Marya Wieland, Garrett Grathwohl and Dennis Clobes took first, second and third places in the first Brown County Free Fair Cribbage Tournament.
NEW ULM – Eighteen players participated in the Brown County Fair’s first cribbage tournament Thursday.
All 18 players play seven head-to-head matches during the tournament. After each match, players record their score. After everyone had played seven matches, the three players with the highest score were awarded prizes.
The tournament was coordinated by Heidi Falk. Falk said she has hosted monthly cribbage tournaments in the area for several years. The tournaments were previously held at Smiley’s Tavern in New Ulm, but were recently moved to the Pig and Plow Pub in Evan, Minnesota.
“I reached out to the Brown County Fairgrounds to see if they would like to try a tournament and they agreed,” Falk said she was pleased with the voter turnout. “This is a strong performance for the first fair cribbage tournament.”
After all rounds had been played and the points had been counted, Marya Wieland emerged as the winner. Garrett Grathwohl and Dennis Clobes took second and third place.
Jen Brooks is unsure of her starting hand in the first game of the Brown County Fair Cribbage Tournament.
Wieland said this was the first tournament she participated in; she has been playing the game since she was five years old.
“I live two blocks from the exhibition center,” she said. “I saw it and said, ‘I’m going over there and playing in the tournament.'”
Wieland said it was her first tournament and she had a lot of fun. She said it was nice to meet people and enjoy the camaraderie.
Almost every game of cribbage during the tournament began with players introducing themselves and sharing stories about how long they had been playing the game.
“I like the competition,” said Wieland. “It’s fun to meet people who like to play the same thing.”
Marya Wieland and Mike Hillesheim talk to the other cribbage players before the first game of the tournament. Wieland won the tournament and achieved the highest score after seven games.
Wieland won a brand new cribbage board and $100. She said she already has a trip planned to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and the money she won will make the visit even more fun. She hopes the fair will continue to host cribbage tournaments in the future.
Marya Wieland and Mike Hillesheim talk to the other cribbage players before the first game of the tournament. Wieland won the tournament and achieved the highest score after seven games.
A player in the Brown County Cribbage Tournament counts the points in her cribbage during the first round of the tournament.
A total of 18 players took part in the first cribbage tournament at the Brown County Fair. Tournament director Heidi Falk was pleased with the turnout for this first tournament. Each participant played seven games. After seven games, the players with the three highest scores received prize money. Dennis Clobs came third, Garret Grathwohl came second, and Marya Wieland came first.
