Involvement with the Young Professionals Group of Central Louisiana could offer a solution for singles wanting to meet other singles with similar interests. Caitlin Murphy, the president of YPG, said the organization can open social doors for singles to network with other singles. “We’re a friendly group receptive to new people. We like to mix and mingle, and we love to see people coming from different places,” Murphy says, adding that if a single person will email her to say they are going to a YPG event, they will have people on the “look out” for them.
The group offers several venues to meet other singles. Their “Third Thursday” get-together will be August 18th at Jack’s in Alexandria, and on September 22nd, the YPG will gather at the Mirror Room. Besides the monthly “meet and greet,” the organization touts a “Lunch and Learn” speaker series. Often, young professionals are transplanted to the Cenla area for their job, and the speaker series could be a ticket to branch out and build relationships. “The luncheons are laid back and not stuffy. There is a lot of camaraderie. I would encourage singles to come and get connected,” Murphy invites.
While the YPG members tend to be a younger crowd, Ann Lowrey saw the need to start a group last summer that would host “meet and greet” socials for singles, and its members tend to be age 35 to 65. Lowrey, who is single and knows first-hand the challenges of online dating, decided to create a Facebook page called Single in Cenla? Meet. Mix. Mingle. To date, there are 400 members. To join, Lowrey says a single person makes a request to join online by searching “Single in Cenla” on Facebook and they’re in! “Last June, we had our first meet and greet at Spirits on their patio. We had about 30 people show up and we had a blast. We closed the place down,” Lowrey enthuses.
The main challenge in Cenla for singles, Lowrey adds, is there is not any specific one place in town where single people gather to meet other singles. “Our friendship site can bring people together. Come join us and make some friends.” On Saturday, August 20th, the “Single in Cenla” group will meet at 7:00pm on the patio at Spirits to relax, eat and hang out. Later that evening, they plan to go dancing at the Diamond’s Edge. Lee Gwinn, owner of Spirits Food & Friends, located on Texas Ave. in Alexandria, says Spirits is the perfect gathering spot for singles to meet up with other singles. “We have a unique environment where you can sit and listen to music and feel welcome and safe. We have plenty of well-lit parking,” Gwinn notes, adding that every Wednesday and Friday night there is free live music. Different styles of music are featured, including rock, acoustic, folk, jazz and blues.
In the works, the parish libraries are looking to host a type of “speed dating” event in the fall where participants will be able to meet new people and talk about their interests. Currently, the libraries offer a variety of book clubs comprised of men and women of different ages. A “gamers” group meets regularly for a “You’re as Young as You Feel Day” at the library where they play bingo and checkers and have a luncheon. Every fall, the libraries sponsor the “Rapides Reads” event where entire communities get involved and encourage folks to read. Last year, the chosen author was Edgar Allen Poe. “We had a Po-boys with Poe” event which was a lot of fun,” DiBartolo says.
One of the library’s book clubs recently met at the Tamp & Grind Coffeehouse in downtown Alexandria. The library system also hosted a barbecue at Harley Davidson which featured a book about the Viet Nam war.
Karen Schexnayder, owner of Lagniappe Theatre Company, believes boosting confidence would help single people open up more, which in turn, could help them meet new people. The theatre company will offer adult acting classes starting in mid-September. “In the classes, you are almost forced to communicate with people, and you interact with others. It’s a way a single person could get to meet other single people really fast. And we have people from every age group imaginable participating,” Schexnayder remarks.
The theatre group just completed the production of “Sister Act,” and plan to produce “Peter Pan” next. “After rehearsals, usually the singles will go out and hang out or go out to eat together. The whole thing is about commitment and interacting with others. We are a close-knit community and everyone gets to know each other really fast,” she adds.
Perhaps the best place for singles to meet other like-minded people is at church. Kent Clark, the college and career singles pastor at the Pentecostals of Alexandria, says people age 18 to 25 are going through a transition period and are making many decisions that will affect their lives. “It’s good if they have a support group where they can get help and make solid decisions. We want to connect them first to God, then secondly, to each other. We help them connect with other people their age in a positive environment,” Clark says.
For those singles out there who would like to meet other singles in the hopes of finding “the one,” the key is to seek out opportunities to network with like-minded people in settings doing things you already enjoy. Both Louisiana College and Louisiana State University at Alexandria have classes that could peak a new interest and offer opportunities to meet other singles. Bookstores, grocery stores, laundry mats, restaurants, movie theaters, health clubs, sporting events, local festivals and theatre productions all offer a chance for singles to meet and mingle. But singles, what is essential is to “get out there”! No matter your age, don’t be afraid to shake hands with strangers, smile and speak up! You never know what other great folks you might meet as an active Single in Cenla!