New Bedford's Saturday Club Is Where Unexpected Friendship Awaits

Is making friends easy for you? Whether you're shy or anxious around people you don't know, or perhaps you're outgoing and sociable, there's a club for you here in New Bedford – although you may never have heard of it.

The Saturday Club has been comprised of women from the SouthCoast for 130 years, and its sole purpose is for its members to derive pleasure from sisterhood.

"The Saturday Club is all about enjoying each others company and having a good time over a delicious dinner, followed by an interesting program, the second Saturday of the month at the beautiful Wamsutta Club," said Mary Tomasik, President of The Saturday Club.

Have a meal, get out of the house, spend some time with good friends and hear interesting speakers, all while enjoying the luxury of the Wamsutta Club? That sounds like one heck of a Saturday.

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Not that long ago, Tomasik was grief-stricken that the long-standing club may not have enough interest to continue.

"We were really thinking this is the end of it, and I just didn't want to see this die," she said. So with a sense of zero-hour determination, Tomasik spread the word to other groups, like the Ladies Guild of St. Julie Billiart Parish. Before long, the anemic number of just six remaining members started to grow, and today the club prides itself in its 37 members and continues to grow.

"We've worked really hard to get to this point," said Tomasik, who went on to describe some of the most interesting special guest speakers, like just recently, Tim Weisberg, Digital Managing Editor for WBSM and Fun 107 to talk about his research into the paranormal.

"Tim was fantastic," Tomasik said. "So much so, that we've had him twice, and the ladies all want him back again to talk about the new developments at the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River. Tim is our favorite!"

Tomasik welcomes suggestions from the general public about interesting speakers and topics – but please, no politics. One interesting presentation was something similar to PBS' Antique Roadshow. "We had a professional come by to appraise any antique or anything we brought in, and that was very interesting," Tomasik said.

Unlike other clubs, it won't cost you much to be a member, and you won't be expected to take part in fundraisers.

"We don't raise money other than our $25 yearly dues, that goes to pay for our speakers," Tomasik said. "Just come and relax and enjoy. That's what we're all about."

To contact Tomasik to find out more or to inquire about membership, email her at mctomasik@aol.com. When you think that friendships bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else, consider giving The Saturday Club a friendly whirl.

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