Darby Connections

08/26/2026

Bowling is about to start! We need seven more bowlers.

Many of our members bowl on the Jack & Jill Bowling League at Wonderland Lanes in Commerce Twp every other Tuesday throughout the winter. This is a pretty casual co-ed league. It has a n...

08/19/2026

We’re trying to boost attendance at our Wednesday night Euchre in Highland and Lake Orion, so we’re adding a little extra incentive!

We’re adding an additional $50 to the monthly prize! You still have tonight and next week to earn points, and winning is definitely within reach. Your monthly score is based on your top 10 scores, so two good weeks—especially with those Dinner Bonus Points—can put you right in the running.

Most importantly, please help us build up these locations! It typically takes a few weeks of 30+ players for a location to gain enough momentum to become self-sustaining. Every person who comes out helps us get closer to that point.

Come play, have dinner, earn some points, and help us get Highland and Lake Orion over that magical 30-player mark!

08/15/2026

The Great thing about our Pickleball is ALL LEVELS! Our system places you with people at your skill level. Northville Pickleball is a fantastic facility with AC

Heading to the courts alone for a game can feel a bit daunting to many. It's common to see the same groups sticking together, or find yourself either outmatched or barely challenged. And let...

08/12/2026

August is turning into a GREAT month for Darby Connections Euchre!

What a night we had Tuesday! The Tiki Bar in Walled Lake had 40 players and Johnny Black’s in Rochester Hills had 31 — that’s OVER 70 Euchre players in one night!

The Tiki Bar continues to be our fastest-growing location and is quickly becoming a dominant force, even edging out our longtime powerhouse B1 Tavern in Keego Harbor, which had an impressive 38 players this week!

Thursday was another big night! Oak Park Social and the Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club in Clarkston each had 28 players, putting both within striking distance of that magical 30-player mark.

Why is 30 so important? When a location gets above 30 players for a few weeks in a row, it tends to become self-sustaining. Attendance stays strong, there’s a steady flow of new faces, and the group develops momentum of its own.

But getting there isn’t easy.

Patty, Julie and Jimmy have been putting a lot of work into promoting Darby Connections, and we have significantly increased our advertising. That costs money, so a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated! Your support is helping us reach more people and grow these events.

Many others are helping in different ways too. Sheri’s many pictures keep things fun and her posts help spread awareness. Word of mouth remains one of our best forms of advertising, so please keep posting on social media, telling your friends about us, and bringing new people along.

But the single most important thing you can do is simply SHOW UP!

That is especially important at our newer and smaller locations. Every person matters. Sometimes just one person deciding to come gets the ball rolling and results in five more people signing up.

And we cannot overstate how helpful it is to RSVP EARLY! A lot of people are guest-list watchers who wait to see enough names before committing. This week, just a couple hours before start time, it looked like we might not even break 20 players at The Tiki Bar. Then suddenly — 40 players! Imagine how many more might have joined us if everyone had committed earlier.

It looks like many of our locations are finally coming up to speed. Please make an extra effort to come out this August and help us keep the momentum going!

We especially need your help with Lake Orion and Highland. Being on the outskirts of our core area makes them more challenging to grow, and they are still among our smaller locations. If you can make it out to one of them, your attendance really does make a difference!

07/29/2026

Euchre went very well in the main bar area. We are going to try to stick with it. Now let's fill it up!

07/29/2026

What a great night at Johnny Blacks in Rochester Hills! We had an amazing 32 players join us for a night of friendly competition, laughter, and great company.

It's exciting to see our Euchre community continue to grow, with both familiar faces and new players joining in the fun each week. Events like these are about more than just cards—they're about making new friends, enjoying great food, and having a place to look forward to each week.

Heck, there's even more reason to bring your A-game! The high-scoring player each week wins a restaurant gift card, and at the end of every month, the top overall scorer takes home an additional gift card. It's our way of adding a little extra fun and rewarding great play.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and to Johnny Blacks for being such a great partner. If you haven't joined us yet, we'd love to see you next week. Whether you're a seasoned Euchre player or just learning, there's always a seat at the table!

See you next week!

Specializing in Events for Making Friends and Keeping Them!

07/28/2026

Since we started playing Euchre at The Tiki Bar in Walled Lake at the beginning of June, it has quickly become the hot spot! We've already had more than 100 different players attend, which is even more than our Keego Harbor location.

Like every new venue, we've had a few growing pains. Serving a large group that's constantly changing seats after ordering isn't easy, but the owners have been incredibly supportive and willing to work with us. We also found a real gem in our server, Megan, who looks forward to Tuesday nights with our group. Having a great, consistent server makes a huge difference, so thank you to everyone who has been patient, enjoyed dinner there, and tipped well. Your support really helps both Megan and the restaurant, and it goes a long way toward making our events successful.

The biggest challenge has been the heat. The room we've been using doesn't have great air circulation, and with so many new people joining us each week, we'll outgrow it before long. This week we're going to try playing in the main bar area near the stage and pool tables. The air conditioning works much better there, the higher ceilings should help reduce the noise level, and there's plenty of room for us to grow. We'll be sharing the space with trivia, but they don't seem to be too disruptive. Being in the main part of the restaurant will also give us much better visibility. Who knows—maybe we'll grow big enough to take over the whole bar!

If you've been thinking about coming out, now is a great time. New locations really take off once we consistently get over 30 players. Please make an extra effort to join us over the next few weeks and help us build something special.

Thank you all for your continued support. We couldn't do it without you!

Specializing in Events for Making Friends and Keeping Them!

07/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Irish Tavern in Lake Orion!

We just launched Casual Euchre at this location at the beginning of the year, and like many of our locations on the edge of our core area, it takes a little time to build a consistent group. We usually have fewer than 20 players each week.

Smaller groups have a unique charm. With fewer than 20 people, you really get to know everyone, and the group starts to feel like family. As the group grows beyond 20 players, you won't play with everyone each week, but the energy increases and you have the opportunity to meet more new people—maybe even your next best friend.

Lake Orion is right on the verge of becoming one of our larger groups. Nearly 100 different people have attended this year! Now we just need more of them to come out consistently.

This week we put out a special request asking everyone to join us, especially our younger players. Lake Orion has attracted a surprisingly large number of people under 50, but they can be the hardest group to get to commit. You responded by bringing out 22 players, with more than one-third of the group under 50 years old. Thank you!

Please continue spreading the word, keep coming out, and, if possible, RSVP early. A lot of people watch the guest list before deciding whether to attend. Unfortunately, that creates a domino effect where everyone waits for everyone else. It's one of the biggest challenges we face.

Earlier today it looked like we might only have eight players. Then, in the last few MINUTES, the list suddenly jumped to more than 20. If more people had RSVP'd earlier, there's a good chance we could have reached 30 players.

Every RSVP helps build momentum, and every person who attends makes a difference. Thank you for helping us continue to grow the Lake Orion Euchre community!

07/23/2026

What a perfect day for a hike!

This was a last-minute adventure. Patty had an appointment near Bald Mountain in Lake Orion, and when we saw the forecast calling for near-perfect hiking weather, we quickly put together a "Before Euchre Hike."

Patty, Dave, and Jimmy enjoyed a great afternoon exploring Bald Mountain's rolling hills, scenic woodlands, and beautiful wetlands. After the hike, they headed just a few minutes down the road for Weekly Casual Euchre at the Irish Tavern in Lake Orion.

We like to organize these impromptu hikes whenever the weather cooperates. If you enjoy getting outdoors, keep an eye on the calendar and join us next time!