Oak Hammock and the Gainesville Bridge Clubs hosted a bridge tournament Sunday for The Longest Day initiative to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association.  

Organizer Mary Ann McIntyre estimated that the tournament will raise between $8,000 and $10,000 for the association, placing it on track with past years. She said the Gainesville chapter won an award last year in Florida for its amount of fundraising.  

Partners switched around tables in the Oak Hammock Room on Sunday with 56 contestants battling it out over bridge, a trick-taking card game that developed into its modern form in the late 1800s.  

McIntyre said Alzheimer’s is a cause that resonates with everyone at Oak Hammock, with everyone knowing someone impacted by the disease.  

“Everybody feels it, sort of in their bones, that it’s a good cause,” McIntyre said. 

Another organizer, Beth Paul, said she grew up playing bridge and learned it from her parents. It used to be the thing to do, she said. Nowadays, Paul said, the popularity seems to have declined, especially among younger generations.  

The Gainesville Bridge Clubs have around 60 members, placing it as one of the smaller ones in the state. But they pack a punch with fundraising. Paul said it’s more than just a bridge tournament. 

“We’ve got to honor the people who have gone before us,” Paul said.