By Jillian Kellerman
Don and Sherry Wieber of Avon, Les and Fran Andelman of Rice, and Ed and Helen Maier of Sauk Rapids are all sharing milestone wedding anniversaries this year. The Wiebers celebrated 60 years on May 21; the Andelmans celebrated 65 years on July 21; and the Maiers celebrated 70 years on Sept. 16.
These milestones are not the only thing these couples have in common, as they’ve been getting together weekly for the last 20 years to play cards. The couples take turns hosting. Each host couple chooses which games will be played. The alternated games consist of 4-14, Liverpool Rummy, Six-handed 500 and Dominoes, along with made up games they call Funny Hands.
“We’re very regimented in how we play,” Sherry said. But being retired allows them some flexibility to change their schedule. They currently play Monday nights from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. In the winter months, due to weather, they change to afternoons and share the evening meal together.
“I will say that Les is the sharpest card player,” Sherry said, but added that they all have their own edge to the games.
While some of the card games they play can be quite complicated, their friendships are not. They all met through various channels, but it didn’t take long for these couples to realize they had yet another shared commonality -- they are all members of the Pantowners St. Cloud Antique Auto Club.
“With age, people have kind of stopped going out as frequently; health issues start to take their toll,” Sherry said. “Just that we’re still able to get together and play once a week is a good thing.”
Although they do have to travel a little distance to meet weekly, they have no plans to retire this tradition anytime soon.
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