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Can you name the town that for many decades has been officially designated as The Eye of the Commonwealth? The answer is Southbridge, MA. This charming city, once known as Honest Town, was the home for nearly two hundred years of the American Optical Company, the leading producer of lenses and technical optics for much of that period. AO was purchased a few years ago, and production was moved to Chicago.

The AO headquarters has been converted into the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center, which from Tuesday November 15 through Saturday November 19 will host District 25's Spectacle Regional Bridge Tournament. The tournament's schedule features both pairs and team games carefully tailored to the needs of players of all level of experience. The schedule can be found at https://nebridge.org/media/ups/SouthbridgeMA_Regional/SpectacleSchedule.pdf.

The hotel has modern, comfortable rooms. The daily rate of $114 is a genuine bargain for this facility. However, the deadline for reservations at this rate is October 22. So, reservations should be made this week by calling (508) 765-8000 and mentioning "NEBC" (New England Bridge Conference).

Where, you may ask, is Southbridge, MA? It borders on Sturbridge, and is easily reachable from I-84 and the Mass Pike. As you can see from the image at the left, it is right in the center of New England. So, please make plans to join us for bridge and a great deal more. All five days will feature both gold points and delightful social occasions.

A group of us is touring the site today. I plan to take some photos and share my personal impressions of the facility in upcoming missives, but I sent the email this morning because I wanted to assure that everyone had sufficient time to take advantage of the hotel's special rate.

By the way, if you need a partner or teammates, contact Debbie Bahosh at dbahosh@yahoo.com. Questions about the tournament, especially the exciting programs for less experienced players, should be directed to Susan Miguel at inchair@nebridge.org.

The latest developments in New England bridge can always be found at NEBridge.org.

Mike Wavada
District 25 Webmaster and Communications Chair