Everyone in this cribbage club is named Jan or Judy
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - What's in a name? Everything if you ask the members of a cribbage club in the north metro.
The name game
What we know:
Many times, a winning hand depends on the luck of the draw. But the women in a unique cribbage club are making the most of the cards they've been dealt by circumstance.
"It's just such a wonderful social gathering of a bunch of cool women," said club organizer Janet Priester.
Every Thursday, the neighbors get together in the party room of their apartment building and talk about everything under the sun, except politics.
Every member of the group is either a Jan or a Judy.
So it's no surprise they call themselves the Jans and Judys Club after the nicknames they have in common.
"You could call it the J and J club, but I like the Jans and Judys. It's got a little zip to it," said Priester.
Sharing a bond
The backstory:
Priester helped start the club after she moved into The View On Long Lake in New Brighton a few years ago, as a way to get to know her neighbors during the pandemic.
She put up a notice asking if anyone was interested in playing cribbage.
"These people signed up, and we got together and people are like, okay, what's your name? Jan. What's your name? Judy. What's your name? Jan. What's your name? Jan. What? We had a whole bunch of Jans and Judys and that's it. That's how it came to be," said Priester.
What's even more unusual is that their names aren't as common as they used to be back in the day when they were growing up.
"I think we all thought it was really unique. Big surprise, though. It just seemed strange," said member Judith Stenswick.
"It just turned out that way. We didn't search the various apartments looking for Judys and Jans. We just showed up. So it's just happenstance," said member Judith Thorpe.
Another level of friendship
What they're saying:
The women say the other residents don't have to have the same names to join the club.
"We have had a Carol and a Cindy, and they just didn't stick," said Thorpe.
But they feel like destiny stacked the deck in their favor, and their fate was always in the cards.
"I'm just thrilled to be part of the group. To be part of something that's positive and not tearing people down. I really need that now," said member Janet Huddle.
"It's time for a resurgence of Jans and Judys. We need more Jans and Judys, so step up," said Priester.