PENN TWP— It's 100 years old and getting stronger.

Butler Country Club is celebrating its centennial this year, and while its tennis program isn't that old, its tradition is as solid.

"Few clubs in the country have been as long lasting or have as proud a tradition as we do,"said clubtennis pro Whitney Snyder.

Snyder has held that position for 21 years and helped put together a daylong celebration of the tennis program Sunday at the club's courts.

Included in the festivities were a 20-minute video about the club's tennis program, a club pro tennis exhibition, an adult-junior tennis outing, a recognition ceremony and a live concert.

"It's incredible how far it's come," said Dave Barnes, the club's first tennis pro who held the position from 1975 through 1981. "My office here was inside a construction trailer. It was 130 degrees in there. You could fry an egg on the roof.

"This program was instrumental in Knoch High School starting a tennis program. A lot of kids from Knoch played here."

Barnes said the club tennis program was adult oriented in its early stages and geared more toward young players as time went on.

"There was something like 100 adult-junior doubles teams out here playing recreational tennis today,"Barnes said. "The courts were filled all day.

"Whitney's done a super job here. He's always been an innovative, motivated person and he's been able to connect kids to the program."

Mike Kopp was thetennis pro in 1983-84 at the age of 12. He went on to play professionally on the ATPand satellite tours and still teaches the game in New York City.

Kopp and Snyder met on a tennis court as teenagers, became doubles partners and best friends.

"We were at a tournament, he needed a doubles partner and so did I,"Kopp said. "We teamed up, won that tournament and have been tight ever since.

"When they were looking for someone to take over this program, I said I knew a guy who is enthusiastic, great with kids and has the personality to pull this off. The rest is history."

Kopp said Butler Country Club "gave me the foundation I needed to move on."

"I started a Tiny Tots program that did OK,"Kopp said. "But it was just a bud back then. Now it's a beautiful bouquet."

Knoch graduate Natalie Jenereski, entering her senior year on the Ithaca (N.Y.)College women's tennis team, is an assistant pro with Snyder's program.

She joined the club's tennis program when she was 8.

"We had something like eight kids in the junior program when it started and there's 69 now,"Jenereski said. "We broke our previous record by nine or 10. The numbers shoot up every summer."

Jenereski was among 17 current or former assistant club tennis pros on hand for Sunday's festivities.

The others included Jenny Barkley Ivory, Melissa King, Tom Bennitt, Brian Miklavic, Jessica Mulligan Altman, Chris Platt, Dyane Bilowick, Katy Trostle, Annie Succop, Doug Johnston, Melissa Jenereski, Madeline Konesni, Alisa Green, Matt Kaye, Katherine Sylvia and Ron Divers.

"A lot of these pros were on our junior team when they were little,"Snyder said. "They were some of the original 'Snyde's Kids.' There's a lifetime bond here."

Butler Country Club president Larry Baldauf agreed.

"If there's a person who is beloved at Butler Country Club, Whitney is it,"Baldauf said. "For generations now ... these kids keep coming back to see him."

Through contributions of time and money from 70 families connected to the BCCtennis program, the organization was able to install clay courts and upgrade its entire facility this year.

King, also a former junior player at the club, has been a member for 37 years.

"We have the participation and exuberance in place here to support this facility," she said. "It's only going to get stronger. Whitney has charisma and he's not afraid to step out of the box and try something different."

Johnston was an assistant pro here in 2003-04 and went on to play tennis for four years at Washington &Jefferson College.

"When we were kids, Whitney used to ask us: 'Do you want to be good or just average?' The work ethic I learned here — that was a life lesson for me."