In 2011, Anne Nolan and her husband were getting ready to retire from their jobs at the Hanford area.

There was a real fear of what would happen next, she said. What would they do with their of free time? And with whom?

Then she found the Fun, Fit & Over Fifty Club.

“The majority of our socializing had been with people at work,” Nolan said. “That doesn’t happen after you retire. I stumbled across this group on the internet. We first attended one of their happy hours. Neither one of us is overly athletic.”

The Nolans were so smitten with the club that they immediately joined, and today Anne Nolan is the club’s president. She oversees a club roster of 350 people.

“We try to have a lot of different activities,” she said. “Basically, it’s to provide a resource for seniors to be active, and to be social.”

Excellent physical fitness isn’t required.

There’s plenty of fun to be had with the social aspect of the club, said Beccy Chiaramonte, a hiking leader who joined the club almost 10 years ago.

“The social aspect is very important,” Chiaramonte said. “Once you retire, you leave your work family you’ve been with for 25, maybe 30 years. Every community should have a club like this.”

Nolan said the club began in 2003.

A group of senior citizens would go on hikes and walks and the city of Richland used a van to transport them. But that model of van had safety issues, and the city couldn’t drive the seniors anymore, Nolan said.

That’s when a group of about 30 to 40 people decided to do these activities on their own and the club was born.

It’s grown large since then and has added numerous activities.

The Fun, Fit & Over Fifty Club aims to “bring together adults over 50 years of age and promote their physical, intellectual and social health,” according to its website.

“The club provides educational activities, outdoor recreation and social activities for mature adults. It inspires better health and sense of self-worth, and emphasizes fun. The club aspires to be an asset to the community and generations who follow,” according to the group’s mission statement.

Club members believe in community involvement and being good citizens. For instance, the group recently picked up litter along a couple of miles along Van Giesen Street in West Richland.

The group has a chairperson overseeing several different categories: foot sports and winter sports (such as hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing); wheel sports (road and mountain biking); water sports (canoeing, kayaking, rafting, boating and sailing); ball sports (tennis and bocce ball); social and intellectual (book discussions, healthy food, presentations, social gatherings and outings); camping trips (RVing, camping and fishing); and travel (local, regional and international trips).

Most events happen on weekdays. Rarely does an event occur on a Saturday or Sunday, unless it’s a camping trip or a travel excursion.

Annual dues are $15. Members might have to kick in a few bucks for gas on some activities, or for using the club’s kayaks.

People who aren’t sure about joining are welcome to try one or two events before committing. Nolan said the club’s big draw is the calendar on its website.

In May, the club has 31 scheduled activities, not including a 10-day hiking trip through Utah’s state parks, a paddle trip on the John Day River, and an RV trip to Clarkston.

There are usually two hikes and two bike rides a week, a weekly kayak outing, a walk along the river every other week, a monthly book discussion and a monthly happy hour.

“The big social events are fall and Christmas potluck parties, and a summer get-together,” Nolan said.

On a recent Tuesday morning, 32 club members – one of the club’s larger sub-groups that included Nolan  — hiked up Badger Mountain from the Dallas Road trailhead.