Members of the Bay Men’s Club and their children volunteered on a beautiful Fall morning to rake the leaves and clean the yards of needy Bay Village residents.

The group raked the leaves at the homes of 16 residents, community members who were judged in need of assistance by the city’s Department of Community Services.

Left to right: Eric Eakin, Peter Gierosky, Alex Burlingame, Bill McCoy

Bay Men’s Club members recently marched in the city’s homecoming parade, the city’s largest parade of the year. Members distributed candy to the throngs of children (and adults) lining the parade route and greeted well-wishers.

John Underation, Anne Stanton, John Stanton, Kelly Underation

Cindy and Russ Dezember, Jim and Colleen Cook

The BMC LuWow on Aug. 27 kicked ass.

The weather was perfect, the food was very good and abundant, the beer and wine were plentiful, the shirts (and muu muus) loud, and the camaraderie was infectious.

Through the hard work of a dedicated group of volunteers, the club raised around $7,000 for it’s scholarship fund.

About 140 tickets were sold.

Big winner of the $1,000 raffle was Rennie Egger, wife of Plain Dealer publisher Terry. (Hers was the last number drawn, although she split the pot with holders of the last five number drawn, as was done with the reverse raffle).

Winner of the loudest shirt contest was Rick Nader, who took home a $50 gift card to Fahrenheit and a $10 gift card to B Spot.

Offered were about 28 silent auctions items, from getaway vacation packages to Indians club seats to restaurant gift certificates to a basket of booze contributed by the BMC board.

Huge thanks to John Underation and his wife, Kelly. John drove this LuWow bus: he chaired meetings, sold tickets and kept track of all the tickets sold, set up and ran the raffles, provided a sound system and all the music we enjoyed, acted as event emcee, kept track of a hundred little details over the past months and pulled this thing together expertly.

Huge thanks to Kelly Brewer and his wife, Dianna, who both worked like dogs for weeks to gather, haul and erect tents and tables; provide cornhole games and keep track of the tournament; provide additional tables and linens for the tables, and tons of other details that made this event a success.

Huge thanks to Dominic and Emily Giovannazzo for the donation of two big-ticket silent-auction items and lots of help; Wayne Douglas for his tireless guidance and benevolence; and Dave Blevins and John Stanton for all they contributed.

Thanks also to Jim Bish, our booze connection, for cutting the club a deal on some great libations. (Those who did not attend: Ha ha, we enjoyed a keg of Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold.)

Thanks, also, to anyone who helped in whatever small way to pull this event together. It was through their efforts that the club will be able to recognize and award future scholars who deserve it.

BMC members Pete Winzig, Richard Dolbeer, Mike Thies, Mike Lieske, Mike Stockdale, Eric Eakin and George Kokar man the BMC booth at Bay Days.

Members of the Bay Men’s Club served more than 1,200 bottles of water, 130 pizzas and yards of Subway subs to attendees at Bay Days 2011, raising money for the club’s scholarship program.

The four-day event culminated in a Fourth of July celebration under perfect skies.

More than 50 BMC members manned the booth during the celebration of freedom. All have been invited to a thank-you picnic held by the club president in honor of their volunteerism.

Alex Burke, John Stanton and Elizabeth Keating

The Bay Village Men’s Club has awarded scholarships to Bay High seniors Elizabeth Keating and Alex Burke.

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of grade point average and a demonstrated need for assistance, Scholarship Chairperson John Stanton said.

Keating, a member of the National Honor Society, was active in the Drama Club, Young Life, track team and ski club. She will be attending the University of Dayton.

Burke, a member of the National Honor Society, was a member of the Science Club for two years, the Academic Challenge Team for four years, and played on the baseball team for two years, the football team for four years and the track team for one season. He also was a member of the debate team and won the overall debate competition. He also won an Ohio University chemistry competition. He will be attending Ohio University in the fall.

“Every year the Bay Men’s Club, the city’s oldest civic organization, awards scholarships to worthy high school seniors, and we have two winners in Elizabeth and Alex,” Stanton said. “It is our pleasure to help these young leaders started on the road to success.”

Bay Men's Club presidents Bill Walsh (1963/1964), Wayne Douglas (2010/2011) and Jack Kilgore (1958/1959). Kilgore is the club's oldest living president.

The members of the Bay Men’s Club honored its past presidents at the group’s April 2011 meeting. Some 16 former presidents of the organization attended, including Jack Kilgore (1958/1959), who is the club’s oldest living president. All past presidents spoke of their tenures as president, stories that included ecdysiasts, police raids and “visits by the fire chief.”) All praised the group for its sense of community service and fraternalism.