71st annual Kendall-Hamlin euchre tournament begins Jan. 21
Photo by Tom Rivers: Card players filled the Kendall Fire Hall on Feb. 5, 2025 for the Kendall-Hamlin euchre tournament. The three-day tournament provides some fun and camaraderie during the middle of the winter.
KENDALL – Card players are welcome to be part of the 71st Kendall-Hamlin euchre tournament which begins this Wednesday in Hamlin at Merritt Hall at 6:30 p.m.
The action then shifts to Kendall at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the Kendall fire hall and concludes in Hamlin at Merritt Hall on Feb. 4 with the fish fry supper to follow at the Hamlin VFW.
The two towns have kept up the tradition for generations. Players can just show up, said John Becker of Kendall. There are usually about 60 players each night.
The tournament is open to residents in both towns. If one town has more players than the other, some of those players might play for the rival town to even out the players.
After the three days of card playing, the scores will be tabulated to determine the winner.
The event isn’t a fundraiser, but Becker said donations are made to the fire departments in both Kendall and Hamlin.
The tournament started in 1954 when a group of farmers from Kendall and Hamlin stopped to play cards after attending a farm show in Rochester.
They had so much fun playing cards and drinking beer that the euchre tournament became an annual event. It remains popular and has expanded from a one-evening tournament to being spread over three Wednesdays in the dead of winter.
The tournament still includes many farmers but it has opened up to the entire community. The players pay $10 each night and that includes beer or soda.
