ṠAkpe Ti Lounge Mahjong Players Seek New Recruits In Shakopee

Shakopee MN

25 March, 2022

5:41 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Shakopee: March 24, 2022 In a world where it's difficult to gather in public without spending money or feeling rushed, Shakopee resident Sandy Rients loves her weekly afternoon of Mahjong with friends at the Community Center. "There's no pressure here," Rients said. "You don't have to buy anything or make a dessert or clean your house." Rients meets other local Mahjong players at 1 p.m. every Wednesday in the Community Center's Ṡakpe ti Lounge. The lounge is a place for Shakopee's active older adults to gather and socialize, with a full kitchen, comfortable chairs and television. Shakopee residents Lou Hennen, Pat Boeckman, Gwen Olson and Rients met through a Mahjong class offered at the Community Center before the COVID-19 pandemic. They and others became fast friends and played together every Wednesday until the pandemic forced a long break. A series of phone calls in 2021 brought them back together. "All your problems are gone when you're here because you're concentrated on the game," Rients said. "And it's good for your brain and memory," Boeckman said. Mahjong is a Chinese game played usually be groups of four people, with 136 or 144 rectangular tiles. The object is to collect winning sets of the tiles, similar to the card game gin rummy. Being that Mahjong is so involved, Rients said it can be difficult to recruit new players for their Wednesday game day. In fact, even after taking a class on the game rules, Rients felt nervous to play with others at the Community Center. "I felt like I wasn't good enough to come play, but everybody here is willing to help," she said. The group is hoping to attract other active older adults to join them. Part of the fun is branching out of your usual social circle and learning something new while making new connections, Olson said. "It's a good way to make friends and meet people," Hennen said. "We just like to play." For questions about the lounge or the active older adults programming, contact Mary Feltmann at [email protected]. This press release was produced by the City of Shakopee. The views expressed here are the author's own.