Question: When is a newcomer not necessarily a newcomer? Answer: When she is a member of the White Rock Newcomers Club.
The group, which was formed in 1958, can be full of surprises for anyone who checks it out based solely on the name.
For starters, you don’t have to be new to Dallas to join. You don’t even need to live in the White Rock area – any resident of Dallas County is eligible.
And there are several more surprises: All members are women, most are older than 50, and the group’s primary passion is playing bridge.
If you’re still following the twists and turns, you might want to visit a monthly meeting. Here’s a warning, though: Don’t expect a one-hour affair.
The Newcomers, who meet the first Tuesday of every month at the Holiday Inn, LBJ Freeway and Jupiter, start the day about 9:30 a.m. with a hospitality gathering, followed by a program (usually some sort of entertainment), a business meeting, a luncheon and then the grand finale – two hours of bridge. The day wraps up about 2:30 p.m.
“I have really made a lot of friends, and not just from Dallas, but from Richardson, Garland and other cities in the area,” says Reservations Chairwoman Helen Elkins of Casa Linda, who has been a member since 1989.
Monthly meetings average 80 to 100 people, so there is a great deal of emphasis on the morning entertainment. Recent programs have included a magician, musicians, a fashion show and an Elvis impersonator. Members are still talking about 14-year-old Mesquite singer LeAnn Rimes’ performance a couple of years ago before she became a teenage country music star.
“Our programs are what bring people in, so we really try to make them good,” Elkins says.
Each month, the group also schedules a party, lunch, shopping trip or other adventure.
And then there’s the “Souper Bowl” party in January, during which members meet at Samuell-Grand Recreation Center to play bridge.
“The officers bring big pots of vegetable soup, some people bring cornbread and brownies, and we sit around and eat and talk and play bridge,” says President Rajean Howard of Garland.
Earlier this year, the group met at a DART station and rode an express bus Downtown, where they toured the underground mall system and ate lunch in one of the mall restaurants.
For the March outing, the Newcomers have scheduled a private bus tour of little-known historic places in Dallas with local book reviewer Rose-Mary Rumbley as guide.
A monthly newsletter helps keep the nearly 200 members informed about other activities, such as a related book club that meets September through May, as well as additional opportunities to play bridge.
The year wouldn’t be complete without a service project, and the Newcomers’ special charity is the Children’s Burn Unit at Parkland Hospital. Each fall, the members raise money for the unit. Members also buy clothing for the kids and provide a Christmas tree with ornaments the children can keep.
Elkins wasn’t a bridge player when she joined Newcomers, but she decided to take lessons after seeing how much fun the bridge players were having. She and others sometimes play canasta or mahjong.
“We’re pretty good bridge players, but we don’t take it too seriously, so we have a lot of fun with it,” Howard says.
The White Rock Newcomers meet this month on Feb. 4 at the Holiday Inn, LBJ and Jupiter. For information, call 214-341-1494 or 972-495-2397.
