The ace of clubs
Gleneden Beach Community Club offers fun, fellowship and more
By Linda Turner Griepentrog
For The TODAY
Some people move to the coast to kick back, relax and do nothing. But if you live in the Gleneden Beach area, there are myriad tempting reasons to visit Gleneden Beach Community Hall.
The building was completed in 1949 and since then, the place has been increasingly hopping with all kinds of goings-on. At 3,000 square feet with a commercial kitchen, the building is home to the Gleneden Beach Community Club, which offers events to attract locals and visitors. Many are free, and club members receive a discount on some activities.
The non-profit club has a board of directors for oversight, and there are numerous working committees. It is supported by memberships and funds raised from special events.
Pancake breakfasts, usually held the first Sunday of each month, are a major area attraction that have been going on for more than 20 years. Last fall, the club served its 30,000th meal. On the menu are all-you-can-eat pancakes; scrambled eggs, sausage or ham, orange juice and assorted hot beverages. In addition to the tasty food, there are also book and puzzle sales.
One recent breakfast featured Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies as guest servers, while another saw the Girl Scouts come to sell cookies. This year, the July breakfast will move from Sunday to Thursday to attract the Independence Day holiday crowds.
“It can get a little crazy on the fourth,” breakfast chairperson Mary Ann Phillips said. “But it’s so fun to welcome visitors to our community.”
If you’re a competitive type, the club offers a free game night on the last Thursday of the month, with board games, dice games and card games available for play and snacks for sustenance.
For social butterflies, there are numerous events throughout the year from pet parades to Bingo nights, themed potlucks and a giant community garage sale.
To keep brains from getting rusty, there’s a slate of educational presentations, with topics ranging from cannabis and offshore energy to K-9 officers, plant-based diets and Medicare. And to keep bodies in shape, there’s a twice-weekly chair yoga class.
The makers among us can opt for occasional craft days, with topics like rock painting, sip and paint, creating terrariums and holiday wreath making.
The club also offers help with some of the stark realities of living at the coast. The emergency preparedness committee, headed by Kathy Follett, offers monthly tips for all kinds of disaster readiness, from earthquakes and tsunamis to wildfires and power outages. In addition, this group is responsible for maintaining an emergency cache.
“We want our community members to be prepared for any type of disaster,” Follett said. In addition, the committee also sponsors educational sessions, on topics like how to create a go bag or how to prepare financially for a disaster.
Holidays are a big deal for club members. In addition to the notable Independence Day breakfast, look for themed special-occasion parties, a huge community Trunk or Treat kids’ event and a ghoulish adult Halloween party. The annual November Holiday Market features items handmade by local artists.
As stewards of the community, the club supports local charities year-round, from the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and Shop with a Cop program, to the major recipient of breakfast tips and donations — the Lincoln County Food Pantry.
With an older building, there’s always a need for repairs and the club holds raffles, silent auctions or other fund-raising drives to raise money for the expenses. This year’s effort will focus on redoing the both restrooms, with events including a May 25 dinner and silent auction event jokingly being called “Lasagna for the Loo.”
The Gleneden Beach Community Club is located at 110 Azalea Street. For more information, go to glenedenbeach.org.
Upcoming events
March 19: Beachcombing at the Oregon Coast
March 30: Pet Parade
April 13: Potato Bar/Salad Bar Potluck
April 16: Behind the Scenes at Oregon Coast TODAY
April 20: Community Garage Sale
May 21: Ways to Wellness
May 25: Annual Lasagna Dinner and Silent Auction Fund-raiser
June 18: Gabbing with a Geek