By Kevin Hanson
The Courier-Herald
The Wilkeson Eagles will celebrate 100 years of service to the community during the coming week, and club members are inviting the town to join the festivities.
It's a landmark occasion for Aerie 1409, which has seen its fair share of ups and downs since incorporating in 1906.
Just as the community has experienced boom-and-bust cycles, so have the Eagles, who are riding high on a recent wave of success.
At one time, the club boasted almost 500 members when the town counted an official population of 365. Lodge membership fell out of favor, to a point five years ago when there were only 90 active members.
But then some younger members became interested, word of a renewed Eagles Club spread, and membership boomed. Today, the club has a roster of about 380.
“We never focused on a membership drive,” club president Ted Cournoyer said.
Instead, new members have been attracted by the group's willingness to help the community while still having fun and not taking things overly seriously. Eagles sponsor the annual egg hunt, offer a Christmas party for kids and have helped Carbonado students with their eighth-grade trip.
But it's the unanticipated events where the Eagles have shined. Benefits have been put together for those in need, like the local couple who lost nearly everything in a fire. The Eagles put together a benefit dinner/auction that raised nearly $12,000.
Club member Bill Ostlund said the group has raised almost $190,000 during the past four years for area families in need.
Now, on the verge of their centennial celebration, the Eagles are ready for eight days of fun. Some events are limited to club members, but activities open to the public include:
€ Saturday: An open house, vintage car and motorcycle show and barbecue cook-off, all beginning at 1 p.m. A free chicken dinner will be provided. Anyone can provide their own ingredients to enter the cook-off.
€ Tuesday: There will be a community picnic from 4 p.m. until dark. Families should provide their own food, but there will be free root beer floats, plus pick-up games of horseshoes and volleyball.
€ The club will host an open house, with tours of the building, Friday, Sunday, Aug. 17 and Aug. 18.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com.
