First of all, we’d like to welcome all of the new members who signed up both at the Open House and during the summer. For those who had guests/potential members who couldn’t make the open house, guys can join at any time during the year; just have them fill out the application on the website, pay the dues and you’re good to go! That goes for junior members as well.

Now that summer is behind us, events of all kinds are coming up fast and furious, and here is a list of those in the order of their occurrence:

Montclair Salvation Army Most Good 5K Run/Walk (Saturday, September 24th, 8am)
The Montclair Salvation Army is one of the core charities that the Club supports and here is a golden opportunity to support an organization that provides tremendous services to our community. This 5K Run/Walk takes place in Brookdale Park on the morning of Saturday, September 24th. To sign up, here are the event details: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Bloomfield/TheMostGood5KBloomfield
Everyone who signs up will get a free Commonwealth Club Cares t-shirt to wear during the event.
Event Date: Saturday September 24, 2022; Start Time: 8:00am EDT; End Time: 11:55pm EDT
Price: $25.00 Race Fee + $3.00 SignUp Fee
Registration: Registration ends September 23, 2022 at 11:59pm EDT

80’s Dance Party (Saturday, September 24th)
The very first Commonwealth 80’s Dance Party will be held on Saturday, September 24th, from 7:00 to 11:00, brought to you by the Women of Bowling, who make up the women’s bowling league that competes on Monday nights (rumor has it that they are looking for a few new bowlers to join their ranks). Dust off your 80’s unisex outfits, tease up your hair, and pull out those dancing shoes that made you so impressive at Studio 54. The Commonwealth dance floor is newly polished and we’ll have a DJ spinning the best 80’s dance music. $30 per person, includes wine, beer, and specialty drinks. Ladies, there’s no such thing as too much mousse in your hair, and lots of gold chains on the guys. Friends and family are very welcome.

Commonwealth Club Work Day for the Brookdale Park Conservancy (Saturday, October 1st)
The Brookdale Park Conservancy is led by our own Yardbird, Don McLaughlin and he has created a project exclusively for CC Members and their family members. It’s an outdoor work day and those members who participate will get a free Commonwealth Cares T-shirt to wear during the event, so let me know if you will be helping out, at jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com so that I know how many shirts to bring. Here’s the deal: Our planned project day is Sat, October 1st. The Conservancy will provide tools, water, and snacks for the crew. We can provide work gloves too, but in this day and age people often prefer to bring their own. This is a great community action opportunity for our membership, so let’s have a great turnout.

Craft Beer Thirsty Thursday (October 6th)
Our first Thirsty Thursday of the season will be Craft Beer Night on Thursday, October 6th from 7:00 to 11:00. We will be serving the best of the best craft beers from breweries in VT, MA, NY, and NJ. If you love GREAT beer, this is the Thirsty Thursday for you. Beers from Alchemist and Frost Breweries (VT), Tree House Brewery (MA), and KCBC Brewery (Brooklyn), to name just a few. Entry is free and beers offered by the can will be available at cost. Light food. Invite your friends to join and show off the club.

Commonwealth Family BBQ (October 9th)
Those of you that have attended our annual Commonwealth BBQ know that our Club Pit Masters prepare a variety of fantastic foods. Whole roasted pig, brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, dogs and burgers, chili, baked beans and excellent side dishes, to name a few. While it’s not particularly Vegan-friendly, the food is guaranteed to be incredibly good. Beer, wine and cocktails will be available, along with live music. It’s a real family event, so bring your entire family and your friends. The BBQ will be held on Sunday, October 9th. The entry cost has not been established yet, but it’s always a tremendous bargain. More details to follow.

CC Fall Golf Outing (Thursday, October 27th)
Thursday, October 27th, is our Fall club outing, this time at lovely Preakness Valley Golf Club in Wayne. Members are encouraged to bring guests, so if you want to play, let me know at jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com or 646-591-2008.
We are hoping that we get at least the 60 golfers we need for a shotgun start, and our group tee times start at 12pm. Cost is $100 per golfer, which includes golf, cart, lunch, prizes and two drink tickets. There will be a box lunch served before the round and prizes will be given out at the end, obviously.
This is a really nice course (I played there Monday) and it should be another epic outing, so let’s start collecting names!

We have a new Entertainment Chairman, James Cousins and an ambitious slate of events scheduled throughout the year. We are always looking for people to help us to put these events on as volunteers and, of course, participants. Also, we are always looking for fresh ideas for events that might be a good fit for our merry band and their families, so if you have an idea, let’s hear it!