Whoa, flashbacks!

I have become a member of the Polish Club. I say that because it's never been something I planned to do. The local Polish Club, ie Polish American Citizen's Club, has a growing membership and is gaining popularity among a younger group of people. So it has become very active. They now have country music concerts, ping pong tournaments, and free lunches on Saturdays in the winter. And it's always crowded.

But that's not why I joined. My husband is now a director and he thought I might enjoy going to a wine tasting he was organizing. Mostly women were signing up to find a chardonnay suitable for the growing number of women members. So he bought me a membership.

I remember the Polish Club of my youth as a place for old men to hang out to smoke and drink beer. Every Friday in the summer there was a polka dance with a live band and my dad, who was a polka dj, had a one hour remote broadcast from the dance. My friends & I sold soda at the dances to raise money for the uniforms we needed as the baton twirling contingent of the Polish American Veterans group that marched in several parades each summer. Parades in the local small towns are pretty scarce now. Polka dances are becoming pretty scarce as well.

So as the Polish Club of my youth considers whether to close its doors due to an aging and dwindling membership, the Polish Club of my maturity continues to grow and prosper. My husband is attempting to bring back polka dances (it is a Polish club after all) with the first one happening next month. And as a member I'll be at the front door collecting the $2 admission fee. Deja vu.