About The Concord Area Women's Social Meetup Group

Copied from Concord Insider, 10/16/2007

Don't have plans? That's okay, because they do.

By Katie Henry
Insider staff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have some good news for all of the women in Concord: We found a whole group of ladies who are finding time in their busy schedules to hang out, and you're invited.

The Concord Area Women's Social Meetup Group is part of meetup.com, a website that brings people with common interests together. Group organizer Rayne Leavitt sums it up this way: "We are all local women very busy with families and careers that enjoy gathering just for fun and relaxation. This is supposed to be that 'me time' we so often hear is good for us."

Rayne, a systems development specialist by day, joined the group last spring. She seemed like the one in charge, so we decided to grill her on the group.

How often does the group get together? The original plan was to schedule an event every other week. Now that we have four assistant organizers, though, I see more activities being scheduled and sometimes multiple events come up on the same day. I like that, though, as it provides choices and hits a variety of people. One person may not like to hike but would be up for a craft event.

How many people usually attend an event? We've ranged from three to 14 people attending events. I can't really provide an average because the number depends on individual interest in an event and the events are so varied.

What do you do as the group organizer? I keep the calendar moving, make sure there are a variety of events to keep everyone interested; recruit assistant organizers; maintain contact with group members; post pictures, add profile questions and polls; organize the group website and settings; arrive at events early; field a lot of phone calls or e-mails when we're trying to decide if we need to cancel an event due to rain, etc.; maintain contact between members; and contact businesses if it looks like we'll have a larger group coming to make sure there is room. The previous organizer, Amy, named the group and wrote the "welcome" paragraph to the site as well.
What are some things you've done in the past? A Memorial Day cookout; several brunches; dinners at Margaritas, Hermanos, Chen Yang Li, Panera Bread and the Gas Light in Portsmouth; attended a comedy club show; crafts, such as creating stepping stones, painting pottery at You're Fired and stained glass; fundraisers, like training for the Prouty/Dartmouth 25-mile bicycle ride, participation in the SPCA's Walk for the Animals and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk; concerts, shows and museums; we meet at group members' homes for movies and/or dinner; apple picking; bowling; and quite a bit of hiking and bicycling. (Ed. - Yikes! Maybe we should have asked what they haven't done yet.) Most of these events are "girls night out" type activities, but we've had plenty of successful events that included husbands/boyfriends and/or children.

What are some of the ideas for future meet-up get togethers? The list is endless! Basically, we are all busy women with busy lives but of course we want everything and why shouldn't we have it!? I believe our current wish list includes: Boston Museum of Fine Arts; a trip to New York City around the holidays; tennis; a lot more bicycling and hiking; a wine tasting party; a local book discussion group; attending more shows; and travel. Relaxation and fun are key to anything we chose to do.

What's the best part about joining the group? During last Friday night's dinner, I posed this question to five members who were all very busy laughing and talking. This is the immediate response I heard: "Do you need to ask?" I'd say the best part about joining the group is the sense of community and friendship. We need to get out, we need to laugh and communicate, and we need to enjoy a variety of activities. We've often talked about how busy people are running between work, family and other necessary activities. The Concord Area Women's Social Group gives us a chance to "just be," and everyone needs that.

Katie Henry

Here are some of the upcoming events:

Wednesday, Oct. 17: Red River Theatre open house

Saturday, Oct. 20: Nashua Trail Ride

Friday, Oct. 26: Dinner at Hermanos

To join the group, visit meetup.com and register. Once you're signed up, you can join any group on the site. You'll get notice of events, e-mail reminders and be able to RSVP for upcoming activities.