NORWAY — The Weary Club held its annual meeting on Aug. 1 at the Norway Town Office meeting room. Election of officers was held as follows: president, Wayne Chandler; vice president, Mary Lou St. John; and secretary/treasurer, Steve Bell.

Routine business and new items were discussed and it was decided the club will continue to sponsor it’s monthly coffees during the year.

The club began in 1926 when a few businessmen gathered around a potbelly stove in a vacant store. A few antique chairs, a rickety table, plenty of clear cedar for whittling and a spittoon comprised the only goods and chattel.

For a number of years, the habit of gathering on winter evenings around the open fire in the Beals Tavern office was a routine. Meetings were informal, mostly for cribbage, whittling and smoking.

In 1923, Bob Seavey, proprietor, closed the inn for the winter. Fred W. Sanborn, publisher of the Norway Advertiser-Democrat and prominent in the nightly gatherings, rented a vacant store in the old Robert Noyes block on Main Street. A stove and a few pieces of furniture were installed, and business resumed. In time whittling became a science and competition became keen. A shaving, light enough to float, was the requirement to become a member of the circle.

In 1927, the building and land were sold to Norway National Bank, to be replaced by a modern bank block. After the lot was cleared, Sanborn acquired a northern part and erected the building now occupied by the club. He turned the building over to the group on a 999-year lease with restrictions.

A formal organization followed with a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and five directors chosen. The official name, “The Weary Club of Norway,” was selected and bylaws adopted.

Especially emphasized were no games of chance for money stakes would be allowed, and liquor was entirely out. No telephones to distract from the quiet solemnity were allowed. Conversation was restricted to fishing, hunting and kindred subjects. Village gossip was permitted if soft pedaled and kept within bounds. For a long time, doors were not locked, and the last straggler closed up shop and switched off the lights. The first morning arrival usually built a fire.

Sanborn died in 1938, and his will provided a trust fund of $20,000 for the club to be invested by a local bank. The sum of $40 was to be spent each Christmas on local children under 10.

A guest register, started a few years ago, contains signatures representing every New England state, as well as many others. The name of  Sen. Margaret Chase Smith appears on the register.

The club’s slogan was composed by Editor Sanborn: “The Weary Club of Norway, Maine — Makers and Dealers in Cedar Shavings, Social Gossip, Political Wisdom and Yankee Philosophy.”

The Weary Club has a membership of 195 shareholders. The maximum number is 200.