County senior center hosts weekly euchre game sessions

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
(Clockwise starting at the top right) Helen Knauer, Don Lawrence, Dorothy Hamilton and Margaret Bruner play a hand of euchre Saturday at the Putnam County Senior Center. Moments before, Hamilton successfully went a hand alone.

GREENCASTLE -- Every Saturday at the Putnam County Senior Center, euchre players gather for a game session around 6 p.m.

Three tables with rotating members play euchre. Two of the tables are short a member, so they play with a kitty, a hand without a player that can be used in certain circumstances. If a player gets euchred, they have to throw a dime into a pot.

During the game, conversations shift often. The cards themselves are a topic for a little while -- some prefer the plastic cards used in some of the games because they don't wear out as fast. Others don't like their slickness.

Don Lawrence joked during each game, bantering with anyone around him.

"So a buddy of mine is up in Indy at one of those barbecue rib places," Lawrence said. "He's talking to the cook, and asks him how long he's been here. The cook says '16 years.' My buddy answers, 'and the ribs still aren't burnt after all that time.'"

As his partner Stanley Clover has a rough streak, Lawrence expressed his faith in his partner.

"You just never know when Stanley is going to blossom and come up with more hands," Lawrence said.

"I'll tell you Don, Stanley is never going to have any more hands," said Joanne Shocklee, one of his opponents Saturday. "He's got two, the same as everyone else, and that's all he's going to have."

Lawrence mentions they usually have a fair amount of bread goods during the game donated from Kroger, but the holiday weekend prevented the usual supply.

As Lawrence lost a hand, he quipped, "Joanne, I thought you were going to go it alone?"

"I'm probably going home alone," she responded.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: