Union Retirees gather twice a month to socialize

Published 4:24 pm Saturday, August 9, 2008

Twice a month in the lower level of the Albert Lea Union Center, a couple dozen people meet under a common bond.

The group members, most of whom are former Wilson’s & Co. employees, started meeting several decades ago to play cards, eat and simply socialize.

“It’s kind of fun to be with these people,” said Ruby Fredrickson, who started coming to the group with her husband about 15 years ago. “After you come a while you get to know these people.”

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The group — known as the Union Retirees — started out as a bunch of coworkers getting together, but now it has developed into a bunch of close friends.

Back in 1979, said Bob Fredrickson, one of the group’s longtime members, he remembers there being 98 members who would come to the gatherings. However through the years, the number of people in the group has dwindled because the retirees are aging.

Now there’s probably about 30 or 35 people who come regularly, and they’re seeking new members.

While it used to be only Wilson’s & Co. employees in the group, now any union retiree and his spouse are welcome.

In fact, many widows in the group still keep coming years after their husbands passed away. Right now the group is outnumbered by women.

For example, Ruby — whose husband passed away in 2001 — said she still keeps coming because of the friendships she’s made.

The first Wednesday in the month, the group meets for a potluck and bingo.

During their second meeting they have a meeting and bingo. Bingo cards are 15 cents each.

When a person in the group has a birthday, that person has to bring a cake for the rest of the members. And they take turns doing dishes and setting the table, too.

Two members, Ralph Randall and Harold Tasker, said they enjoy coming to the group’s gatherings because they love playing bingo, socializing and eating food.

They joked that they’d starve if it weren’t for all the delicious food that the women make.

Bob said the potluck is always the highlight for him, too. He and his wife, Thais, also enjoy socializing with the fellow retirees.

“It’s a good crowd,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed it.”

Dues are $10 a year, which includes a catered Christmas dinner.

To join the group or to find out more information, contact the group’s president, Irene Tandeski, at 448-2824.