By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
On the first Friday of each month, the Lions Club will be hosting bingo games at the Crest Forest Senior Center’s Leisure Shores for the Crestline and mountain community residents and visitors. September was the first official month of the games and here were only a few seats left available when the games began.
The bingo cards and dobbers.
Since bingo is a game of chance and these games have cash payouts, only those over 18 years of age are legally allowed to play. Those who look to be younger than 30 may be asked to show proof of age. The two nonprofits – the Lions and the senior citizens – are working together to give the community a different activity for all adult residents. The games were played in Leisure Shores’ main dining and community center room, where the participants enjoyed the new air conditioning.
There was a $25 buy-in for 10 games during the Sept. 6 inaugural event; each game paid more than that for a winning game. There are three cards on each page per game and 10 pages per packet. Each player received two packets for their buy-in, so each played six cards per game. The initial games were called slowly enough that everyone could check all their pages and the numbers were displayed at both ends of the room. The type of each bingo game was chosen by consensus of the players in the room.
The announcement that a car was about to be towed was made during the first game, so bingo player Rich Goodrich left to move his car. While gone, his friend played his cards for him; after two numbers were called, Rich
The bingo players at Leisure Shores paid close attention to their cards.
won the $30 game while he was out of the room. The first five games were played and then a break was taken. The whole evening ended after the other five games were played, around 9 p.m.
Penny Shubnell, Crest Forest Senior Citizen Club president, trying out the snacks during bingo night at Leisure Shores.
In the Leisure Shores kitchen, the Lions sold snacks and food including chili cheese dogs, chips, sodas and coffee. The Lions Club will also be collecting soda pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, which is one of their projects for this year.
Additional packets of t10 pages each were available for an additional $10. There was also a 50/50 drawing based on the number of people who buy in; the winner received 50 percent of that amount, which was $61.50 this time. The cash value of winning each bingo game was determined by the number of players that had bought in by 6 p.m. Each bingo game cash prize ranged from $30 to $43 per game. Some of the bingo shapes played included regular straight line bingo, four corners, the turtle, six cluster, the broom which cleaned up, right arrow and an X. Even the novices had a good time and some won.
Leisure Shores was filled with bingo players.
There were many who came fully prepared with train whistles for when I-22 was called, those with colorful dobbers for those numbers called that were not a part of the winning shape and many lucky charms and favorite stuffed animals. Players from the Knights of Columbus games on the second and fourth Fridays and players from the afternoon Wednesday bingo games at the Twin Peaks Community Center were also playing at Leisure Shores. They all agreed the games were fun and they were glad they came.
The next bingo games at Leisure Shores will be played on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. They sold dobbers for those who didn’t bring one for $2 each. Players could also use a pen, pencil or other devices. The doors will open at 5 p.m. for the first game on Oct. 4.
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