'Game of Long Valley' Returning 25 Years Later

Imagine collecting $200 every time you passed by Ort Farms. Then you could use those funds to buy other local businesses. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Thanks to the Long Valley Junior Women’s Club, now you can do just that. Well, in theory, anyway.

A quarter-century after the initial Long Valley version of the classic board game Monopoly was created as a fundraiser in town, known as The Game of Long Valley, the Juniors have resurrected the idea after a Long Valley resident sold one of the originals through social media.

The posting sparked immediate attention and a groundswell of memories burst through Facebook. It also spurred the next edition of a classic.

“I knew it would be a fantastic idea for a fundraiser,” said Junior Women’s Club member Sue Stephen. “Long Valley is such a tight-knit community, I knew there would be a lot of interest in updating the board.”

And just like Long Valley itself, while much has changed, plenty has remained the same.

Several businesses in town that appeared on the board in 1990 have purchased space on the new board, set for distribution in October, including Ort Farms, Harrington Construction, Hoffman’s, Dr. Goodkin, Valley Restaurant & Pub, and the Long Valley Pharmacy.

“Ort Farms bought the ‘start’ box, and once the ball was rolling, all of the main 40 boxes on the board sold out in two weeks,” Stephen said. New businesses in town have also joined the fun, including Silver Birch Kitchens, the Little Cake Bakehouse, and RACKS, the newly formed thrift boutique at the Long Valley Green Market established by the Juniors.

While the cutthroat game of buying and selling property largely focuses on businesses, just like the original, there is plenty of room for local families as well.

Lines in the center of the board are open to families and businesses in town, who can purchase space and add names there.

The Junior Women’s Club has also created advertising opportunities for other businesses who may receive a dedicated color insert of business card-style boxes that will be placed within the box.

The packaging of the game will include history of Long Valley on the back. Somewhere between 500 and 750 games will be produced, Stephen said, and the Club is hoping for the games to be available by mid-October.

All proceeds from the sale of the games will go to the Long Valley Junior Women’s Club, which in turn will be used for the group’s programs that benefit the community.

Anyone interested in purchasing space to be part of the game can contact Stephen at longvalleygame@gmail.com. There’s a deadline of mid-July so that production can have enough time to create the product.

And how does someone get their hands on this limited edition piece of fun? It’s simple. Pre-orders are now available for $35. For an order form, email the address above.