Victor Improvement Club

Victor Improvement Club on Hwy. 302

by Pam Merrill
It's the first Friday of the month, and as the sun is goes down, the good people of Victor pack up - their place settings and a beverage that is, as well as a homemade dish to share at the monthly Victor Improvement Club potluck supper and business meeting.

Not a particularly exclusive bunch, the Victor neighborhood also welcomes people from nearby Allyn and Belfair to their meetings, which have been held continuously since 1932 in a country clubhouse on the hillside overlooking the peaceful eastern shoreline of Case Inlet's North Bay.

Back then, life was simple enough to enable members to build their clubhouse on donated land with volunteer labor. A generous neighbor funded the $338.69 needed for lumber at zero interest. Three thousand shingles for the roof were purchased for $3.75 and within two months of the first hammer hitting a nail, the club's doors were open.

Of prime importance was the wooden dance floor, where dances were and still are held with regularity for the purpose of raising funds for worthwhile causes in need of support. In fact, dances were the primary source of income used to repay the loan for the club's construction.

On April 16, 1932, when the first dance was held in the new hall, tickets sold for 50 cents each and included supper and prizes. Eight and a half months and many dances later, the club had raised enough money to repay the entire loan for the building.

Nowadays, members of the Victor Improvement Club gather monthly on the first Friday at 6pm for a social hour, followed by a potluck supper at 7 and a business meeting at 8. Members often invite guests, who are duly noted in the minutes. Dues have risen slowly over the years from the initial 50 cents in 1932 to $12.00 annually in 2004.

During the winter, participation dwindles to about 35 with many people snowbirding to warmer climates. But as spring and summer draw near, it's not unusual for the meetings to draw upwards of 100 members again, many with children and grandchildren in tow.

Each month, two couples sign up to serve as kitchen hosts and a clean-up crew. Another woman regularly calls everyone to coordinate potluck contributions and ensure a variety of main dishes, salads and desserts. While members socialize, the kitchen hosts are setting out the food, brewing coffee and joshing with their neighbors.

Promptly at 7pm, someone rings the dinner bell and members line up on both sides of a long table loaded down with the labors of Victor's cooks. Fried chicken wings and baby meatballs, crispy spinach salads and spicy ginger cake with frosting meet the approval of every palate. The abundance is remarkable, and leftovers are few.

When the club's kitchen needed renovation, members began the fundraising process by publishing a collection of everyone's favorite recipes. Appropriately entitled "Recipes and Remembrances" the book also included a narrative of the club's early history with a sprinkling of old photos among the recipe pages. All proceeds were earmarked for the kitchen remodel, which will soon be underway.

After supper, the club gets down to business. Officers take their seats on a small stage and a child solemnly leads the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Committee chairs give their reports; including the Charity Committee which recently donated $30 for the North Mason Children's Easter Egg Hunt, $375 for 5th grade camp scholarships at Belfair Elementary, $100 to the North Mason Class of 2004 Graduation Party and another $225 to the local Boys & Girls Club.

Tonight, volunteers and donations are being sought for the annual Victor Flea Mart, traditionally held the second Saturday in June. Always popular, the sale draws people from all over Key Peninsula, reminded of the date by "Burma Shave" style signage posted along Highway 302. By 9am, the line of eager shoppers generally stretches well out into the parking lot.

Following discussion of other routine business, the evening's meeting draws to a close. "Lucky" Lance Ecklund steps up to give away the monthly jackpot, consisting of dollar bills collected upon arrival from the membership. The winner must be present, and a round of good-natured chuckling accompanies the drawing, which cycles through a few absentees before Allyn resident Ben Meservey's name is pulled from the coffee can. Ben's take is a whopping $26, which he collects with a big grin and another round of high-spirited applause.

As the meeting adjourns, the clean-up crew swings into action. By 9pm, the parking lot is empty and members of the Victor Improvement Club head for home, well-fed and nurtured once more by the company of their neighbors.

New members are always welcome. Call vice president and membership chairman Jeff Carey at 275-9744 for details.
Story and photos courtesy of Tim Wing, local realtor. Visit Tim's website at www.timwing.com.