If you know —— or knew —— Dorcas Walker, could you please let Sonia Higgins know? Higgins is one of two Encore Club members (the other is Linda Gregg) who are in charge of the organization's 30th birthday celebration. Walker was Encore's first president and one of its founders.

Encore might be described by most Fallbrook residents as an outgrowth of Fallbrook's highly-successful Newcomers Club, and that would be an accurate description. Both are nonprofit organizations. The Encore Club came into being because a group of perhaps as many as 30 women who were no longer eligible to belong to Newcomers wanted to continue the fun and friendship they had experienced in the club as new residents of Fallbrook.

Higgins describes today's Encore —— which now has nearly 300 members —— as "a social organization for Fallbrook residents who have resided in Fallbrook for three years or more," adding that many of its members graduated from the Fallbrook Newcomers Club.

Like Newcomers, Encore is structured with multiple activity sections, with men (basically, husbands) included in many of them. "We have artists, antique hunters, book clubs, bridge and mah jong players."

Outdoor activities include golf, gardening, camping, walking and biking. Other activities include games such as poker, scrabble and cribbage, luncheons, sewing, genealogy, cooking, bowling and trips to local shows and points of interest.

A Christmas Tea, a holiday dinner dance in December, a spring fashion show-luncheon, and a summer picnic (joint with Newcomers Club) have been some of the popular Encore Club functions.

"We try to be friendly, and we have something for almost everyone," Higgins added. "But if there's a new activity someone wants to lead, we would welcome that, too."

Linda Yatchman is the current president.

The Encore birthday party will be held at the Pala Resort Hotel and Casino on Feb. 23. It's a luncheon, and it will begin at 11 a.m. All past and present members of Encore are invited, with an special welcome extended to women who have belonged to Encore but no longer do, Higgins said.

"We're looking forward to a very festive celebration, and we hope it's going to be a reunion," she said.

A $20 fee is being asked of each party-goer, which includes a choice of Thai Beef Salad or Chicken Spinach Salad. The reservation deadline is Feb. 16.

Higgins can be reached by phone at (760) 451-5025 and by e-mail at note4sonia@aol.com. For further information, prospective attendees are asked to call her or Gregg, whose phone number is (760) 451-1232.

Contact staff writer Betty Johnston at (760) 731-6720 or (760) 451-5009, or e-mail her at bjohnston@nctimes.com or bjandbeau@yahoo.com.