Hamlin out to early lead in euchre tournament with Kendall
84 card players on first night, with 2 more days in 71st annual tourney
HAMLIN – There was a big turnout on Wednesday for the opening day of the 71st annual Kendall-Hamlin euchre tournament.
There were 84 players, which John Becker of Kendall believes is a record.
The Hamlin team is in a slight 184-point lead after the first day of card playing. Hamlin hosted the opener at Merritt Hall and the action shifts to the Kendall Fire Hall on Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. and then it’s back to Hamlin the following Wednesday.
The town with the most points after three days will be declared the winner. There is no trophy, just camaraderie and fun (and possibly a free fish fry paid for by the losing team).
Kendall won last year’s tournament by 158 points – 4,437 to 4,279. Last year there were at least 70 card players each if the three nights, but never got into the 80s. In 2024, the participants were in the 50s and 60s.
The two towns have kept up the tradition for generations. 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.
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.
