In 2023, if you are 50 and over, single, and in search of a mate, options abound with dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble. But you might be wondering what mature singles did in the mid 20th century to find love. If you lived in Bremerton you could join a club, specifically a singles club that typically included dues, dinners, and monthly meetings. The Jolly Club was such a place.
Top row: Slim, Nellie, Clara, Art
Front row: Edith, Ed, Vada, Mr. Roberts
While the group rules state that it is “Not a Matrimonial Club”, this rule was apparently broken as evidenced by the adjacent picture with a full-suited man kneeling on a pillow proposing with extended hands.
Written by KHM Volunteer, Robert Reynolds
The Jolly Club, with a motto of “Fun For All and All for Fun”, was started in 1949 consisting of aged 50 and over singles with “good moral character”. These clean minded singles, with names such as Slim, Nellie, Clara, and Mona met monthly at the Independent Order of Oddfellows Hall (I.O.O.P) at 319 S. Wycoff for food, dancing, and Bingo. At a typical meeting, dinner was at 2PM provided by the “ladies” with a .75 fee charged for men ($9.23 dollars today!). A business meeting soon followed which included jokes, readings, poems, skits, and slides with cards and Bingo winding up the night.