Betty Hale, 68, first brought the game to the local senior center three years ago after playing it for years in Arizona using “Wright-Patterson” rules and jokers. Since then, the group has grown from eight to 17 women. The Mah Jongg group meets at 12:30 p.m. every Thursday and usually plays for about four hours. Sometimes they play all day, coming in a 9 a.m. and breaking for lunch.
It’s not just how the game keeps the mind sharp — the Chinese government buses seniors to parks to play as a way to combat dementia and Alzheimer’s — but also the camaraderie that has most of the women canceling appointments on Thursday just to play, Hale said.
“It gets so noisy in there I am ashamed to say we have to close the door because they really, really like it,” Hale said. “And that’s why I would like to get other people to play —because it is so much fun.”
With its 13 different tiles with designs, such as “green dragon” and the “five crak” Chinese character, the game is admittedly more challenging than cards. The ladies pile and snatch the colorful tiles in rapid succession as players try to collect a full set to claim the win with a proclamation of “Mah Jongg!”
But as player Gloria Freeman, 60, of Madison Twp. will tell you, the rousing game isn’t overly competitive and most players are willing to help others new to the game.
Rose Post, 72, of Middletown embroidered all the special Mah Jongg tablecloths the women use when they play. It’s helped the players feel more like a group.
“I enjoy playing sequence hands,” she said of the game. “I just enjoy doing it.”
Residents interested in learning the game or joining the group are invited to attend a Mah Jongg open house. The event will be held beginning at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the MASC, 3907 Central Ave., Middletown. The two rule books can be purchased for $5 each. Players do not have to be members of the senior center to attend.
For more information, contact Hale at (513) 422-1562.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.
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