Singles Clubs Connect People Looking for People

The focus of Valentine’s Day is on sweethearts, lovers and couples. But what if you are looking for that someone to complete you?

You can look no further than a nearby singles club.

Clubs bring singles together in a variety of ways, whether it’s through mutual interests such as skiing, golf and cooking; via ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations and careers; or by age.

One of the most successful clubs, considering its longevity, is the St. Charles Singles Club. In its 35th year, the club boasts 225 members from 45 suburbs. Billed as a club for singles 40 and older, the club offers four to five events a week, such as pinochle nights, movie nights and Saturday breakfasts; but the main events are its dances, which are held the second and fourth Monday of the month.

Club President Don Tedeschi said the club was founded in 1977, when life was changing in America. In 1975, the number of divorces totaled more than 1 million for the first time in the country’s history. “There were a lot of divorces and a lot of people found themselves single. Most singles groups met in Chicago, and people wanted to do something in the western suburbs. A lot of events were held on Fridays and Saturdays, so we picked Monday.“

Thirty-five years later, the dance floor is full, Tedeschi said, with about 100 people. “We give lessons before each dance,” he said. Beginner lessons are given at 6:30 p.m.; intermediate lessons, at 7 p.m. and dances start at 7:30 p.m. The club is not a ballroom dancing club, he said, but it focuses on dances in which “two people hold each other and dance together.”

Dances are held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 4070 E. Main St., St. Charles. Admission is $6 for club members; $10 for non-members. Cash bar available. One interesting note: married couples may take the lessons and attend the dances. But they wear a different color wristband. Check the club’s website or call 630-340-6647 for more information.

The U. S. Census Bureau tallied nearly 400 national dating services as of 2007. These national establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed 3,125 people and pulled in $928 million in revenue, Census figures showed. Two of the most well known services are Match.com and eHarmony.com.

It’s not so easy for boy to meet girl, as they rush by each other during the course of daily life. So in the late 1990s Rabbi Yaacov Deyo and his wife, Sue, developed the concept of Speed Dating, a round robin of seven-minute “dates” where an equal number of men and women take turns meeting each other, talking  and deciding if they want to see each other again without the angst and awkwardness of first dates. In a National Public Radio interview, Rabbi Deyo explained the rules, which direct the participants to talk about themselves, not their jobs. Today, the concept has spread around the country and abroad.   

One company which follows the Speed Dating model, Date & Dash, is inviting 30 to 40 potential daters to , 780 Village Center Dr., Burr Ridge, for two events at 8 p.m. March 15: one for men, 25-35 and women, 22-32, and the other for men 36-46, and women, 33-43. Reservations are necessary. Go to its website. Date & Dash picks hot night spots for its events, and holds them periodically throughout the western suburbs.

Gourmet Connections, part of Chicago Singles, “is a suburban Chicago-based group dedicated to helping singles to meet, interact and socialize in a friendly, positive environment,” according to its website. Its next dinner party will be held Saturday, Feb. 10 in Naperville. For more information, click here. Each weekend, Gourmet Connections hosts dinner parties and social events to bring singles together to enjoy food, wine, dancing, conversation and camaraderie.

To find a singles club close to you, do an Internet search for an organization you can feel comfortable trying.