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Various groups and organizations in North and South Carolina offer you the chance to meet people who share your hobbies and interests. From invigorating bike rides to toe-tapping folk music and everything in between, there’s a club for you in the Carolinas.

 

The Carolina Tarwheels Bicycle Club – which organizes social rides in Orange, Durham, Wake, Alamance and Chatham counties in North Carolina –  promotes the fun and challenge of cycling and is also a strong advocate for cycling safety. Affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), the club offers a variety of organized rides throughout the year including rides specifically for beginning cyclists and new members. A list of scheduled rides is published in the Cog Hauler, the club’s newsletter. Meetings are held every two months. Members enjoy equipment rental and bike shop discounts, as well as the club newsletter. Check out the club’s website, www.tarwheels.org, and find additional information at www.facebook.com/tarwheels.

 

If you enjoy traditional and contemporary folk music, the Charlotte Folk Society (CFS) is just for you. The CFS is celebrating more than 30 years of promoting and preserving not only folk music, but also folk dance, craft and lore in the North and South Carolina Piedmont area. In 2002, the North Carolina Folklore Society awarded CFS with the Community Traditions Award for its contributions to the “continuation and appreciation of state folklife.” The group meets regularly on the second Friday of each month at the Great Aunt Stella Center, a refurbished church building originally built in 1914, now serving as one of the city’s more intriguing venues. Learn more at www.folksociety.org.

 

If you enjoy painting, the folks at Palmetto Painters, a South Carolina chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters, invite you to learn more about the art of decorative painting. Through workshops, programs, social functions and seminars, you can experience decorative painting in a variety of mediums including fabric, silk, oil and watercolor. Meetings take place in West Columbia the second Saturday of each month, and are followed by a painting project taught by other members or local guests. Don’t miss the special seminar on working with colored pencils by Tina Sue Norris on April 20 and 21, 2012. Find a membership application form and information about other upcoming events at www.palmettopainters.com.

 

Quilters of South Carolina (QSC), based in Columbia, is celebrating more than 15 years of promoting the art, history and craft of quilt making. With almost 700 members from around South Carolina and beyond, QSC offers fellow quilters opportunities to educate one another while sharing their love of quilting. On April 20 and 21, 2012, you can check out the Magic of Patchwork Quilt Show, presented by the Foothills Piecemakers Quilting Guild in Greenville, South Carolina. Enjoy demonstrations, vendors, silent auction quilts and more. For information about membership and other upcoming events, visit www.quiltersofsc.org.

 

Whether you’re looking to meet new people or try something new, becoming a member of a local club can offer great learning experiences and lasting friendships at the same time.