Cribbage Tournament results from Hopeville Rural Music Reunion

Twenty-three cribbage players competed for a cribbage trophy Sunday at the Hopeville Rural Music Reunion in Hopeville for the 13th Annual Jim Overholtzer Memorial Cribbage Tournament. Two players won all five required games, having a perfect score of 605 points. They were Mike Shields of Grand River and Dean Griffith of Bridgewater.

The two top players then played a sixth run-off game for the title. Mike won that game and took home the trophy. Dean came in second. Dean was second in the 2024 tournament as well. Third place was Tammy Otto of Murray, who only lost one game, and that game by only six points.

The 23 players came from a wide area of central Iowa, including Des Moines, but also from far away places, including Maryville, Missouri, Holts Summit, Missouri (south of Columbia), Omaha, Nebraska and Dole Valley, Washington. Local players came from Murray, Westerville, Creston, Afton, Osceola and Grand River. Fifty-six percent of the contestants lived outside of Clarke and Decatur Counties.

This contest was at the 46th Hopeville annual music festival. It started as a reunion of local musicians from a previous generation that held barn and town dances weekly in the winters. All the music reunion, including the cribbage, is free. A lunch was sold by the members of the Hopeville Community Church to keep the non-denominational church warm in the winter. The Hopeville festival is held annually on the Sunday afternoon after Labor Day.

The Cribbage Tournament is named for Jim Overholtzer, who was a cribbage master, and the former Postmaster of the neighboring Grand River Post Office, which also served Hopeville. Jim’s family are sponsors of the cribbage every year by donating the winning trophy.

The current population in town fluctuates around 15 people. No paved road goes to Hopeville. The closest paved road is R15, which is the county highway going south of Murray. Hopeville is the oldest town in Clarke County. The former town square is now the Hopeville Square County Park managed by the Clarke County Conservation Board. In addition to lots of trees, the park has two open shelters plus a playground. Camping is available also. For more festival information on Hopeville, contact Cheryl German at Hopeville, (641) 447-2699.