North Country 'Pine Club
We are opening a North Country Porcupines clubhouse called The 'Pine in Lancaster! Having a physical location will provide a welcoming space for everyone to meet up, learn, and celebrate through social events, educational programs, and other happenings.
Where is it?
We are renting a 2,000 square foot space on the second floor of a building on Lancaster's Main Street - right above the Granite Grind. (The official address is 70 Main Street, 2nd floor, Lancaster.) Lancaster was selected because it's the most equidistant between our far-flung towns. Here are some general drive times as an example:
- Groveton, Whitefield - 15 minutes
- Bethlehem, Carroll, Littleton - 25 minutes
- Berlin, Colebrook, Dummer, Lisbon, Monroe - 45 minutes
- Pittsburg - 1 hour
Also, Lancaster had the perfect spot at a great rate. We can't wait to start filling up this space with events! (Click the images below to see bigger pictures.)
Events
Speaking of events, these are a few ideas of activities we will be able to regularly schedule:
- Monthly Potlucks Yes, we'll still have special potlucks at a local lake in the Summer and Chris & Jennifer's sugar house in Spring, but this would be the regular monthly location, making it easier to plan ahead and not ask people to open their private homes and share their home address on the internet to host them.
- Market Days. Set up tables and sell your wares! We can coordinate timing to hold Market Days when other events are happening in Lancaster to bring in outside shoppers.
- Adult Education Classes. This can include learning how to set up radios, how to sew, activism classes taught by Americans For Prosperity, bill review classes taught by NHLA, etc.
- Children's Education Classes. We have several homeschool families who currently school independently. We can open the space for them to have some classes together, pool resources, and possibly bring in other liberty-minded families who would homeschool if they had more support. Also, how cool would it be to have a "Second Amendment Story Time"?
- Fun Nights. Game nights, movie nights, karaoke nights, music nights (jam sessions and/or bands).
- Clubs. Debate club, theater club, book club, maker club - any type of club could use this as a regular meeting spot.
- Political Events. We can host candidate meet & greets, candidate debates, etc.
- Lending Library. Is there a book that's just sitting on your shelf, wishing someone would read it? We will have bookshelves to have a central location for people to loan & borrow books (on the honor system).
- Outreach. We can hold informational talks on topics like, "What is a Free Stater?", "How to Reduce the School Budget", and other topics that would spark good conversations with our liberty-curious neighbors.
Taxation is Theft
We need to form an official organization to run the clubhouse (for collecting dues and such), so we're creating a 501(c)(3) organzation - we'll be a tax-exempt non-profit and any donations will be tax deductible!
Membership
To pay for rent, utilities, and supplies, we'll need to charge dues to be a member of The 'Pine. Any surplus after paying for necessities will go toward enriching the education activities.
(Donations to help cover education costs are welcome too!)
- Single Membership: $25 /month
- Couple Membership: $40 /month (2 adults in the same household)
- Family Membership: $50 /month (1 or 2 adults + any number of children up to age 19)
Yes, there are benefits to becoming a member!
- Attend all events at no cost, including potlucks, game nights, movie nights, and educational classes. (Unless a small fee is required for a special event, like supplies for an educational event.)
- Reserve a table at the Market Days at no cost.
- Have a vote at the annual Member's Meeting.
- Know that you are helping foster liberty in the North Country. :)
Founder's Club
There are hefty initial costs to submit the documents to create the non-profit and secure this location. To help raise the funds quickly, we are creating a Founder's Club. This is open to members who pay for one year upfront before August 1st. Founder's Club members will get the same benefits as all members listed above, plus:
- Recognition on a "Founder's Wall" in the clubhouse or a Founder's Member pin. (How to best recognize Founders is being debated - let me know your thoughts!)
- Use the space for your own event (private or public) at no cost (schedule permitting).
- Founder's Club Members-Only annual event.
- 10% discount on the annual cost.
These are the 10% discounted one-year fees to join the Founder's Club:
- Single: $270 /year
- Couple: $432 /year
- Family: $540 /year
Where do I sign up?
We are currently setting up the legal documents for the 501(c)(3), which will allow us to set up a bank account - at that point we'll be able to start collecting membership dues (and donations). We will let you know as soon as that happens!
What if I can't join?
If you aren't able to join for whatever reason, you are still welcome to come to most events - there will just be a small fee to attend to help cover the costs.
Questions or Comments?
I created this small webpage to try to answer as many questions as possible, but I'm sure I forgot some details. And I'm sure there are plenty of things that I haven't thought of! So please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas: amy@northcountryporcs.com