04-14-03: Area youngsters buy-sell and try to stay out of jail

04-14-03: Area youngsters buy-sell and try to stay out of jail

By JANIE SOUTHARD
The Daily Standard

    ST. MARYS - Wheeling and dealing was rampant at the Community Public Library in St. Marys during the weekend with houses and hotels appearing and disappearing as big time operators sold and traded property.
    The name of the game is Monopoly and about 20 kids showed up Saturday morning for the big tournament at the library.
    "I'm happy to see such a good turn-out especially with the weather as nice as it is, although there were more signed up," said youth librarian Cassie Wilson.
    Karen Briggs, a freshman at Memorial High School, was overseeing her array of properties with a baby doll in her lap.
    "I'm baby-sitting," she explained as she rounded GO! and collected her $200.
    Her brother, Michael, an avid Monopoly player, became the doll's guardian the day before for a health class project at school.
    "He's going to be late because he has a driving test this morning, so he asked if I'd watch the baby," Karen Briggs clarified further.
    The doll has a preset, battery operated control panel in its back that measures how long it cries for food, changing and to be held. Karen Briggs wore a plastic key on a bracelet that she inserted into the doll to "clock in" and register its needs were being met.
    Michael Briggs arrived after about an hour, held the doll a few minutes then handed it back to his sister and went to the snack table.
    Because Monopoly games can go on for days, Wilson limited the sessions to 90 minutes each.
    The game sets were donated by Hasbro, and Wilson awarded them as prizes to the winners.
    Board games are old, old, old, according to researchers, some say 4,000 years beginning in Greece and Rome. They are of two types: strategy or a race to reach the target first.
    Monopoly is strategy, of course, but the invention of the game is controversial.
    Lizzie Magie of Virginia received a patent for a game called Landlord's Game in January 1904. The theory of the game as well as the board, the exchange of money, etc. is very similar to Monopoly.
    Thirty years later Parker Brothers began producing more than 20,000 Monopoly games a week. The game was brought to them by Charles B. Darrow of Pennsylvania. At first all Parker executives vetoed manufacturing such a long, complicated game. Plus, they said, there is no clear conclusion.
    They finally decided they would try it on the market but said it would never last long-term because it was an adult fad and too complicated for children.
    When Darrow died in 1967, he was the world's first millionaire game designer.
    Tournament winner was David Everage of St. Marys, who was down to his last $4 when he turned his strategy around and won his table game making him eligible for the final tournament game. His win earned him a gift certificate from Sam Goody.
    Other table winners, all from St. Marys, were: Kelly Ruppert, Emma Nelson, Jonathon Brenneman and Annie Boninsegna. All won a Monopoly game.
    All participants received a chocolate lollipop from See's Candy.

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