We meet every Wednesday from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., and will be happy to teach anyone who wants to learn. For more information, please call June Foster at 973-4749.

The game of Canasta is said to have originated in Latin America around 1940. From there it spread to the USA and throughout the world. It was extremely fashionable in the 1950's, and it has been said that it would never go out of fashion. Canasta is generally agreed to be best for four players, playing in partnerships. However, there are playable versions for two and three players also. At the Senior Center there are times that we will sit six players at a table.

The first Canasta group came together when the Senior Center opened on Pepsi Place in 1991. The Center was looking for programs for its members and Bernice Peterson, Al Peterson, and Laura Sieveka were the movers behind starting the Canasta group. The first four players were Bernice Peterson, Laura Sieveka, Adah Stump, and Gertude Mount. Bernice dropped out for a year or so and Al Peterson passed away. Now Bernice is back, while Adah Stump has been in the group since the beginning and serves as treasurer and chief birthday cake buyer.

The group now has seventeen active members and plays all the year round. People can miss weeks and it doesn't matter. It always works out so that the game goes on. On February 25, 2004, the Charlottesville Observer featured the Canasta group in an article emphazing the helpful effects of game playing on the mental processes of seniors.

There are usually three tables of four players or more each week. Our game consists of four decks of cards, similar to "Samba". We celebrate our members' birthdays each month, and some of us go out to dinner after the game. This is a friendly and sociable group of canasta players who look forward to seeing each other and having a good time. Please come and join us.