Airdrie’s Over 50 Club has come a long way since it started operation in 1968, when 33 members first began gathering as the Over 60 Club in the library at George McDougall High School. “Their activities included watching films provided by local people, playing cards, visiting and having lunch in the school’s home economics room, and they paid 25 cents for coffee,” said Jan Bowhay, a 30-year member of the club. “The first year, they enjoyed a trip to St. George’s Island [in Calgary] and a Christmas party.” Members of the current-day club came together Oct. 24 for a wine and cheese event to celebrate 50 years and share stories about the club’s history. The club was formalized in 1970, according to Bowhay – club directors were elected, and membership was set at $1. The name was changed to the Over 50 Club, she said, to attract more members. With a membership of more than 320 members, the club has a permanent clubhouse at the Airdrie Town and Country Centre (T&C), where it has met since that facility opened in 1977. Throughout the years, Bowhay said, club members have provided volunteer support to other organizations. “From October to May, during a 10-year span from 1977 until 1987, volunteers…manned the unheated coat-check area at the T&C, during events at the big hall,” she said. “For some functions, the time commitment was from 5 p.m. until 1 or 3 a.m., with many a crib game being played to pass the time.” Volunteers from the club have also provided bar-tending services to the Airdrie Curling Club in the past, and they continue to help at blood donor clinics. But the Over 50 Club is not finished growing – the executive has been holding meetings with the City and other clubs and organizations, to investigate finding a larger space for members to meet and enjoy the various activities the club is known for, according to president Myrtle Brewster. “A new location would mean sharing a facility with another entity to make it affordable and would be a larger space,” she said. “We would like to expand our programs; we don’t have opportunities for new programs to start and develop.” Current members – most of whom are over 65 years of age – pay $30 a year and can participate in one or all of the 19 activities the club offers – shuffleboard, bridge, ballroom dancing, knitting and crochet, to name just a few. More information about the Airdrie Over 50 Club is available on its website.
