Do you play euchre?

A love letter to Brooklyn Euchre Club and a rallying cry to join or start your own cards club

This August, Brooklyn Euchre Club celebrated two years. We had a big party, ate cupcakes, and played our favorite game with 100 euchre players who now spend every other Thursday with us.

Brooklyn Euchre Club’s second birthday by Nelson Luna

Since then, quieter milestones have taken place and remind me why my friend Emma and I started hosting — two friends that met at euchre ran a half marathon together, regulars who started coming alone dressed up as a group for Halloween, a dedicated few have stepped up to help us lead the day to day of the club, and two strangers who met over cards became a couple.

In this moment when the news cycle is heavy and new technology is moving at a dizzying speed seemingly pushing us further apart from one another in our daily lives, gathering around a deck of cards has become a steadying anchor. “These days, I feel like recurring hangouts are less common, where you can show up without any plan and see your friends and have a good time. There’s a pressure, even with close friends, of planning something. We say we’ll get coffee but then never do,” Clare one of our regulars told me. “At a game club, you have this shared interest you can do together over conversation. It’s a buffer when there are silences. What’s special about Brooklyn Euchre Club is that it’s always going to be happening every two weeks.”

I feel this urge to tell everyone I know (especially those feeling stuck or alone) to invite someone to play their favorite game with them. And if it feels good, invite them again. Maybe even go a little broader and put up a flyer, invite a stranger, or that person you’ve been looking for an excuse to hangout with. Then put a flag in the sand and claim a day as your own every week or every other week or once a month. Whatever cadence works for you. Just keep going.

We made a little video with our friend Holly and the lovely team at Bicycle Cards as rallying cry to do just that.

And, if you need an extra nudge to find or start your own cards club, I put together a guide. Check it out online here and if you’re interested in starting a club, please say hello! I’d love to send you a print copy.

Happy playing,
Katie

Special thank you to our friends who’ve contributed to bringing Brooklyn Euchre Club, our communal art project, to life!
Emma Schapp, my euchre co-host and partner in crime; Holly Fitz, for making our manifesto video; Nelson Luna and Sam McCarthy, for capturing the spirit of the club in their beautiful photos; Exa Kutler for endless jamming and cheerleading; and the Brooklyn Euchre Club hosts and teachers, who keep fun and camaraderie at the heart of what we do and stepped up to give me the best gift of all: the freedom to fully participate in the community we’ve built together in the new chapter.