POPLAR RIDGE - Music by The Bottom Feeders and a potluck dinner brought community members together Saturday night at the Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting House.

The monthly get-togethers there allow community members a chance to talk, enjoy some food and partake in various activities.

“It's just a lot of fun and it's for families,” said Kathleen Connelly. “We always learn something, they always have a program.”

While past meetings had dancing, game nights, discussed social issues or guest speakers who talked about their travels, this month members got to sit back and listen the local band, The Bottom Feeders, play music by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and the Grateful Dead.

“We play anything from old-time country and bluegrass to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead,” said band member Avery Ayeres.

Linda Simkin, who has been attending meetings since she was a child nearly 50 years ago and now helps to organize the meetings, said organizers try to find something or someone from within the community for each meeting's event. The group got The Bottom Feeders because one of its members went to the church, she said.

Meetings, which are held at the Friends Meeting House on Poplar Ridge Road, are held on the last Saturday of every month at 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Neil Littlejohn, who is not a member of the church or the organization, came to the event with a friend and said it was a good time and a great way to build community fellowship.

But one month a year, meetings are held at members' houses, said Simkin.

Only about 50 to 60 percent of the people at each meeting are regular attendees, said Connelly, while the rest come every once in a while or are there for the first time.

“These events are open to the public. People can come to the potluck or they can just come for the event. That's fine too,” Simkin said.