For many, dominoes is a well-known way to spend a few hours with friends, but for the Lewis family, it is a way to stay connected with relatives.
What started to pass the time between four Lewis brothers and their cousin in a hunting camp along the Chunky River in 1969 has grown into a family tradition that has continued for more than 50 years.
Glenda Lewis, a Gulfport resident who has hosted The Lewis Family Domino Tournament, said none of the five men in the hunting camp were trying to start tradition. They were just trying to kill time.
“It started in 1969 at a camp on the Chunky River by Malcolm Lewis, Leon Lewis, Earl Lewis, John Lewis, all four brothers, and a cousin, Garth Glenn Gibs,” she said. “They were all from Newton originally. Then they scattered around.”
That first year at the hunting camp, Lewis said, the men played dominoes for more than 24 hours straight.
“The first years were played all night Friday night and all-day Saturday,” she said. “They played maybe 25 to 30 games.”
Over the next five decades, brothers, cousins, uncles and sons passed yearly tradition on to their children.
“It’s a way for the guys to get together,” she said.
For the past few years, Lewis and her husband, Earl, who was one of the original five, have offered their vacation home in Lake for the family gathering.
“My husband and I bought a place in Lake,” Lewis said. “That’s where I’m originally from.”
Each year draws about 12-14 players for the game, she said. The women and children camp out in the kitchen preparing snacks and cooking meals, while the men gather around the table to carry on a half-century old tradition.
The Lewis Family Dominoes Tournament is a partner’s tournament, Lewis said. Each year, the team who wins the most games is awarded stewardship of the tournament trophy.
“They engrave their names on it and return it again,” she said. “We have a plate on it that slips out with all the names on it.”
Although the original trophy was broken beyond repair a few years back, Lewis said the name plate was recovered and still bears 50 years of tournament champions.
“Last year, my grandson won,” she said. “I told him to be sure to bring the trophy back this year.”
Over time, Lewis said, the Lewis Family Dominoes Tournament has changed from that first game in 1969.
“It’s been held in hotels in Meridian, hunting camps in Newton,” she said. “Now we play 5-6 games on a Saturday. We don’t play all night anymore.”
Though the location and time of the game have changed, the tournament is still going strong, Lewis said. All the men in the family love dominoes, she said, and the game gives them an excuse to get together as a family.
