In 2016, Bill Terry was attending a local craft show when a T-shirt someone was wearing caught his eye.

"I saw it said something about a Navy Ship Club, and I asked about it," recalled the Navy veteran. "I said, 'Where do you meet?' I learned more about the club and thought, 'Yeah, I can do this. It could be fun.'"

Now almost a decade later, Terry is among the dwindling number of club members. He and the other active participants are hoping more veterans will step up to join Navy Club Ship 166.

"Our club is open to anyone who goes to sea - Navy, Marines, Coast Guard personnel," Terry said. "We're looking for people who are interested in participating in car shows and community parades."

At one time, the club boasted more than 100 members. Today, about 15 people are in the group, with four or five members doing the lion's share of the work.

"All of us in the club are Vietnam-era veterans," Terry said, noting that he served beginning in 1970, right out of high school. "We're desperately looking for others to join us, maybe some younger veterans especially."

Terry estimates that the club members participate in almost 20 parades from April through November, including the Memorial Day parades in Mount Joy, Manheim and Columbia. The group also participates in the Taste of Mount Joy Cruisin' Cuisine Car Show and Thunder on the River in Columbia.

Whenever the group appears in public, the members like to make a splash.

"Someone had donated a large fishing boat to the club, which we got painted in battleship gray," Terry said. "We deck it all out for parades, with LED lights around it, and we have wooden 20-millimeter machine guns that are mounted like they would be on a ship. We also have two things that appear to be torpedoes on the side of the boat. It's set up to look like what a PT (Patrol, Torpedo) boat would have had."

The club members also play recorded patriotic songs and military anthems through speakers to provide extra entertainment during parades.

When club members participate in a parade, they especially enjoy interacting with the crowd.

"We'll be standing in the boat, and we will scan the crowd, looking for folks wearing a hat or anything that indicates they served," Terry said. "We'll point right at that person, give them a salute and say, 'Welcome home.' We want to make sure no soldier is ever forgotten."

The club raises funds for its activities through the sale of custom T-shirts. Each features caricatures of the mascots associated with each military branch.

The Navy Club of the United States was authorized by Congress in 1940. Local clubs are assigned a number in the national organization, corresponding to a PT boat number. The Lancaster club is named for PT 166, which was designed and built during World War II. It was sunk off the Solomon Islands in 1943.

Terry, who lives in East Hempfield Township, emphasized that the club is open to any veteran of the Navy, Marines or Coast Guard in central Pennsylvania.

"Come to a meeting and see what we're all about," he said. "We charge yearly dues, but for first-time members, we waive that if they participate in three activities during the year."

The club meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month, unless it's a holiday, at the Mount Joy VFW, 125 Longenecker Road, Mount Joy.

Terry underscored the emotions of participating in a parade where he has a chance to represent his country and showcase his service.

"Even little kids, like 5 or 6 years old into teenagers, some of them will stand up and salute you," he said. "That just tugs at your heart."

For more information, contact Terry by calling or texting 562-896-0824.