It's a game that Parker Brothers originally turned down, but that didn't stop the game's creator, Charles B. Darrow. He produced it himself until demand for the game pushed him back into Parker Brothers office.

It was 1935, and in the years since, an estimated 500 million people have played the board game Monopoly.

The longest game of Monopoly ever played in a bathtub lasted 99 hours, but the games at the Junior Achievement Monopoly tournament won't last quite that long.

The tournament kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday at the High Prairie Arts and Science complex.

"Junior Achievers has actually had Monopoly tournaments before, and I just thought this would be a good activity for the whole family," Sally Paulson, program director for the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce said.

The official hosts of the event are Junior Achievers of the Bismarck-Mandan area and Cumulus Broadcasting. The famous "Mr. Monopoly" also will be there.

All proceeds from the tournament will go to benefit the Junior Achievers.

Junior Achievers is a non-profit educational program for children in grades K-12. The Monopoly tournament isn't just for kids though.

Tournament players will be separated into three categories: grades 4-8, grades 9-12 and adults. Prizes will be given for the winners of each category.

The winner from the grade 4-8 category gets a $100 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. The prize for the grade 9-12 category will be a $150 gift certificate for Best Buy and the winner in the adult category gets dinner for 4 and 1 night's stay at the Best Western Seven Seas Hotel in Mandan.

The tournament has a 150-person cap. Although only about 40 people are pre-registered now, Paulson said that she has heard from many who are planning to register at the door. All in all, she's expecting around 100 people at the tournament.

Preregistration forms are available online at www.bismarckmandan.com/pdf/monopoly.pdf, or those interested can call Paulson at 223-5660 for more information or to volunteer.

(James Ziegler is a student at Bismarck State College.)