Women gathered Tuesday outside the parish hall dressed in their spring finery. Their voices fi lled the space, with their excitement charging the atmosphere. Then Pat Swessel announced, “We’re going to let you in a few minutes early.” The voices hushed.
The women’s club of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church in Bella Vista was celebrating the 25th annual Spring Luncheon and card party with 300 ladies of the community. The women transformed the hall with lights, wreaths, flowers and everywhere sparkles of silver - befi tting a “silver” anniversary - under the vision of Joan Hiller, whom Swessel credited for the decorations.
“This whole thing was started 25 years ago when Grace Donovan thought it would be nice to have a special spring luncheon,” said Swessel, who served as co-chairman of the event.
The Women’s Club sponsors a card party on the second Thursday of every month, said Fran Olsen, Swessel’s partner.
But no one really knows when the card party started, Swesselsaid. And she’s only been to 22 of these luncheons.
“May I take you to your table?” asked Jerry Olsen. Members of the church’s men’s club escorted ladies on their arms to their tables, after first checking a map for the layout of 75 four-woman card tables.
“Come on. Follow me,” Olsen said. He pointed out the chocolate and wine bars as he passed them on his way to the table.
“Well, you ladies enjoy your lunch, and good luck at cards,” he fi nished.
Like so many other events in Bella Vista, the luncheon serves as an event for the whole community, with members of the church inviting their friends. Many nonmembers attend each year, and women fi lled every seat available. There were no “no-shows.”
“We had to limit ticket sales to the church,” Swessel said. And after the fi rst week of selling tickets after church, only five tables remained.
“There were men telling their wives, ‘Go stand in line. Don’t go to church,’ ” Swessel said with a laugh.
Dorris Maxcy, Maxine Wyatt, Helen Sever and Jean Spaight said they regularly played cards together, and “somebody in our group belonged to the church (and invited them to the luncheon several years ago),” Wyatt said. She used to play herself, but quit because she was playing cards with too many people, she admitted.
“We come to play cards and just be social,” Wyatt said. “It’s a great way to get reacquainted with people you haven’t seen for a while.”
Mary Goerke agreed, noting that some card parties rule that partners and tablesmust be switched for each game.
“Can I help someone fi nd their table?” Olsen asked another group of ladies. He got no takers, though, because they waited in a line to enter their tickets for door prizes donated by church members and the community. They hoped to win fl oral arrangements, golf balls, gift baskets, gift cards, meals at local restaurants or original artwork.
Ed Lemerice swooped in, kissed three ladies on the cheeks and hooked arms with two of them, leading them across the hall. “See that’s how you do it,” he goaded fellow ushers in fun.
As he left the ladies at the table in the very back corner of the room, he took a roll of money from his pocket. “That lady asked for money, and I gave it to her,” Lemerice said, as if bewildered by his actions. “It’s a good thing I’m married to that woman.”
“That woman” is Jennifer Lemerice, incoming president of the women’s club.
The Women’s Club raised $38,000 last year for church missions.
“The luncheon is a gift back to the ladies whosupport the church,” Jennifer Lemerice said. “And it’s a way to reach out to the community.”
Lemerice’s table mates of the day, Betty Goldstein and Michelle Sallerson, were invited by Lemerice and another good friend, Linda Hopper.
“We’re addicted to mahjong. They asked us to come, and we came,” Sallerson said.
“We’re Jewish, and we came. And mahjong is a Jewish game,” Goldstein pointed out.
“It’s like paying rummy with tiles,” Lemerice explained her game. “It’s like playing with puzzle pieces, and I like puzzles.”
Fran Olsen plays bridge. “There is a challenge with every hand,” she said. “It challenges your brain.”
When the meal was over, members of the women’s club removed the dishes and tablecloths, and women brought out the cards held in their purses. In addition to bridge and mahjong, tables were dedicated to crazy canasta.
“These card games aren’t for the faint of heart,” Judy Reeves warned.
Religion, Pages 6 on 04/27/2013