The English proudly claim The British and World Marbles Championship has been held at Finsley Green, West Sussex, England every year since 1932. However, Americans can claim the National Marbles Tournament founded in 1922 and held in Wildwood, New Jersey. It gives kids an opportunity for a scholarship, competing against other kids age 7-14 who have won a local championship. If you don't compete, you may still want to visit and witness a game or two. The event holds over 1,200 games over four days.
Learn a few of the terms before you arrive:
- "knuckle down" means the position adopted at the start line with his or her knuckles against the ground
-"keepsies" the player keeps all the marbles he or she wins
-"quitsies" allows any opponent to stop the game without consequences, if quitsies are allowed
Plus marbles have different names depending opon the marble size: Peewee (under 1/2"), Shooter (3/4"), Targets, Duckies, or Alleys (5/8"), Boulder (1"), Jumbo (1 3/8"), Super Jumbo (1 5/8"), Toebreakers (2"), Grandfather (billiard ball or tennis ball size)
If you plan to compete, you'll need your Shooter. It's the only size accepted in U.S. tournaments.
I spent hours playing with marbles, watching them move down the wooden run in my grandparent's house. A form of kinetic art, the marble run or rolling ball sculpture, can mesmerize you. Kids don't play with marbles as often these days which makes it understandable why it's difficult to find a marble plant tour. The United States had two factories, Jabo Vitro in Reno, Ohio and Marble King in Paden City, West Virginia. Despite Ohio's fame as the marble-producing capital of the world, Jabo Vitro shut down. Marble King as featured on The Travel Channel's Made in America and Discovery Channel's Some Assembly Required does not offer factory tours. However, you can see hand made marble creation at a small toy shop in a small town called Bonner Springs, Kansas. Moon Marble Company is located less than 30 miles from Kansas City. We took a seat in the bleachers and watched the glass art demonstration. If you plan for the right timing, you can see over 25 artists at Moon Marble Company. The company hosts "Marble Crazy" event with free admission. Here's three other marble events to consider:
1. Badger Marble Show: October, Madison, Wisconsin, show presenters exhibit marbles in their rooms Friday and Saturday prior to the show, free admission
2. Des Moines Marble Show: First Saturday in June, Des Moines, Iowa, six day event with in-room trading, free admission
3. Humboldt Marble Weekend: February, Eureka, California, visit artists, see glass blowing demonstrations, participate in a marble hunt, and attend the Bella Vita Fire Dance (dance entry requires a minimum $20 dollar donation to charity)
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