50-50 Homemakers Club marks 102 years of service

When the 50-50 Homemakers Club formed on Sept. 24, 1924, its name came from geography: half its members lived in Lincoln County and half in Marathon County. More than a century later, the club is still meeting, still serving, and still bringing neighbors together.
The club celebrated its 102nd anniversary in September 2026.
It was founded under the leadership of Home Economist Eileen Niedermeier. In its early years, members learned canning and sewing and built friendships, often bringing their children along to daytime meetings. At its peak, the club had 25 members.
Today, 11 members ranging in age from 33 to 85 carry on the tradition, still meeting in one another’s homes. Many have been honored for 50 years of membership. The club is the most active homemakers club in Marathon County, according to its members.
The county’s home economists guided the group for decades. Funding cuts have since left the county without one, but the club has kept going on its own.
Its list of contributions is long. Members have read to preschoolers, taught quilting, and raised money through a style show, auctions, and plant sales. The club started a weekly recyclables collection that Marathon County later took over. It has also supported the Town of Texas Fire Department, tended the flower garden at Jesse Field for 40 years, and sponsored swimming lessons for local children.
The club has donated to schools, food pantries, and shelters, and has taken part in cultural arts programs and fundraisers such as Empty Bowls. Its giving has reached as far as Nicaragua. Closer to home, members sponsor families at Christmas, go caroling, and deliver cookie platters. Husbands get their own tradition: an annual night out.