On a Thursday night at O'Faolain's in Countryside, a group of people were having a birthday celebration — but it was no one's birthday.
Members of Sterling Singles meet several times a week at barbecues, concerts and ball games, but once a month they meet to celebrate birthdays. And if no one's having one, well, no problem.
It was a birthday dinner like the one at O'Faolain's that convinced Sandy Correnti to join Sterling Singles, a social group for singletons, a few years ago. She was impressed by the group's joie de vivre.
"As an artist working at home for 20 years in my home studio, there was no way to meet people," said Correnti, a divorcee who lives in Herndon and serves as the group's communications manager. "It was nice to go someplace and go to eat and not have to eat alone."
At O'Faolain's on that Thursday night, a dozen middle-aged and older women — mostly divorced — and one model/actor from Leesburg named Brian Coughlin tucked into a meal of Gaelic steak and talked about their families, vacations and home improvements.
Coughlin, as a man and at 41, was the anomaly. He stated his reason for joining the club simply.
"My social life was bad," he said as he drank a glass of milk.
He appreciated the members' candor and openness, Coughlin added.
"We say what's on our mind, and that's a good thing too," he said.
WHILE STERLING SINGLES' demographic is heavily skewed toward middle-aged females, and its members would like to attract a younger crowd, they're also realistic about the likelihood of retaining Gen Xers or younger.
A glance at Sterling Singles' August calendar, which includes a trip to see the Navy Band, a hot-air balloon show and a sock hop, shows that it doesn't offer what the members think youngsters expect.
"That age group is usually trying to find a hook-up with somebody," said president Ella Broughton of Herndon.
"Someone who's 23 is going to come up and say, 'Sock hop — what's that?'" said Correnti.
With the members it does have, however, Sterling Singles has become a highly organized group for single folks looking for a social scene. It operates on Robert's Rules of Order and has a parliamentarian. Many members have joined in the past three to four years, and older members have recently reinvigorated their involvement, said Broughton.
The reinvention of the club, which was founded in 1986, was due to some internal changes, Broughton said. "We had a few gentlemen who were using the club as their little harems and offending some of the women," she said.
Now, Sterling Singles is a more welcoming place to find a friend or two. The club has lost some members, however — to matrimony. There are only two requirements for entry in the club: status as single and over 21. Marrieds are allowed back at select functions, but membership is essentially terminated.
"They're still friends with us," Broughton said. "They just don't qualify as single anymore."
Several marriages have sprung out of the club's membership, but the goal is not to find a significant other, said treasurer Doris Millsap.
"Our goal is to do something during the month that all the members can enjoy," Millsap of Ashburn said.
WITH MORE THAN 80 members, Sterling Singles is a lively organization, and it does some good work, too. Leftover funds from the $25 membership fees goes to a charity selected each year.
The core group of repeat attendees, however, is about 25. Broughton would like to see that number rise.
"We're a friendly group," she said.