By HOLLY GASKILL
For many visitors to the Bluffton Street Fair, the “Mouse Game” is a staple and a favorite to the annual festivities.
The roulette-style game costs just 25 cents per round and features a live mouse instead of a ball. James and Jean Martin of Portage, Indiana, returned with the game for decades.
And after James’ passing this past October, the future of the games was left up in the air.
In a Facebook post, Jean shared, “We’ve come to the time in our life that … our ‘Mouse Game Time’ has come to an end. We will always have the memories of so many people and of my husband who loved the mouse game and loved being in the game. He was and always will be the ‘Mouse Man’ to my family and I’m sure to many of yours as well.”
Ron Games — yes, Games — remembered seeing the announcement at his home in Plymouth, Indiana. He had known the game from the LaPorte fair. “It was always a wholesome game — people were happy even if they lost,” he said.
Games said he especially liked it because it was something he “always felt lucky” and was inexpensive to play, but added with a laugh, “I’ve thrown away my fair share of $20 bills though too.”
He jokingly told his wife he wanted to buy the Mouse Game if it was ever for sale — but it wasn’t a joke for long. Just a month later, the couple pulled the trigger on the purchase.
Games currently works in the auction business but plans to transition into running the Mouse Game full-time. Unfortunately, the quick turnaround just didn’t work out for this year’s Street Fair.
Next year, Games hopes to take the Mouse Game to all the fairs where it has become a beloved tradition — including Bluffton, LaPorte, DeKalb — and possibly a few more. He’s also excited to get involved in the communities he’ll visit.
And just like the Martins, Games is looking forward to getting the whole family involved. While he says one of his adult children was shocked by the purchase, another just remarked, “Of course he bought the Mouse Game,” Games joked.
The couple also have one young grandchild and another on the way, and Games is excited for the opportunity to bring them along. “I want to continue this as a family legacy,” he said.
holly@news-banner.com
