As the 40-year club member unlocks the doors and turns on the lights to the 320-capacity Eagles Hall — a 3,000-square-foot wood-floored ballroom with an ample stage — it feels like you’re entering a well-kept (and underrated) family secret.
Contrary to rumor that the Eagles are averse to “loud” or “heavy” music, Ivie said the group is eager to rent the space to anyone who won’t damage the aging building, located at 1125 N. Forest St.
Question: What is the Eagles’ take on having live music at the hall?
Answer: “We used to have social dances all the time. Club membership is down everywhere. ... We just can’t afford to pay (bands) anymore. We’ve got this great big ol’ room that just sits there.” Ivie said the hall is currently rented out about twice a month for dances with DJs.
Q: How would someone go about booking a show at the Eagles Hall?
A: “We rent the upstairs hall for $300 a night. We’d rather rent you our hall and have you book the bands and be your own security.” If a promoter rents the hall, they can advertise the event to the public and charge a cover, Ivie said.
Q: Are there rules for what types of music you prefer or what groups you allow to rent the hall?
A: “We’re pretty open, but if you screw us over once, that’s it.” Ivie said one group wasn’t allowed back after its guests punched holes in the bathroom walls and otherwise damaged the facility during events.
Q: What about alcohol?
A: “Upstairs would have to be all ages unless (a promoter) can get a banquet permit. But we stay away from that. It’s just way too much trouble.”
Q: You have a bar and a small stage with alley access downstairs. Can bands play there?
A: Ivie said a club member’s band plays occasionally in the smaller, homier downstairs, where there is a lower ceiling, a shuffleboard table and pool tables. But to have a show downstairs, nonmembers would have to be signed into the private club by a member who knows them personally. That means one member can’t just sign in 50 strangers. A promoter also couldn’t charge a cover — they’d have to ask for donations, Ivie said.
Q: What does it take to become an Eagles member?
A: The club requires that members believe in God and undergo an interview process. Membership costs $25 a year. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles mission statement is, “The Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international non-profit organization, unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope.”
ANOTHER VIEWPOINT
Brent Cole, owner of the Bellingham music magazine What's Up!, said he remembers various shows happening downstairs at the Eagles over the years, but he said there were complications due to the club-membership issue.
“The problem I would see is if (an upstairs show) is loud, it’s going to piss off the people downstairs,” he said. But Cole said he figures the space could handle groups like the larger regional and local acts that used to play at the 400-some-capacity Pickford Dream Space before it began renovations.
“If somebody would act as a booker for this situation, I think it’s actually genius. I think it’s quite feasible for this to work.”
Cole said interested fans could also boost the Eagle’s membership.
CONTACT
If you’re interested in booking a show at the Eagles, call the club at 733-2770, leave a message for Dave Ivie, and be patient. This isn’t a high-tech joint.
If you’re eager, try stopping by the alley door between 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. But take it from me: You’ll never live it down if you bother ringing the doorbell. Just pop in and ask for Dave.
