North Valley Eagles celebrate 30 years here

North Valley Eagles of Columbia Falls will celebrate its 30th anniversary this month. The fraternal organization was originally chartered in Columbia Falls on Feb. 28, 1983, but the organization nationwide dates back 116 years.

The Eagles was founded in February 1898 by six theater owners gathered in a Seattle shipyard to discuss a musician’s strike. After addressing the matter, they agreed to bury the hatchet and form a group called The Order of Good Things.

As numbers grew, members selected the bald eagle as the official emblem and changed the name to The Fraternal Order of Eagles. The women’s auxiliary traces its roots to 1927.

“We’re a social club,” Columbia Falls president Jay Beranek said.

The club meets twice a month and operates a bar and kitchen on the U.S. 2 strip next to Western Building Center.

“A lot of people don’t even know we’re here,” she said.

More than 100 men and 80 women are members of the local club. The bar is open to the public, and people can join the club by being sponsored by two members and paying annual dues of $35.

The club is a non-profit and raises money for charities of its choice. This year, the goal is to raise more than $5,000 for the Montana Hope Project, which supports children with terminal diseases and their families. The club is also raising funds for the Samaritan House in Kalispell, a homeless shelter, Beranek said.

Beranek’s father, Dave, is the club’s vice chairman and her daughter, Porsche, is the chaplain.

The organization was recently given a commemorative flag that was flown at the International Security Assistance Force command base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Jay’s brother is stationed there with the Army and arranged to have the flag flown in recognition of the club’s charitable work.

“Our motto is ‘People helping people’,” Jay said.

She said she’s always enjoyed being a volunteer and helping folks, and the club is an extension of that service.