Two lanes, one cause: a holiday tournament in Bryant plays so children can join in

A children's charity in Saline County, Arkansas, has looked at how many of its neighbors now play mahjong and decided to put that enthusiasm to work. The EMpact One Foundation will hold the Merry Mahj-A-Thon, a holiday mahjong tournament, on Sunday, December 6, from 2 to 6 in the afternoon at The Social Parlor, 601 N. Reynolds Road in Bryant.

The foundation announced the event in MySaline on November 9, in a piece written by its executive director, Bekka Wilkerson. Registration is $75 a person, according to that announcement, and an early price runs through Friday, November 13. The announcement does not give the early figure, so the registration page is the place to see it. That page also warns that space is limited.

Pick your lane

What sets this tournament apart is that it does not ask every player to be the same kind of player. There are two divisions. Fast Lane is the competitive one, meant for experienced players. Easy Street is the leisurely one, for those who love the game and would rather not feel the pressure of hard competition. Both play during the same afternoon, and the registration page says winners will be recognized in each.

Ms. Wilkerson wrote that the two divisions exist for exactly the player who worries she is not competitive enough. The registration page adds that a session called Mahj 101 is being planned before the tournament for anyone who wants to learn or brush up, though no date or price is given yet.

The afternoon comes with Christmas treats and refreshments, tournament prizes, and a silent auction the foundation calls the Merry Market, with holiday ornaments, gifts and seasonal finds. One complete American Mahjong set will be given away, according to the registration page, with details still to come. Neither page names the card to be played or the number of rounds, so a player who wants to know should ask the foundation before the day. Sponsorships run from $250 to $1,000 and include player registrations, the announcement says.

“There's room for everybody.”Bekka Wilkerson, executive director, The EMpact One Foundation, in MySaline

Where the money goes

The proceeds stay with the foundation, which works to remove the cost that keeps children out of sports, the arts and other activities. Its own site states the goal plainly: that one day every child in Saline County can take part in classes, teams and activities without regard for what a family can afford.

Two of its programs are named in the announcement. The Tuition Assistance Program helps families with the fees, and the Mobile Sports Locker puts equipment in children's hands. The foundation's site lists others, among them the YES! Awards and the Tanner Bates Memorial Fund, along with a calendar of fundraisers that already includes a golf day, a crawfish boil and a wiffle ball tournament. Mahjong is the newest way in.

OOTT is not affiliated with The EMpact One Foundation or The Social Parlor and does not sell mahjong sets.

Prim's view

This is Prim's opinion. The two divisions are the cleverest part of this invitation. A great many players who would enjoy a tournament stay home because the word itself sounds stern. Give them a table called Easy Street and they come, they play, and they bring a friend next year. Charity organizers elsewhere might borrow the idea.

Prim also approves of the cause. A child who gets to join the team or take the class learns a good deal more than the game, as every mahjong player who learned at somebody's kitchen table already knows. If you live within a drive of Bryant, look at the registration page before Friday, choose your lane honestly, and go and enjoy the afternoon.