Michigan prepares to celebrate it’s one-hundred and eighty-first birthday on January 26th and this year party planners are inviting an old friend -- Juckerspiel or Euchre for short.
The Michigan History Center in Lansing hosts the celebration every year in honor of the state and all things 1837.
Party organizers said this year they’re hosting a Euchre tournament to celebrate the card game’s history as a quote “Michigan game”.
Sara Gross is the engagement specialist for the Michigan History Center. She said Euchre was popular because you just needed a deck of cards and you could play it anywhere.
“Around the turn of the century when Bridge rose to popularity it kind of eclipsed Euchre on a national scale. Today Euchre is really only found in the so called Euchre belt in the midwest because Bridge is the hot game everywhere else”.
Laurie Perkins is a Michigan Historian. She said the game is said to have arrived with German immigrants and was popular among woman because it didn’t involve gambling
“It didn’t have the stigma that say a back room poker game might have had in this time period. So, damsel ladies, to your grandma, to family, friends, even through the 1950’s. So, this is a game standing a long period of time”.
Gross said tournament winners will win a gift basket filled Michigan goodies.
On the web:
Tournament information:
https://www.jotform.com/seekingmichigan/statehood-day-euchre