Hemmingford Card Players

 by Mary Strate (June 2016)

At least fifty friends were gathered to celebrate 150 years of good humour and camaraderie at the Old Convent this past May. The Monday Card Players, Wednesday Card Players, and Convent Bridge Club are so often found enjoying good food and better company that the cheer is palpable.

My first smile was for the warm welcome I received from Diane Lawrence and Wayne English, President and Vice-President of the Convent Bridge Club. Martha McKeough (Treasurer) and Suzanne Foster (Secretary) are but a few of the many kind people who help organise these biweekly events.

My second smile was to hear so many people paraphrasing Cervantes, “Patience and shuffle the cards!” (Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1615; Vol II, 23). Stephan Billette, our MP, donated refreshments while prizes were passed and cards were shuffled. Many of the card games (e.g., bridge) are based on math and strategy and several other communities have begun to appreciate the importance of keeping our minds active.

To herald in the Hemmingford Card Players’ 150th anniversary, the committee had set up tables and friends chose chairs depending upon the game (e.g., bridge, whist, cribbage, ad infinitum). This bilingual assembly of friends and neighbours have been connecting community members and welcoming newcomers into a warm room since before Canada became a confederacy.

Residents are invited to enjoy a game most Monday nights (7pm until 9:30pm) or Wednesday afternoons (1pm until 4pm) at the Old Convent. We have benefitted greatly from the volunteer work of the Hemmingford Card Players’ committee. To ensure another 150 years of conviviality please ring Wayne English at 450 247-2733 for more information and allow that the 5$ entrance fee offsets some of the costs.