PRAIRIE GROVE, Ark. — A women’s social group for Prairie Grove and surrounding towns has grown from an initial 12 members in October 2018, to now 330 women.
Lane Davis of Prairie Grove started Gals of the Grove because she was looking for a way to make new friends in the community.
Davis started the group with a post on Facebook, inviting others to join her. Several women attended a first meeting and then others joined in. As more women became involved, the group gave themselves a name and someone designed a Gals of the Grove logo.
Davis last week said Gals of the Grove has grown far beyond her expectations.
“I figured I would be lucky to get 20 gals together,” Davis said. “It’s exploded. That tells me that gals need friends. People are lonely and they want to meet people.”
She said many members have made best friends through the organization.
She emphasizes Gals of the Grove is just a social group to make friends. It’s not a political group, a religious group or a play group for moms and children.
Prior to the covid-19 pandemic, the women had been meeting monthly with others getting together for different activities, such as walking or meeting for lunch.
The past year, the group has had a few gatherings because of the new coronavirus.
The most popular outing has been Coffee in the Park, when women bring their own chairs and meet outside at Mock Park in Prairie Grove to visit with each other.
Davis said ideas for the next year include a canning class, potluck dinners or picnics and water aerobics at the Prairie Grove Aquatic Park.
