B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O …and bingo was their game-o

Published 2:12 pm Thursday, November 12, 2015

Checkmate! Yahtzee! Gin!

And, of course, the gaming exclamation most synonymous with victory: Bingo!

Count your cards, dust off your dabber and get ready to rediscover a classic. The game of bingo has been going strong on Bainbridge Island at American Legion Post 172 for nearly 65 years, and still remains a popular weekly gathering spot for young and old — bingo pros and newbies — alike.

Bingo has been played nearly every week at the island legion since 1951, according to resident post historian and retired Navy veteran Bill Beck. It is a group staple social event, he added, and also the primary fundraiser for the local chapter of the national veteran’s organization, of which he has been a member for almost 40 years.

The game and its many variations can seem daunting to a new player at first, Beck said, but there are written instructions placed all around and many expert regulars willing to educate you.

“You catch on so fast,” he said. “Once you get right down to it, it’s the numbers. And, a lot of people, after they’ve played one night here they’ll come back, or when their families come in for the holidays they’ll bring them by.”

Bingo might not be the first thing to come to mind when one considers technological advancements, but Beck said the game has changed a lot and benefited greatly from updated materials throughout his time with the post.

“One of the ladies who played [in the early days] said that when they started out, they had sheets and they just had beans, like dried beans, to put on the numbers that got called,” he said. “Of course, things got fancier and you got those cardboard things where you’d slide the little windows. We did that for decades and then [disposable cards] came along and made the whole thing simpler.”

Using dried beans was actually quite common in the early days of bingo’s rise in popular culture, according to www.about.com, a facet which actually lead to the game originally being known as “beano.”

Long associated with the legion, bingo has become, Beck explained, the nonprofit’s primary means of fundraising.

Crowds have grown and shrunk over the years, said the post’s bingo manager and president of the island chapter of the American Legion Auxiliary Rena Beyke, and today the weekly game — which begins at 6 p.m. with two early bird games every Wednesday — sees about 25 regular attendees and many more frequent returners.

“We pay out a percentage depending on how many people [play],” she explained, saying the weekly events usually see eight to 10 games played.

Even as home entertainment systems get more advanced and video games become realistic virtual reality experiences, regular bingo games continue across the nation, a perpetual social and recreational draw.

“I would think [it’s] the chance of being able to win money and also sit with your friends,” Beyke said of the game’s appeal. “I try to make it as fun as I can.”

“It’s easy and it’s inexpensive and it’s almost impossible to be too addicted to it because you can only play so many cards,” Beck agreed, explaining the game’s popularity. “I don’t care who you are. You can’t play 35 [cards] across and try to keep up with the caller. It won’t happen.

“The other thing is it’s a family thing,” he added. “You can have minors in a bingo game.”

Colin Hyde Post 172, named after a Bainbridge Island veteran who died in World War I and whose family donated the land on which the post now stands, held its first official meeting on April 3, 1942, according to the chapter’s records. Seventeen charter members comprised the original organization. Today, nearly 150 veterans are active members of the island post.

The American Legion’s primary mission is to respond to all social issues and quality of life needs for veterans and their families, advocate for strong, responsible national security measures and perpetuate and support youth scholarships and assistance programs.

Bainbridge Island is not as heavily associated with the military and veteran community as other cities in the county, Beck said, a fact of island life that has only become more apparent as of late. Though, he added, Bainbridge’s history of service is hiding everywhere — often in plain sight.

“Everything, all the forts and missile sites and silos, they’re all gone,” Beck said. “They’re all turned into parks — which is a good thing. I’m in favor of that. But, if you’re a veteran and you want to find some veterans here on the island, it’s us or nothing.

“To me, we are, now that they’ve closed government housing and turned it into this monstrosity that they’re building, now we’re the last bastion for veterans on Bainbridge Island,” he said.

For more information visit www.bainbridgeislandpost172.org.

Your number is up

What: Weekly bingo at American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172.

When: Early bird games at 6 p.m., regular play at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday.

Where: 7880 Bucklin Hill Road.

Admission: Varies by games and number of cards played. Call 206-842-6858 for more information.