Fellow Yelper Dee M and I were in search of something different to do on a Saturday night. She suggested bingo at the Aston Library, a fundraiser for him. I haven't played bingo in forever, and hey, it's raising money for a good cause. She offered to pick up a hoagie & drinks and meet me there. It's a plan.
Driving there I'm picturing an old, dusty library basement with 20 or so old ladies sitting at tables, someone up front turning the giant cage with the bingo balls in them, pulling one out each time. Prizes I imagined would be things like a lap blanket or old perfume set.
I arrive and find that the library is in a complex that also has a rec center, playgrounds, and playing fields. It's fairly new and sleek in design. The other thing? It's a big lot and I'm not parking close by. There must be something else going on, right? Uh, no. That's the bingo crowd. I am impressed. I pay my fee and get my playing cards, meeting Dee who got a spot for us in this good sized gymnasium. There had to have been a hundred if not more people there, all ages from college students to octogenarians, rows and rows of tables. Women and men. Raffles. Snack table. Extra game cards.
The games went mostly quickly, the 'specials' taking a little longer. Everyone at our table was nice and friendly, with one at our table winning a round. It was fun, decently well run, with cash prizes given on the spot to the winners (we had one at our table). I didn't win, then again I didn't feel I lost either. It was a pleasant night and I had fun. I wouldn't say I had 'bingo fever', but I would go again. read more