On Aug. 10^th  + 11^th , 2016 the Midland Duplicate Bridge Club at 427 William St.  hosted the Contract Bridge contingent of the Ontario 55+ Summer Games. Twenty districts were represented by 21 pairs of hopeful medal winners. A total of 24 rounds of bridge were played on 2 consecutive days. The tension was palpable with 3 rounds to go. The points were very close with 6 pairs in contention for gold. 

Gold: Gerard Brisson and Denis Rinquette
(District 2 Cochrane)

Silver: Bob Hill and  Rene Gregoire
(District 6 Ottawa East)

Bronze: Alan Lantz and Ron Oswald
(District 27 Grey-Bruce)

(Written and Submitted by Anna Janssen)

• Our partnership coordinator, Jude Gatt is on vacation for the next 3 weeks.  Jeanette Halliday will be filling in while Jude is away.  Jeanette can be reached at 705-527-9181 or jhalliday123@gmail.com

• Series 3 “Improving Your Play” begins July 12^th.  Individual Lessons are $8. All lessons are on Tuesdays and begin at 7 p.m. The fee is $50 ($8/lesson) for 7 lessons.

  • Please see the link to these lessons on our website for more details.  Wendy Smith is handling the pre-registration.  Please contact her at wendy@midlandbridge.com

• The NAP qualifier will be held (July 11 and July 13) and our Summer Club Championships follow on Wed. July 20 and Mon. July 25.

• August 26 will be our next Swiss Team Event with a portion of the proceeds to go to a local charity.  Registration is limited to 18 teams.  Those who played in this event last year should register by July 20 to guarantee your place.  Fee is $50 per team – a picnic supper is included.  Supper to begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by bridge at 7.  You may BYOB for this event.

• The ACBL Sectional will be held at the Midland Curling Club on September 17 and 18.  There will be 40 tables.  Pairs and a 199'er game to be held on Saturday; Swiss teams on Sunday.

• Quilters’ Challenge:  All sewers and quilters -- we are challenging you to make a fall wall quilt (pattern to be obtained from Jeanette Halliday).  You may change the borders but essentially all quilts will be the same but in different colours.  Please call/e-mail Jeanette at 705-527-9181 or jhalliday123@gmail.com.  Quilt to be finished by September 15.  You may keep it after May 2017 or sell it.  We will discuss price later.

• Our 2016 MDBC Memberships are still on sale at $10.

Google “benefits of playing bridge” and you’ll be surprised at the number of articles published on how this game keeps the mind active and youthful.  In 2000, according to blueberrybridge.com, a professor proved that playing bridge increases the levels of infection fighting T-cells in the blood stream.  While the average age of an American Contract Bridge League member is 67, the large number of nonagenarians and older that play bridge is not just a coincidence – it’s an interesting AH-HA statistic.  Whether it’s the focused strategic thought process or social team player interaction, there’s no doubt that playing bridge is an extremely good exercise for the mind.

For instance, Peterborough resident, Hazel Brunford, a top bridge player, turned 100 in July. Then there’s Lily Hansen, 103, of Ludington, Mich., who has played bridge for nine decades and is the director of a duplicate bridge club. "Everybody asks how come I am 103 and still driving … still around,'' she said. "[Bridge] keeps your brain working. I honestly believe that.''

The Midland Bridge Club has its own nonagenarians: Noreen Baer, a long-time member and multi-year Terry Fox Walk participant and Sheila Hawkins, bridge teacher and eponym for one of the club’s rooms - The Hawkins Room.

According to AARP (the U.S. equivalent to CARP), Hall of Fame tennis star Martina Navratilova wrote that bridge "is more than just a card game. It's a cerebral sport. Bridge teaches you logic, reasoning, quick thinking, patience, concentration and partnership skills." Warren Buffett, 85, who plays bridge with Bill Gates, age 60, once said that he wouldn't mind going to jail if he had three cell mates who were capable bridge players.

In May, the Midland Bridge Club made a strategic move into its new home at 427 William Street.  With the help of generous donations of money, materials and labour, the inside has been completely transformed, redecorated and upgraded.  Accessibility is superb with the rooms being all at ground level. And the tables are permanently set up for players to just sit down and play. There are regular ACBL sanctioned games on Monday afternoons and Wednesday evenings.

The club, with its full kitchen, climate controlled rooms and huge parking lot, is an ideal place for area residents to host a card party in exchange for a donation. In December, the Full Deck bridge group, who used to play at the Calvary Baptist Church, began to host their Thursday afternoon games at the Midland Bridge Club.

- Wendy Smith

Midland, July 1, 2015: From Coldwater, to the old YMCA, to the Yonge Street Recreation Centre, to the new YMCA, to St. Paul’s United Church, to St. Margaret’s Catholic Church. And now, finally, the Midland Bridge Club has found a permanent home at the old Huronia Players Theatre at 427 William Street, Midland.

On June 29, Midland’s Mayor Gord McKay and Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton attended the Grand Opening and official ribbon cutting ceremony.

The highlight of the day was the dedication of one of the renovated rooms to long time member, Sheila Hawkins and her husband Ross, who passed away several years ago. The Hawkins Room pays tribute and shows gratitude to Sheila and Ross for their years of teaching bridge and volunteerism.

“I am humbled by the gesture,” stated Mrs. Hawkins.  Mayor McKay presented Mrs. Hawkins with a special volunteerism plaque and to the club, a certificate from the Town of Midland.

Mr. Stanton presented the club with a certificate from the Government of Canada and represented MPP for Simcoe North Garfield Dunlop, who could not attend, with a certificate from the Province of Ontario.

Many people will recognize the outside of the building as the old home of the Huronia Community Players, but they will not recognize the inside.  Through generous donations of supplies, money and volunteer power from the Midland Bridge Club membership, the inside has been transformed into a bright, cheerful place where people from all skill levels can spend time together playing cards and socializing.

Midland, June 18, 2015: From Coldwater, to the old YMCA, to the Yonge Street Recreation Centre, to the new YMCA, to St. Paul’s United Church, to St. Margaret’s Catholic Church. And now, finally, the Midland Bridge Club found a permanent home at the old Huronia Players Theatre at 427 William Street, Midland.