COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first Tuesday of every month, you’ll find a group of eight ladies at their local pizza shop playing cards.

What’s so special about that? These ladies have been doing this for more than 70 years. 

What You Need To Know

  • There are plenty of different card games out there, but one the younger generation may not know about is called “bridge”

  • Traces of the game go back to the 16th century, but over the decades it’s rapidly lost popularity

  • But not with one group of women from central Ohio  

Donna Cook is the glue of this “bridge club.” She started it back in 1951 when she was in high school. 

“I enjoy getting together with all of them,” Cook said. “Over the years, certain people join, then certain people dropped out or something, then other people brought other people in and that’s how we’ve ended up today.”

Back then, they played every other week. 

“We always got together in the homes. And we would fix usually, dessert and hors d’oeuvres and we all dressed up. Usually heels and hoes at that time,” said Lois Martin, a longtime member of the club. “We’d get together around six in the evening until about 11 at night.”

Jen Skiver, a server at Pizza Crossing sits with members of the bridge club, Taylor Bruck/Spectrum News 1

Martin said when everyone retired, they started playing at a restaurant. Pizza Crossing in Lancaster welcomed them with open arms.

“We are a locally owned business,” said Jen Skiver, a server at Pizza Crossing. “There’s only two locations. So it’s nice that it’s not a chain restaurant and that they actually care about us and we care about them.”

Bridge in its basic format is a trick-taking card game played by four players who partner up in twos and sit across from each other, and partners bid on their best suit. 

In a world consumed with technology and short attention spans, bridge takes patience and concentration to learn, which is a big reason Cook said it’s losing popularity.

“Well, once you get on to it, I don’t think it’s anything,” Cook said. 

The ladies come in around 11:30 a.m., eat, and then play cards for approximately four hours. Some of them are in multiple clubs as they enjoy the friendships, food and fun.

“We just love each other,” said Cathy Schmidt, a longtime member. “We just love to be together.”

October’s gathering was extra special as Cook turned 90 years old. She thanked card games for keeping her sharp.  

“Keeps our brain going,” Cook said. “It’s probably slowing down, but.” 

The ladies support each other through the good times and the bad. They recently lost longtime member Joyce Rife Cochran to a car accident on her way to bridge. 

“She was a dear friend,” Martin said. “We loved her. She was like a sister.”

They said their lives are made better by knowing each other. Thankful that the bridge to their friendships is cards.