Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Kolleen Taylor: The Jane Young House is decorated with great regard to the era of the home, and makes both formal and informal events a gracious experience. The Festival of Trees held each December makes a great freinds event, as Dee Busse, Bonnie Butler and Joan Olson relax during the event.

The Webster City Women’s Club has been providing programs, events and activities for over 100 years in Webster City. With their primary goal as the preservation of the Jane Young House, the club members meet the second Monday of each month between March through December. Their next meeting will be April 13.

Like many organizations, they are always looking for new members. The membership fee is nominal, at only $25 per year and it is open to women from all over Hamilton County.

Valerie Rickert, who is currently the president of the Women’s Club, moved back to Webster City in September 2021. Rickert, who graduated from Webster City High School in 1981, joined the women’s club shortly after the move.

“I remembered all the fun things through the years my mom talked about,” Rickerts said. Her mother, Esther Lehman served as the president from 2014 to 2016.

When Rickert joined, Jolene Hibbing was the president at the time. “I said I wanted to help clean the house,” and Hibbing quickly got her involved.

“We like to keep the house clean for our renters and for our club meetings.” she said. The Jane Young House is rented out for small functions fairly regularly throughout the year. The building is air conditioned and heated with newer technology, but outside that, there have been no major changes in the interior. New carpeting was added a few years ago, when the flooring was beyond restoration.

The Women’s Club has used and maintained the Jane Young House since 1923, including all the furnishings and interior. Meetings of the membership are held the second Monday of each month at the Jane Young house, and always are looking for new members. Currently the membership hovers around 45 women, who help organize events, care for the home, schedule tours, and rent the facility out to the public.

The members don’t do formal membership drives, however new members are always welcome. Shirley Bowman joined the Women’s Club just in the last five years.

“I guess I felt I needed something more to do,” she said. “I think the Jane Young House is a very important part of our town and I wanted to support it. I think I just walked in one day and joined.”

One aspect Bowman said she enjoys are the informational programs that are held every month during their meetings.

“They have very good programs, the history of the city, the library and other things,” she said, “They are just very informative.”

The Jane Young House is supported by members of the Women’s Club and through the Jane Young House Foundation. Exhibits in the building are designed each year by volunteers, and these are open for visitors on the 4th Saturday each month from March through December.

But when they start meeting in the spring, they also have many members who provide programs to share with each other. The upcoming programs are scheduled for 2026:

April 13: Everything you never wanted to know about pickleball, by Carol Zills

May 11: Over the Speed Limit Players by Loween Getter

June 8: Happy Birthday U.S.A. by Loween Getter

July 13: Career Ag Academy Field Trip with Kurt Veldhuizen

August 10: Jane Young and her connection to Kent, England by Valerie Rickert

September 14: Doodlebug 40th Anniversary with Gerald Huisman

October 12: Paddling for the Cure by Joyce Harms

November 9: Benefactors of Fuller Hall by Sharon Cline

December 14: Memories of 2026 by Donna Bristow

Officers for the Women’s Club are Valerie Rickert-President; Carol Zills-Vice President; Loween Getter-Secretary; Donna Bristow-Treasurer; Joyce Harms-Publicy and Sharon Cline-Historian

Donations to help support the club can be made written to Webster City WWomen’s Club, mailed to Donna Bristow at 852 4th Street, Jewell, Iowa 50130 or to support the Jane Young House Foundation, which is a 501C3 organization, donations would be payable to Jane Young House Foundation, and mailed to Jana Reints at 1321 Locust St. Webster City, 50595.

Throughout the year, other activities are planned, including socials, a Teddy Bear Tea, a Style Show, Halloween by candlelight, memorial services and the Festival of Trees in addition to occasional potlucks.

The socials are usually the 3rd Tuesdays starting at about 1:30 to 3:30 p..m., but are not held every month. Members are given a program book that keeps members reminded of activities and contact information of their members.

“We do have fundraisers through the year, and offer a scholarship for Webster City High School seniors.” Rickert said. But it’s more than that to her..

“The reason we have the library and house is because of the love story between Kendall and Jane Young.” she said.

“It’s a hidden gem of Webster City and Hamilton County.”

And it’s a treasure that these women help maintain.