Pig feeds, steak nights and Sunday morning breakfasts will continue at the Loyal Order of Moose lodge in Petaluma, but the future may hold wine tastings, organic food s night and arts lectures, too.
The 95-year-old fraternal club on English Street is expanding rapidly. In the past year, 200 men and women have joined, doubling membership and mak ing the Petaluma lodge the fastest growing Moose chapter in the nation.
Women belong to the Women of the Moose and hold separate meetings, but many of their social events take place with the male Moose members.
With the average age of Moose members - male and female - well into the 60s, the lodge inevitably needed younger blood to ensure its survival.
Enter Petaluma resident John Crowley and his middle-aged group of friends.
Crowley, the Irish-born organizer of the increasingly popular Petaluma pub crawls, joined the Moose lodge a y ear and a half ago after attending several events in the cozy, wood-paneled social hall.
Following a couple of well-attended birthday and Halloween parties at the Moose, a loosely knit group of Crowley 's friends, mostly in their 30s to 50s, recognized the potential for social events at the club.
The new members were sponsored by current Moose to join the organization, and their energy, insight and experience are gradually making an impact on the fraternal group.
Parents with children in Petaluma schools, artists, musicians, business owners and professionals have paid dues and taken the Moose oath during the past year.
"I'm open-minded, but absolutely not a joiner ," Crowley said. "I saw the vision of possibilities of what you can do with this place."
Crowley's wife, Anne-Laure, and two sons, 9 and 11, join him in Moose activities.
As part of the application, prospective members must pl edge that they believe in a supreme being, have not been a member of the Communist party, and have not been convicted of a felony.
As Crowley and other new members have started participating at " Club M," as they refer to it, the activity calendar has filled up with new events, including foreign and classic movie nights, monthly concerts, family games night, acoustic open- mike sessions and a "conversation cafe" designed to spark serious discussions on current events.
A Moose lecture series is pla nned, with members giving talks related to their areas of expertise, including nutrition, Renaissance art and Petaluma's history.
Brainstorming among newer members is producing an abundance of possible activities, such as a coed softball team and even a drumming circle.
Longtime members appreciate the infusion of cash from new members' dues and look forward to renovation projects, such as new carpeting and an updated sound system and interior paint job, that are now possible because of the fattened budget. They concede, however, that the rapid influx of newcomers has changed the ambiance at the club.
When Dominic Pereira joined 35 years ago, membership was about 500, but in the past 15 years, it' s taken a nose dive, he said.
Pereira, a third-generation Moose, is supportive of the younger families' energetic ideas but said it was a little "confusing" with so many new people coming to the club.
"The reputation was as an old men's drinking club, " he said. "Typically it was like an old folks thing, but now it's like a mix."
Pereira said most of the longtime members are retired and raised their children in Petaluma.
"The club is a place to go, and people like the laid -back country charm. And it's dirt cheap," he said. "We're not upper glaze. We're like blue collar or upper blue collar. We don't have the president of Bank of America here."
Bea Gaffney, a Petaluma native, has been active in the Moose club for years and considers the new members a worthwhile boost. She' s participated in the conversation cafe and likes the opportunity to discuss local issues.
Gaffney is optimistic new members will start to volunteer, especially with cooking, and said the six meals served each week are an important aspect of the Moose lodge.
"We try to service people's needs on a fixed income, " she said.
The Moose organization is a private nonprofit group, and its officers carefully adhere to rules of its agreement with the Internal Revenue Service. A portion of dues goes to the Moose International organization in Illinois, which supports Mooseheart, a residential home for children, and Moosehaven, a retirement community in Florida.
Both the Women of the Moose and the men's lodge participate in community service projects to support the national programs as well as to raise mone y to support club functions and upkeep.
Membership in the Moose lodge for men is $50 annually, and the Women of the Moose charge $20. For more information, call 782-0475.
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