Calling All Pokemon Fans

Ever heard of Electabuzz, Voltorb and Wurmple? These are just a few of the other-worldly names of Pokemon cards, a popular children's card game.

Jabberwocky hosts their first Pokemon card tournament on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

“Even if you don’t know how to play, come and watch the tournaments so you can learn,” said Nancy Nahvi, one of Jabberwocky's owners. “No one will be left out because each participant will in the very least take home a pack of Pokemon playing cards,” adds Nancy.

Pokemon is a media franchise created by Satoshi Taijiri in 1996 and owned by the company Nintendo. Originally released as Game-Boy video games, the concept grew into other forms such as anime, toys, books and the ubiquitous trading cards seen at toy store checkout counters.

Bring your own cards to Jabberwocky and Pokemon referee and organizer Drew Lilley will set you up in a match. Kids will play one-on-one matches until they are eliminated and three players are “left standing,” says Lilley.

Lilley, a junior at Chatham High School, came up with the tournament idea this summer while babysitting for the Christie family in Chatham, whose three boys are avid Pokemon card collectors.   

One afternoon Lilley walked into Jabberwocky with the boys and remembered how he “used to go to Dewey’s Comic City in Madison for Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments” when he was younger. 

Lilley approached Nahvi's husband and business partner Ahmed with his idea for a Pokemon tournament. Ahmed was intrigued, and the two worked together to decide how to structure and run a tournament.

“If this goes well, we will continue to run Pokemon tournaments and training sessions,” said Nancy. 

How Lilley could possibly find the time is another issue. To read more about what Lilley does in his spare time, such as his engineering pursuits and entrepreneurial spirit, see the he builds in his garage or his web-designing business. 

Admission to the tournament is $10 and prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place. 

Here are other events this weekend in Chatham:

Friday, July 29

• Juniper Village, 500 Southern Blvd., happy hour with singer and entertainer Peter DeMaio, from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m.

Saturday July 30

• Pokemon Tournament at Jabberwocky from 9 a.m. until noon, 261 Main Street.
• Chatham Borough Farmers Market from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Chatham Train Station. Highlights this week include:
  
  • Fruits of Summer Bake It! Contest. Judging begins at 11:30, prizes and ribbons awarded based on appearance, flavor, texture and originality. See attached PDF for rules at top of this article and bring it to CBFM by 11 a.m. For further questions contact Linda Pitney at 908-604-2210. 
  • Story time with Miss Sarah starting at 10:30.
  • See a demonstration of yoga and Tai Chi at the Mayor's Wellness Campaign table, as well as information on osteoporosis provided by Health Professional Brian George.
  • Store Your Veggies Properly by Tupperware Representative Beth Salinardi.
  • Veggie Burgers by Savory Garden.

Sunday July 31

• Float Day at Chatham Borough's Memorial Park pool, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.