Interest Groups
NOTE: Complete details and the scheduled meeting of each interest group can be found in our newsletter. Unless otherwise noted, Newcomers groups meet monthly in different members’ homes. Each group is informal, friendly, and involves meals or refreshments – except for the Walking group, which uniquely does not eat when they meet!
Table of Contents
BOOK CLUB
We offer lively discussions of fiction and non-fiction like murder mystery The Tenderness of Wolves, well-written history No Ordinary Time, or international novel Five Quarters of the Orange. Volunteers do research and then lead our discussions. Titles selected by group vote are generally borrowed through Wake Co. Libraries’ Book Club program. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday at 1:00pm.
BRIDGE 4 FUN – EVENING
Our games are relaxed and casual, and we welcome all skill levels. We meet twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday in different members homes at 7:00pm.
Some of us learned this excellent game from our grandmothers. You can refresh and sharpen your card-playing skills here. We meet on the second Tuesday at the TPC at Wakefield Plantation. We start at 11:00 am with lunch, then play from noon until approximately 4:00 pm.
CINEMA SCENE
We feature films not available in local movie theaters, including classic, foreign, and art films. Examples are “The History Boys” (2006), “Breaking Away” (1979), “Adam’s Rib” (1949). Films are not analyzed, just enjoyed with brief introduction and post-movie discussion. We meet on the 2nd Wednesday at 1:30pm in members’ homes or clubhouse theaters.
DOMINOES
This interesting game of chance and strategy creates lots of fun while we connect both friends and dots. We play the Mexican train style of dominoes. We meet on the 4th Wednesday at noon at the Moose Lodge at the corner of Forestville and Louisburg Roads..
EUCHRE
Euchre is a card game that’s popular in the Midwest and simple to learn. You play with five cards, combining luck with a little strategy. Members rotate among the tables, so you get to play with everyone. We meet the 1st Saturday of each month at 7:00pm.
FUN & GAMES
Come join us for an evening of fun. Members will decide on the games to play, such as Skip-Bo, Scattergories, Dominoes, Boogle, Pass the Pigs, or Scrabble. Any game suggestions are welcome. We usually meet in the evening the 2nd Saturday of the month.
GADABOUTS
The Gadabouts travel to special events, which are open to all members of the Newcomers Club.
GARDEN CLUB
As flower and plant enthusiasts, we enjoy visits to home gardens, garden centers, specialty nurseries, and arboretums. Sometimes we invite an expert to speak on a topic like herbs, container gardening, or drought-resistant and native plants. We meet the 4th Tuesday at 10:30am in various locations.
INTERNATIONAL COFFEE
This group includes members who are from another country or have lived for a significant period of time in a country other than USA. We share our different and interesting life experiences and adjustments as well as current activities. We meet for coffee or lunch in members’ homes or restaurants on the 4th Thursday at 11:30am for lunch or earlier for coffee.
LUNCH BUNCH
Lots of cheerful conversation happens during our lunches at local restaurants. We sample a wide variety of menus, ambiance, and locations. Our special December outing included a tour of the Executive Mansion in holiday décor coupled with lunch at Duck & Dumpling, a fine downtown Asian restaurant. We meet on the 2nd Friday at 11:45am.
MAH JONGG
Our group of devoted players gets together every week to enjoy this Chinese tile game. It’s played with a Mah Jongg card, 4 people at a table. A beginners class is scheduled for the fall of 2010. We meet at the Raleigh Moose Family Center every Monday at 12.30pm.
MEN'S BREAKFAST GROUP
Newcomers men gather for breakfast or just coffee. There’s no agenda, no RSVPs – just far-ranging informal conversation and interesting company. We laughingly call ourselves the RAMBOs – Retired Active Men Breakfasting Out! But working men are welcome too. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday at 9:00am. See our newsletter for the current location.
All rubber stamping enthusiasts and those who want to try the craft are invited to try us out. We bring our own supplies and projects to work on: cards, tissue paper, gift bags, etc. The group shares ideas, techniques, and stamps. Every so often, we create hand-made cards for terminally ill children. We meet on the 2nd Thursday at 1:00 pm.
Bring your current stitching project or come to just sit ‘n’ chat with our group. You're welcome whether you knit, crochet, quilt, cross stitch, needlepoint, bead or are just doing some mending. We meet on the 3rd Thursday from 1:00 PM to 3:00pm at members homes.
WALKING GROUP
Tired of trying to motivate yourself to walk? Join our energetic walking group to enjoy great conversations while we stay fit! We usually walk at 9:00 a.m. each Wednesday at various local parks, or indoors if inclement weather.
WINE TASTING
This is the perfect activity if you like wine with your meals. Led by an expert wine educator, we taste different varieties of red and white wine and learn about the wine regions where the grapes grow. Each participant or couple brings a dish to share that’s chosen to complement the wines. We meet on the 4th Saturday at 6:00pm.
WOODWORKING
The Woodworking Interest Group meets at a woodworking shop for those who are experienced in the field of woodworking and for those that would like to learn this craft. There will be lectures on various aspects of the craft, for example: "Furniture Design and Rapid Prototyping" a technique of making full size prototypes using conventional shop tools out of inexpensive foam board insulation.
Information about the interest groups is submitted by the chairperson to the newsletter editor and is due by the tenth of each month. If changes to the schedule are necessary, the chairperson will notify participants.
All addresses are in Raleigh, unless otherwise noted.
Please RSVP to the interest group chair or host by the date requested.
If you need to cancel a reservation, please notify your host as soon as possible. There may be a waiting list of others who would like to
participate.
For groups that meet at members’ homes, please do not park on lawns or in places that block mailboxes or garbage collection.