OXFORD — On Sunday, June 21, more than 100 bridge players from the Oxford Hills, Lewiston-Auburn areas and beyond are expected to gather here to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association by playing continuous rounds from sunrise to sunset.
Dubbed “The Longest Day,” it is one of thousands of bridge tournaments being held across North America on the summer solstice to honor the strength, passion and endurance of those facing the disease.
The Oxford Hills Bridge Club will sponsor three bridge games at the Oxford Community Center at 223 King St., at King Street and Route 121. The event is cosponsored by American Contract Bridge League and the Alzheimer’s Association. The town will let event organizers use the facility for free.
“Last year, we had 25 tables — that is 100 people played — and we raised close to $6,000,” Pat Quinn said Friday from the Community Center, where dozens of bridge players meet each Friday to play.
Games will be played at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Players are allowed to play in one or all three games to raise funds. Lunch and supper will be provided and there are prizes for winners. The tournament lasts 16 hours.
The Oxford Hills Bridge Club has raised more than $11,000 to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual fundraiser in the past two years.
“Everyone has been so good to us,” Quinn said.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual disabilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. It has no cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues.
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. More than five million Americans are living with the disease and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Quinn said bridge is an intense game involving duplicate boards and a pack of cards for each board. Each board contains four pockets, marked North, East, South and West, in which the cards for the four players are stored. Each board also carries a number to identify it, and has marks showing which of the players is the dealer and whether each team is vulnerable or not.
To the uneducated, it is a complicated game.
“It takes a lot of concentration,” Quinn said as she oversaw Friday morning’s game in Oxford that included players from Waterford, Auburn, Norway, Paris, Otisfield and beyond.
Those who cannot play can donate to the Alzheimer’s Association by contacting Quinn at 413-636-1612 or at 76 Otisfield Cove Road, Otisfield, ME 04270.
ldixon@sunmediagroup.net
Send questions/comments to the editors.
