goes to the Ruritan’s Charter Club then that’s awesome, that’s a bonus,” he said.
As a sports coach, Lange said he would like to see recreation become part of the project.
“That doesn’t mean everything about athletics, but the basketball court could be fully rejuvenated and made great for whatever — pickleball, tennis, basketball. I’ve been a wrestling coach for several years and the upstairs in the area has a great area that’s big and open for a couple of exercise things and a fitness mat. Something for the community to come and get their exercise and stretches,” he said.
Lange said he also envisions a sitting area where people can gather and possibly a place for small live music performances.
If the club is restarted, he said he would like to see it sponsor youth football, basketball or t-ball teams.
“And get our name out there as a Ruritan Charter Club and sponsor little youth basketball tournaments in our court,” he said.
Initially, Lange planned to become a member of the club and help with the project. However, a personal issue prompted him to step back.
Still, despite nearly two decades of vacancy, Lange said the building appears to be in better condition than many people might expect.
“I haven’t been on the roof, but it doesn’t look saggy or anything, so I can’t say it doesn’t look any good. I haven’t been able to investigate much because I don’t want to step over my bounds and start snooping in the building of course,” he said.
The biggest challenges, he believes, will be replacing the well and septic system.
Because the old well was located on a neighboring property, Lange said a new one would need to be drilled.
“I heard that the septic is an old tank that needs to be replaced, so those are probably the two main things,” he said.
Lange said the building also likely needs new doors, windows and kitchen appliances.
“I think it has tons of potential. A lot of flat ground up behind the basketball court. When it’s all manicured I’m sure it’s going to be a nice little park area, picnic tables, you know a nice little gathering area. It has so much potential. I wished we could have seen it in its heyday, but we moved here 16 years ago,” Lange said.
