Spitzer, the card game native to northeast Michigan

Voices and laughter rise and fall in the large room, like a swarm of bees searching for flowers. Across the room, a bell rings shrilly as the clock strikes 12:30, and the bees seem to have found the perfect flower to drink from: a deck of cards.

This is what the Alpena Senior Citizens Center looks like on a Tuesday afternoon at the start of the Spitzer Tournament. A competitive atmosphere is in the air and playful banter is exchanged as cards fly onto the tables.

Red, black and white dots flash in a flash, and at the end of the round, the groups play a modified 32-card pick-up to determine their scores. The cards are then neatly regrouped into a pile, shuffled and cut by the next person.

“Everything happens in this room,” said BJ Sander, the center’s program manager.

Sander has worked at the center for nine years, continuing the program with weekly card games and exercise classes, but also adding new programs such as book clubs and medical support groups.

She said that playing cards took up a large part of her day and that the players all had a very close relationship with each other.

“It’s interesting to watch them get involved in an activity and start talking,” Sander said. “99.3/4 percent of the time, it’s a wonderful, safe place for them to come and socialize.”

Sometimes called the “most complicated card game,” Spitzer is a trick-taking game with vague roots in Germany. It was brought by immigrants and has been played in northeast Michigan for generations. Many say it has been played since at least the early 1900s. The card game is played primarily in Alpena and Presque Isle counties.

Groups play for eight rounds, and the person who reaches or is closest to 42 points at the end of the game wins. Points are calculated based on various factors, such as tricks, partnership points, or whether someone is playing alone.

Many of the current players said they learned the game at a young age. Don McLennan is a Rogers City resident who has been playing the game since he was six years old.

“When I was 10 or 12, my parents, my younger brother and I would play Spitzer every night after dinner to see who did the dishes,” he said. “The loser did the dishes, the runner-up did the drying. The runner-up cleared the table and the winner, of course, had no responsibility.”

“I noticed that my mother tended to take responsibility for my father when he didn’t win,” McLennan continued. “I wasn’t sure how fair that was, but it was a strong incentive to learn tactics and play the game.”

As McLennan got older, he discovered and played in competitive leagues for the games. He said there was also an annual Spitzer tournament at the Rogers City Nautical Festival, which he participated in.

“I had a lot of fun playing, but I was never at the top of the leaderboard,” he said.

In Alpena, seniors at the center said they learned the game as children. Some learned it as teenagers on the school bus, others from their family members. Many of them have been playing at the senior center for years.

Some players have memorized others’ playing styles, like Dale and Marietta Zampich, who have lived in Alpena for 38 years. Other players at their table joked that “Mrs. Dale” brings her husband to the games.

“He and I have been playing together for 45 years,” said Marietta Zampich.

She said she and her husband had been playing together at the center since his retirement about 10 years ago.

Dale Zampich said the game is difficult to explain but fun because of its versatility, and other players in the region shared this sentiment.

“I’ve been playing for over 60 years and you never see the same hand,” said McLennan. “Every hand can have so many different outcomes… It’s an exciting game.”

These potential outcomes only increase when your opponents are constantly changing. Marietta Zampich said she knows exactly how her husband plays the game, but it can get tricky with other players.

“People play differently,” she said. “You have to be really careful when you change tables or get different players… It’s fun that way too. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but it’s fun.”

While the card game and the competitive spirit that comes with it are among the center’s biggest draws every Tuesday, residents also say they enjoy the community aspect. Many of them grew up together and the center offers them a place to socialize and connect with people they might not otherwise visit regularly.

“We always say this is a safe place for the seniors,” Sander said. “But it’s also a safe place for me. I feel comfortable here and it’s a great place.”

This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s goal is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the creation of news deserts in rural areas.