Dora Friendly Club



The Dora Friendly Club is a rural community "ladies' club," which began over 70 years ago at a time when each little valley and settlement had a similar club. Our club has managed to survive in spite of a geographical shift, a paved road, three wars, a curtailment of logging, and the cultural change which allowed women to enter the work force.

The club held its first meeting on January 20, 1932, while the country was deep into the Great Depression. Women gathered for all day meetings, as most of them walked to the meeting places. Few women could drive, money for gas was scarce, and if a family owned a car it was needed for the man to get to work. The first by-laws stipulated that the members would gather to help the hostess with whatever chores she chose, whether it be canning, quilting, or cleaning. One of the first meetings was at the home of Wilma Bunch Shepherd; the task was carding wool. The Club set geographical limits; to be eligible for membership women had to live between what is now the Koski place (mile 18) and the Crosby Bridge (mile 12). The Dora post office was located near the Minard Riffle, where Alberta McGeorge Lynn lives, and both the Pleasant Hill School and the older Dora School were included in this six mile stretch of road.

At the time the Dora Friendly Club came into being, there was an active Grange in McKinley. The Grange included members from Sitkum, Dora, and McKinley. The Grange had a Pollyanna Club, for women's activities. The McKinley Jolly Gardeners Club began in the 1940s, and still exists, but most of its members live in town. In Sitkum, the Myrtle Leaf Club held monthly meetings and provided a social outlet for women. There was also a social club for women in Gravelford. The dates that the neighboring clubs were formed is not known, but they were in existence in the 1950s. The Gravelford Community Building has burned down, the McKinley Grange disbanded and the building is now a private residence. The Myrtle Leaf Club met on the stage at the Sitkum School gymnasium, which is now privately owned and converted into a goat barn. Membership eligibility for the Friendly Club expanded as travel became easier and other clubs closed. We are not politically correct; we don't have male members and so far no one has sued us. Of the four adjacent communities of Sitkum, Dora, Gravelford and McKinley, Dora is the only one which still has a community building.

Over the years the Dora Friendly Club has taken on many projects which are vital to the continuance of Dora as a community. The club sponsors some traditional activities which were started by the East Fork sportsmen's Club and the P.T.A., as neither of those groups is still in existence. The club scrapbook and photo collection and the P.T.A. old school photo collection are in the Dora Library; both of these collections provide historical information which is available to and helpful to family researchers. The club awards a college scholarship annually to a student from the local area. Funds are raised for the scholarship at the annual Fishermen's Breakfast. The club sponsors a community picnic, a Corn Feed, a community Christmas program, and other social events throughout the year, such as cake walks, pie auctions, and potlucks. The club has provided quilts for families who have lost their homes in fires, scholarships to 4-H camp, food for those in need, and friendship and prepared food for bereaved neighbors. Cookbooks have been compiled at least three times during the club's existence. Current committees include representatives from the East Fork Community Church, the Dora Public Library, and the Dora-Sitkum Rural Fire Department, all of which are housed in the former Dora School building.

The Dora Friendly Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month, unless too close to a holiday. Dues are $1.00 per year. Dues were fifty cents a year for 50 or 60 years, but have been increased to maintain pace with the cost of living. The hostess furnishes a hostess gift; it costs a quarter to enter the drawing for the gift. Meetings are generally at the firehall, but may be at the home of the hostess, if she prefers. Visitors are welcome. Refreshments are served at 1:00 p.m., the business meeting starts promptly at 1:30.

Dates and hostesses for 2006 are as follow:

January 17, Jan Rush
February 21, Margie Knowlton
March 21, Mapril Combs
April 18, Lorene Pearson
May 16, Linda Schwartz
June 20, annual lunch out
July 18, annual community picnic, Frona Park
August, no meeting
September 19, Lori Vaughn
October 17, Joan Hutchinson
November 14, annual soup luncheon, Betty Vaughn
December 12, Christmas gift exchange, Lila Mae Shelton and Laura Laird


Current 2006 officers are:
President: Sherri Erwin
Vice President: Mapril Combs
Co-secretaries: Joan Hutchinson and Lila Mae Shelton
Treasurer: Betty Vaughn