Four men sat at a dark red wooden picnic table underneath one of the wooden shelters in Carver Park with a deck of red and white playing cards. Two teenagers pounded a basketball on the pavement of the court just behind where the men sat. One of the men, Derek Weaver - who often goes to the park on his lunch break from work - split the deck of cards into two stacks and shuffled them together. He dealt the deck out to the others. Longtime Fulton resident David Green picked up his stack.
"Give me some clubs," Green said as he examined and arranged the cards in his hand.
The four men play cards and dominoes in the park - usually at the same table - almost every day. Sometimes their group is a bit larger, sometimes a bit smaller. They all live nearby and try to make it to the park just after noon each day.
Green said he has been going to the park to play cards every day since he retired seven years ago. Green's playing-card opponents Keith Finger and Todd Lee are both also retired. Weaver stops by to play cards with them on his lunch break.
"I like coming up here to talk to these old guys," Weaver said.
"Ain't nobody old here," Lee said with a chuckle.
Brad Pittman sat at the adjacent table on Monday afternoon and watched the others play. Pittman retired two years ago. He said he frequently plays dominoes at the park. He, too, goes every day to play cards and catch up with friends. He described the picnic tables in the park where they play cards as a spot for the older guys.
"Just playing cards and seeing all my old buddies," Pittman said.
Pittman's favorite card game is Bid Wiz, which the group played on Monday afternoon. Bid Wiz is the card game the group plays most often. Lee said it is similar to Spades.
All of the men have lived in the neighborhood for many years. Green first moved to Fulton for work in the late '60s and Finger moved about 20 years after that. Weaver has always lived in Fulton. He grew up going to Carver Park to play. Lee is also a longtime Fulton resident.
"Most of us grew up around here," Lee said.
Although they are neighbors, Weaver said if it wasn't for the park, he wouldn't talk to the others as much as he does now.
Green used to be part of a club in Fulton that helped take care of the park. He said the group tried to help the city keep the park clean. They also often help fundraisers.
"We adopted Carver Park," Green said. "We played a lot up here - basketball and softball. It was in the community so we adopted it."
But the group dissolved in the late '90s, according to Green. However, Pittman said many of the same people who meet to play cards still try to help at the park when they can. Pittman said they help clean up trash around the wooden shelters in the park. He said the park does a lot for the community.
Sometimes the group will all chip in to bring food for their card games. Occasionally they will make hamburgers, hot dogs and bring chips to their game. When they do, they share with anyone else enjoying the park.
"Everyone's pretty friendly and laid back," Pittman said.
Weaver boasted to his opponents about how often he wins. Finger said everyone at the table would have a different answer for who wins the most. Green agreed.
"I lose a lot, but I win a lot, too," Green said.
Weaver was in the lead during Monday's game.
"I'll quit before I let you win," Weaver said.
Green smiled.
Megan Favignano can be reached at (573) 826-2417 or [email protected].