Meetup Mania
Within a 50-mile radius of Butler, a Web site has documented 125 secular freethinkers, 269 raw food enthusiasts, 118 punk rock parents and 50 full moon meditators.
The privately run social groups are called meetups, and 200 are listed near Butler on an Internet site called meetup.com.
Designed to unite like-minded folks, the international portal allows viewers to designate their social interests as well as desired ZIP code area. Typing in that criteria will produce a list of groups available.
A simple query of all groups will result in options from parenting to pugs. In the same proximity, for instance, one band of 386 "patriots" continues to support Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty, and 93 belly dancers get together to "practice and jam."
"It's great because of the social circle it opens up," said Yvonne McAvoy of Evans City, organizer of a group called the Western Pennsylvania Female Sport Bike Group.
McAvoy and five other members met at a Cranberry Starbuck's on Sept. 26 to ride their motorcycles and eat lunch.
Even though the group is new this year, the women conversed like familiar friends. Sipping lattes in the parking lot, their talk ranged from economizing space in their saddle bags to displeasure over helmet hair."Except you: You've got great hair," said Blanche Jackson of Meridian, complimenting McAvoy's smooth, blonde style."Why, thank you. I just Pantened," she replied.Although Foxburg was set as the lunch destination, plans changed with a hint of drizzle. The women decided to "keep it local" to avoid extended time in a possible downpour."It hurts to ride in the rain," said Jackson, who several days earlier attended a different kind of meetup.Fellow biker Sara Alcantara of Butler Township, who also attended Sunday's ride, had invited Jackson to a meetup hosted by The Butler/Cranberry TownshipMoms Meetup Group, to which Alcantara also belongs.Attending as a guest with her granddaughter, Jackson joined about 12 of the group's 55 members at Butler Gymnastics Club in Butler Township, where the mothers and one father helped preschool-aged children through a variety of activity courses and games."We love the group. It keeps us mommies sane," said Jenn O'Brien of Butler Township, attending with her 2-year-old daughter McKenna.In addition to a mom's night out, O'Brien described hayrides, field trips, craft activities and a book club among the multiple outings each week.
For Bev Harris, joining the meetup with her 1-year-old daughter Brianna was a way to make friends after moving to Butler last year.But like many members, Harris discovered the online community through word-of-mouth."I had never heard of meetups before," she said, describing how a friend suggested exploring the site.Cassie Seth of Butler Township discovered the community online, but only because a friend's Web page introduced the concept."A lot of the same moms go to a lot of the activities," said Seth, attending with her son Brycen, 2, and her 5-month-old daughter Arianna."I try to go to as much as I can. This is the second (event) I've been to this week."Though not members of a meetup group, Donna Mack and Ken Jae also discovered meetups online. Looking for wine-related activities, a Google search led the Pittsburgh couple to Slippery Rock last weekend, where the Pittsburgh International Food, Languages and Cultures Group hosted a grape festival at a downtown restaurant.Slippery Rock resident Mark Fleis is the assistant organizer for that meetup group, which often plans outings to see foreign films. Fleis belongs to seven other meetup groups, including The Pittsburgh Dog Meetup Group; The Fun, Food and Friendship Club; The Pittsburgh Entrepreneur Meetup; The Pittsburgh Raw Food Meetup Group; The Pittsburgh Social Networking Group; The Pittsburgh Vegan Meetup; and the Pittsburgh Wine Meetup Group.
Although most who attended the grape festival were lured by the theme of wine, Trina Hess of Clarion County was there to do a standup routine but also hoped to network with guests."I'm looking for small business groups or women's entrepreneurship groups," saidHess, who would like to segue from performing in comedy clubs toward corporate event and banquet entertaining."A lot of people who do meetups events, they're good people to know," she said.The Web site's screens are filled with information including group location, membership size, meetup topics and ratings.Some sites publicize member profiles; others opt to keep them private.As well as showing upcoming activities, the sites list past activities with attendance numbers and comments.After Sunday's sport bike ride, a member named Tanya wrote, "Great ride, not too long, just right and the weather held up!""Had a wonderful time! Can't wait to do it again," wrote Blanche.Although using the site is free and convenient, volunteer organizers pay $19 a month to maintain a group on the meetup portal.
Because of that expense, waiting lists can be found on the main site. The lists contain screen names and e-mail addresses of people who would like to join groups not yet formed in their neighborhoods."Finally, I got tired of waiting and just started it myself,' McAvoy said of the women's sport bike group, which formed in February.To help offset the monthly cost, McAvoy said several members chip in voluntarily. And some organizers suggest a small donation for attending each event.Aside from the outlay of cash, McAvoy spends time organizing the outings, nine of which were posted last month. Those included a picnic in Pittsburgh, to which all meetup groups were invited.Even with help from assistant organizers, she estimates spending three to four hours a week on administrative duties, which continue in the offseason."We met all winter," she said. "Everybody would come, because we miss riding."In the case of many meetups, including Butler/Cranberry TownshipMoms, individual members contribute by planning and hosting events themselves."Anybody in a group can host it," said Seth, citing a recent pool party held at her house."You can also put a cap on attendance," she noted.But many like McAvoy and Seth describe the effort as rewarding."I would never have met half of these women without this group," she said.Harris agrees."The support system has just been incredible — being a new mom and not having family around," she said."Aside from that, it's friendship."
These meetup groups are listed within 25 miles of the 16001 ZIP code on www.meetup.com.• The Butler Knitting Meetup Group• Butler County Ron Paul 2008 Meetup Group• The Butler/Cranberry Township Moms Meetup Group• Cranberry Township Democrats• Cranberry Township Mike Huckabee for President 2008 Meetup Group• The Cranberry Bicycling Group• Business Networking in North Hills/Cranberry Area• Craft Chat• Pittsburgh Democracy for America Group• The Fun, Food and Friendship Club• Pittsburgh International Food, Languages and Cultures Group• The Wexford Ballroom Dancing Meetup Group• The Wexford French Language Meetup• North Pittsburgh All Breed Dog Lovers Playgroup• We Are Change Pittsburgh• The Pittsburgh Single Parents Meetup Group• Memorial Park Church Mission Steering Team• New Kensington Area Truth Awareness Group• Running for our Lives• North Hills New and Expecting Parents Meetup• The Pittsburgh Raw Food Meetup Group• Pittsburgh Secular Freethinkers• The North Hills Board Games Meetup• The Pittsburgh Pilot's Meetup Group• Health4Wealth in Pittsburgh• The Original Pittsburgh Area Poker Meetup Group• Mothers of McCandless• The Beaver County "Campaign For Liberty" Meetup Group• Beaver County Pagans and Paranormal• The Pittsburgh Full Moon Meditation Group
