Best Ethnic Club That Isn't Polish

One of the old-country traditions at the
“Tyro” club that every member of that heritage as well as non-Italians
rejoice in partaking in is their polenta dinners, which Albrigi says
take place on the third Sunday of every month. Polenta, for those that
are culinary-aloof, are boiled-cornbread baked treats, which might
appear to be mush, but they’re tasty mush.

“Our clubhouse seats just over 200,”
notes Albrigi, “and unfortunately we have to turn some people away some
Sundays. So it is almost unofficially required to make reservations
well ahead of time to ensure you get in.” 

Tyrol one on: Members of the Solvay Tyrolean Club revel in their unusual heritage and invite everyone to their monthly polenta dinners. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO

The dinners have helped bring in
constituents outside of Tyrolean circles, which Albrigi estimated at
more than 600 members, when factoring in all three of the club’s
subdivisions. Although all members share equal access to the club’s
benefits, they—for tradition’s sake—are classified into regular members
of Trentino descent, regular social members of non-Trentino descent,
and the women’s auxiliary.

But there’s more to the Tyrolean club
than polenta. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the clubhouse is
turned into something more reminiscent of a neighborhood bar. There is
a bar on premises for the members to reach in and grab a cold one or
three, then engage in recreational activities including card games, as
well as a game that can be traced back to the motherland, bocci ball.

“We actually just started forming new
bocce teams this year,” continues Albrigi. “We’ve been playing against
teams from other clubs and groups at different parks throughout the
city.”

Reaching out is another aspect of the
Tyro Club. Over the past year, Albrigi notes they have donated to
causes including the Solvay Relay for Life, Vera House and, the one
they are the most proud of, the Special Olympics. The money they donate
to all of these foundations, on top of paying the monthly bills at the
clubhouse and keeping the fridge stocked and the polenta cooking, is
raised by self-supporting methods—and nobody in the club profits one
cent at year’s end.

“The yearly fees from members help
toward some if it,” says Albrigi. “But we also rent our hall for
weddings and parties and have events like pig-roast fund-raisers during
the summer and, of course, the polenta dinners every month. We’re not a
large organization or a wealthy one, but whatever we can do, we’re glad
to help.”

To call for membership inquiries or to
see if there’s any way they can squeeze you into their next polenta
dinner, call the Tyro Club at 468-4753.