2023 Fall Issue

Actively Seeking Friends
18
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
They walked a good walk—a lap or two or
three around Park Lake in Rockaway—
and talked a good talk—lots of chatter about
a recent Mega Millions jackpot.
This was just a typical Sunday meetup
for Outdoor Single Friends (OSF, for short).
Founded and certified in October 1991, the
group caters to single, divorced and widowed
individuals who value friendship and fitness,
order irrelevant. To date, the meetup group
boasts 66 members ranging in age from 60
and up and is always open to welcoming new
faces.
“This is not a dating club or counseling
group,” said OSF President Pat Bilancia, though
there have been a handful of marriages, as a
result. “We’re just single people who want to
do outdoor things.”
Pat Leili of Hopatcong, 84, has been with
the group almost since its beginning. “I
joined six months after it started in 1991,”
she said. “I made absolutely great friends and
experienced a new way of life.”
The club meets six to seven months out of
the year, holding meetings at Camp Jefferson
where members can present ideas. There is a
fully operational board, on which Leili serves
as an advisor.
A retired nurse and grandmother of six, she
jokes that her grandchildren have to make an
appointment to see her.
“There’s always somebody to do something
with,” she said.
Longtime member Emily Mee, 86, of
Morris Plains, joined in 1998 after she became
widowed and learned about the club through
another member.
“I’ve made a lot of friends and there were
people there in the same boat as I was, being
a widow.”
Throughout her nearly three decades with
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2023
the group, she has witnessed and experienced
a communal aging process, as members have
entered different phases of life. “We used to
hike a lot when we were younger but now,
we walk,” she said. “But it’s been a really great
club. It’s a way of life.”
A retired accountant, Mee, of Morris Plains,
uses her skills by serving on the club’s board
as treasurer.
Bilancia, the president, attributes the
club’s longevity to having a dedicated board
and organizational structure. There’s even a
printed monthly newsletter with a calendar
of events.
Twenty-five dollars in annual dues affords
club members a consistent, active schedule,
including a walk/hike on the first Sunday of
each month—such as the recent one at Park
Lake—four summer picnics, planned outings
such as apple picking in September and an
upcoming lunch in November at Sally Lunn’s
Tea House in Chester.
After the walk at Park Lake, the group went
to refuel at Hibernia Diner, then headed
back to the Park Lake gazebo to tune into an
outdoor concert performed by Jersey Girls. A
full day for anyone of any age.
Throughout the year, the club also offers
themed get-togethers, particularly around
the seasonal
holidays. These
include dressing up
for Halloween, a
Thanksgiving feast,
a holiday party and
more. Over the
years, the club has
also traveled longdistance
both in and
out of the country.
“Last summer we
spent five days at a
dude ranch,” Mee
added.
Left to right: Judy Carbone plays Jenga with club members
at a 2022 event at Montville Township Community Park.
Mia Breazna, Brace Huron and Emily Mee pose for a
photo while attending Christmas in the Village in 2022.
(Photos courtesy of Judy Walsh.) Members of the group during
a Sunday morning walk at Park Lake in Rockaway.
It’s all about coming together and organizing
to make things happen.
“You can bring up any idea to the board,”
said Bilancia.
Just ask Brace Huron of Quarryville, the
club’s hike coordinator, who was responsible
for the Sunday walk at Park Lake.
Huron came aboard in 2006 after reading
about the meetup in a newspaper. A former
resident of Oak Ridge, he was previously
involved in a club at Bowling Green Golf Club
geared toward business professionals over 40.
When that club disbanded and he saw the
listing for Outdoor Single Friends, he noticed
the phone number was the same. The club
had rebranded itself.
Having recently ended a relationship that
would have become long-distance, Huron
made the transition with ease.
“I’ve enjoyed the friendships, the hikes and
the meals,” he said.
Despite the single in Outdoor Single Friends,
the club isn’t just for those flying solo.
Joyce Spinelli and Walter Zarzycki paired
up before joining the group and are active
members to date.
A widow, Spinelli found out about the club
through a friend in another singles group that
they were both involved in. In a six degrees of
separation situation, Spinelli was introduced
to Zarzycki through another friend who urged
her to tell him about her outdoor single’s club.
Some members of the club pose for a photo at Park Lake.