New Rockford Eagles Club welcomes new manager

There has been a bit of buzz about the new food selections at the New Rockford Eagles Club, something easily attributed to the new manager, Tim Eichelberger. Although many define him as a chef, he counters, "I'm more of a cook that has flair." He said he continually evolves as he goes, has learned from mistakes and is ready for the challenge that the Eagles Club offers. "I watched and learned," he said of his background.

Eichelberger was born in Wyoming and raised by his aunt and uncle. Food and music are his two passions, and food has been the common thread in many of his experiences. He said his Aunt Martha and his grandmother were both great cooks, and his older sister is a caterer, bistro owner and cookbook publisher. He helped his sister with her catering business in high school, then later assisted her in marketing her cookbooks.

His first stint in management came at the age of 20, when he was the assistant manager of a Perkin's Restaurant & Bakery. He moved to Devils Lake, N.D. shortly thereafter, where he met his wife, Kristen, a native of the Tolna/Pekin area. After having two boys, he and his wife then returned to Wyoming, where he worked in the linen business, providing aprons, tablecloths, napkins and more to food services businesses. He was later took a transfer opportunity to Rapid City with the same linen company.

When the Eichelberger family moved back to North Dakota, Tim served as the kitchen manager at the Sunlac Inn in Lakota for several years, then he worked at Sysco in Grand Forks as a salesperson.

It was the mission of the Fraternal Order of Eagles that piqued Eichelberger's interest in the manager position –"To unite fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope" – it all hits home for Eichelberger.

He noted how many Eagles members and citizens at large have come and introduced themselves to him. "These guys really do care about what's happening in the community," he said. In addition, their family was in awe of the level of care and concern community members expressed when his son Brady, the high school English teacher at NR-S, was diagnosed with sigmoid diverticulosis on Dec. 4, and spent 10 days in Sanford in Fargo to overcome infection.

"We're here to help each other," Tim said, bringing back the Eagles central focus on people helping people. "We need to keep the club open for the community."

The message is timely, considering that Eagles Aerie 2923 will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in New Rockford this coming January. Tim said the club is planning a party on Saturday, Jan. 19, with food, drink specials, door prizes and other surprises. A century of serving is no small feat for this rural institution.

The public is also encouraged to take part in the annual Gun Raffle on Saturday, Jan. 12. The club will kick off the new year with a "members only" party on Jan. 1.

As for the new year ahead, Eichelberger has some ideas centered around food and fun to bring more people into the Eagles Club. He is working on a menu that includes broasted chicken and a lunch menu with burger baskets. In addition, he'll offer a revolving menu with three entrées and two appetizers just to keep things interesting. Tim also enjoys singing karaoke and looks forward to hosting karaoke nights at the club.