Nancy Nelson, of Westminster, used to run into other Carroll Countians when she drove to Pennsylvania and Baltimore for singles dances.
It was 1981 and if Carroll County singles wanted to hang out with other singles, bars were their only option.
With tons of college students, “the bar scene can be uncomfortable,” said Nelson, who was a 40-year-old divorcee at the time. “It can be awkward to meet other singles there, especially if you aren?t a drinker or a smoker.”
So she launched Carroll?s first singles club.
Through word of mouth, she advertised the inaugural dance, and 70 people showed up.
“There was a hunger for it,” she said.
Now, a quarter century and hundreds of friendships and marriages later, Sunday Singles is celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend and continues to draw singles from throughout the Baltimore region, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The group is also holding a reunion Nov. 11 for everyone who has dropped in and out of the club over the years.
And, even if each week?s turnout has fluctuated over the years with the advent of online dating, countless relationships, both romantic and platonic, have flourished during the cha-cha, Electric Slide and waltz.
The dances are open to anyone 21 and older, but typically draw 40- to 60-year-olds.
The club also has organized hay rides, car rallies, whitewater rafting and roller-skating.
“I would like to get married and find a connection, sure. But in the meantime, I?m really into dancing,” said club Vice President John Van Brunt, 67.
Peggy Stultz, 71, of Westminster, said plenty of people, like her, attend the dances without the intent of finding lifelong partners — although many have.
“They got stupid and got married,” she said with a chuckle.
