Rural social clubs hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions fear it’s the community that suffers most

With new restrictions on alcohol service and restaurant and bar capacity in Pennsylvania, social clubs — sometimes the only community gathering place in rural areas — are finding Gov. Tom Wolf’s new executive order not only affects their bottom line but the community’s well-being.

In the Mountaintop area of Centre County, home to roughly 2,900 people, social clubs attached to veterans’ organizations and other community groups are the only places that serve alcohol in a bar setting. Beyond that, they function as important social gathering places for community members and as charities that support everything from local baseball leagues to food drives.

Under the new order, Pennsylvania bars and restaurants must limit indoor dining occupancy to 25%, and alcohol consumption is reserved for meals and carry-out only. Nightclubs are also prohibited from conducting operations.

“Fortunately for us, we have done well with the VFW in the last couple years, but this year it’s not making any money. We’re losing money as we go,” said Mike Guenot, post commander for the Snow Shoe VFW Post 5644.

The VFW reopened at the end of May after two months of shutdown, Guenot said. They were only open 45 days until the new restrictions went into effect July 16 and the bar closed again. While Guenot thinks the VFW will survive this bumpy period, he worries about the community his organization supports through donations to assisted living facilities and the Boy Scouts.

“If we are able to continue forward in making some money, all we’re going to be able to do is keep ourselves afloat,” Guenot said. “The community is the one that’s really suffering the most. It’s unfortunate because usually we do a lot of stuff (for them) ... especially around the holidays.”

Community events, membershihp expected to take a hit

Over at the Clarence American Legion, commander Scott Lyncha said they, too, are feeling the pain of the restrictions. During the shutdown from March to May, Lyncha estimates the Legion lost $7,000 in revenue from alcohol and food sales and small games of chance. Since the bar doesn’t sell food other than frozen pizza, it had to close its doors again under the new restrictions.

“With not being able to open and stuff, it hurts because we truly fund and sponsor our own (American) Legion baseball team, and all the military services, and what we do donate to veterans’ organizations,” Lyncha said.

Without revenue from the club, the Legion’s ladies’ auxiliary won’t be able to host its regular events that benefit the community, like kids’ Christmas parties and cash awards for junior members of Sons of the American Legion, said Lyncha.

The Clarence Moose Lodge is able to stay open under the executive order, but has curtailed service and seating capacity, according to a Facebook post. Only Moose Lodge members are allowed to dine in, while non-members have the option to order takeout. They have also canceled events like bingo and the annual Men’s Picnic.

Lyncha said the pandemic-related shutdown may also have an effect on the Legion’s membership. “I can see us losing a lot of members with this. It’s going to be hard for ‘em,” he said.

Another 2020 setback in Snow Shoe

In Snow Shoe, social clubs are just another casualty of a bad year. In February, the town lost Hall’s Market, its only grocery store within a 20 mile drive, to an electrical fire. Then in June, the only pharmacy in town closed after four decades in business. The Dollar General in town is “maxed out” from people trying to buy food and supplies during the pandemic, said Guenot.

“2020 has not been a good year for the Snow Shoe area. With this (pandemic) being added on to it it just makes it all the worse,” he said.

The pandemic and its economic and social fallout are falling hardest on the Mountaintop area’s elderly population, many of whom live on fixed incomes and are not able to drive long distances, said Guenot. Many previously employed people are also out of work due to furloughs and layoffs from Centre County’s top employers. Area churches, social clubs, and other community organizations like the YMCA of Centre County have stepped up with food drives to fill the void of social services.

Every Thursday at the Mountain Top Alliance Church in Snow Shoe, the Moshannon Valley YMCA runs a large food distribution of fresh foods, open to anyone, regardless of income or family size. VFW volunteers and church members help with distribution, said Guenot, and sometimes over 100 people show up.

While the duration of Wolf’s order is unclear, the social clubs of the Mountaintop area understand the need to protect people from the virus. A worst case scenario would be one of the social clubs contributing to a local outbreak, said Guenot. Yet setback after setback is tough to weather, they said.

“From the VFW standpoint I think we’ll be fine. If it’s just like another 45 day period where we have to be away from (the club) we’ll be fine,” said Guenot. “Our biggest problem is we can’t give back to the community like we would like to. That’s who suffers the most.”