Golden Age Club

November 28, 1967 a group of people interested in organizing a senior citizen club met at the Legion Hall in Cooperstown.  The history of senior citizens clubs and the role that North Dakota Lutheran Welfare was playing in its statewide project was explained.

The club received $300 from Lutheran Welfare to launch a senior citizen club.  Officers were elected and there were eleven charter members, five still living.  Golden Age Club was the name chosen.  By-laws were drawn up but the club was not incorporated until June 30, 1975.

A scrapbook was started and has been kept up to date of pictures and special events.  A gavel from Norway was presented to the club by a couple of the club members who brought it back from a visit to Norway.

Contributions, memorials and other gifts have been received from the members as well as the public.

Over the past years the club had many activities

Christmas, Halloween, Mothers and Fathers Day, Easter, and Valentine parties, tours, picnics, bake sales, hobby shows, and booths at fair.  The club observed older American month of May, honored its charter members at special party, visited other senior citizen clubs, taken part with floats in parades, had special birthday observances and decorated cakes for members' 90th birthdays, attended conventions.

Many outsiders gave their time to come to the club to entertain.  The Legion Hall, City Hall and Sons of Norway were the meeting places, before the Senior Citizens Center, located on Main Street, was acquired.

A countywide senior citizens mill levy was passed in 1978 and was used as a matching fund for a government grant for the purpose of buying this building.  A building committee was in charge with a few volunteers that started renovating this building the winter of 1978-79.  The members of the club officially used the building for the first time at their meeting May 7, 1979 and the grand opening was held May 30, 1979 with 175 attending.

At present there are sixty-one members.  The center is open five days a week from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Source: Cooperstown, North Dakota 1882-1982 Centennial Page 236