Members Only, Visitors Welcome
By Sean Ballent
With the economy sucking, private yacht clubs are taking steps to attract more business. When the Westide Soul Surfers put on a public gig upstairs at Harbour Towne Yacht Club the standing crowd was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. The throng of people appeared to exceed the private Muskegon club’s membership
HTYC manager Marie VanWyck estimated attendance in the Harbour View Room at 200. The venue lists a seating capacity of 240. The club, situated near the Muskegon Channel that links Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, has 258 members.
Whatever the reality and actual count, the point is that private clubs, strapped by the economy, increasingly continue to admit nonmembers. The February performance of the Westside Soul Surfers was part of an HTYC series titled “Sounds of the Shore.” The music series already has featured such groups as Big House Blues Band, the Rick Hicks combo, Soul’d Out, and Whoopee Kat.
“The reason (for the series) … was two-fold,” said VanWyck, “to attract potential members and also to make money.”
For more evidence of that philosophy, look no further than the Chronicle Clippings in the Muskegon Chronicle. The newspaper’s classified advertising listings that are published on the back page include numerous announcements of private clubs and organizations opening their doors for public events. The events mainly are dinners.
Exclusivity has become a mere illusion. Throughout the nation, reports continue to surface about private clubs fighting to stay open, even if that means not being closed to the public.
“Technically, our club events are all open to the public,” said VanWyck of Harbour Towne Yacht Club, “with an additional $3 per person added to the ticket price. Mostly it’s our members bringing in guests for the events.”
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