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They are no matchmakers but they know a thing or two about making friends and having fun.
Muriel Gulliver and Odette Harvey started the Montachusett Singles two years ago. The independent group (not to be confused with the Montachusett Singles Club) meets twice a month at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Church at 1400 Main St. The group charges $3 per meeting to cover the cost of refreshments, and there are no membership fees.
"We're not a dating service," said Harvey. "We are a social organization for people age 35 and up." Their group is a venue for widows, widowers, single and divorced people to socialize with people other than their families. The group is independent, non-denominational and informal, offering activities, speakers and trips for its participants.
They have done day trips to places such as Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Salem, Keene, N.H. and Portland, Maine. Harvey said the group tries to provide inexpensive activities that keep participants involved and interested.
"We solicit ideas for activities from participants and we also come up with our own," Gulliver said.
"Getting to Know You" was an event at a recent meeting. Harvey and Gulliver, as usual, coordinated the affair, which seemed more like a game.
Participants seated in two rows facing one another took turns asking questions such as; what is your name, your place of origin, your hobbies, your favorite time of year, interesting characteristics, number of children, and what would you do with a large amount of money?
Each person had two minutes to respond. After every two minutes, the participants switched seats and repeated the same exercise with a different person.
Ten men and 17 women laughed, talked fast and on average met four people that night. The purpose of the ice-breaker was to have people approach folks they otherwise would not have because of timidity, explained Harvey and Gulliver.
"We like to do fun things; anything to get people to loosen up and talk to one another," Harvey said.
"We don't get too serious; we're not a therapy group," added Gulliver.
New people join almost every week. They see 20 to 30 people at each meeting.
Participants come from surrounding cities and towns including Townsend, Lunenburg, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Orange and Worcester.
In addition to the day trips and speakers, the group holds a variety of events including summer picnics, potluck dinners, food tasting, contests, breakfasts, movie-going and shopping.
"The idea is to give people the opportunity to find somebody to do things with, somebody they can call and go out with, instead of going alone," said Glover.
Another thing Harvey and Gulliver do is to find out if anyone in the group has no place to go for the holidays. They'll match up that person with someone in the group who can invite him or her over.
The Montachusett Singles started after Gulliver and Harvey got tired of attending other singles group. They didn't like the structured format, the formality or the annual fees, and decided it was time to do something a bit different.
The Montachusett Singles meet the second and fourth
Thursday of each month. Meetings last one or two hours, depending on the night's activity. For more information, call Odette at (978) 343-4474.
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