Last week, my St. Mary Knights of Columbus council (#4196) held a bingo event. Capitalizing on the Turkey Bingo phenomenon that draws huge crowds every November, my Brother Knights decided it would be smart to host a spring bingo opportunity, too. We put this thought into practice last year with Mardi Gras Bingo and then this year we staged Springo Bingo.

Our St. Mary Knights of Columbus Council (#4196) held a Springo Bingo event on April 21.

Making Springo Bingo unique from Turkey Bingo and Mardi Gras Bingo was the prize offering. Instead of turkeys and hams, my Brother Knights broke the mold by preparing themed prize packages. Carefully wrapped baskets filled with meats/wines, yard tools, candies, spa items, and much more were designated for specific games throughout the afternoon.

Fr. Jeff joined our table for some Bingo and snacks. (photo courtesy of Carl Lockwood).

At one point during the event, a “kids only” Bingo game was announced. Adults could play, but only children could win. The prize up for grabs? An ice cream sundae basket!

A look at the Springo Bingo event at St. Mary.

Sloan and Beau played this particular round hard but their cards just weren’t hot. Things were different for a nice lady at a neighboring table. She quickly made a Bingo and ran over to our table to hand off the card to Sloan. My daughter knew just what to do as she yelled the magic word. When we walked out of the St. Mary gym, we were hauling the ice cream sundae basket with us.

Sloan posing with her ice cream sundae basket.

That basket proved to be a great motivator. I told Sloan and Beau that if they each had a solid week of good behavior and kindness then we would have an ice cream party on Friday night. My ploy worked! I had two (mostly) perfect angels for five days straight.

The card that was placed inside the basket outlining its contents.

True to my promise, we busted out the ice cream sundae basket on Friday evening. We separated the contents of the package and Sid started to fill bowls with ice cream using the brand new scoop. While she did this, I oversaw an ice cream tic-tac-toe competition thanks to the board that was included in the basket.

Sloan and Beau play ice cream tic-tac-toe bingo.

We asked Sloan and Beau what they wanted on their vanilla ice cream and gave them what they requested. Both had a bowl of ice cream topped with gummy bears, caramel topping, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and cherries. It might seem a little excessive but it was a well-earned reward.

They waited a whole week for this!

After they were served, Sid and I made sundaes too. I had something similar to what the kids had but I held the gummy bears and cherries for lots of nuts. The four of us then had a really nice time eating our elaborate desserts and talking. It was one of those instances when I thought, It doesn’t really get much better than this. Hopefully simple memories like this will remain with the kids once they grow up and have their own children.

This was my ice cream sundae….yes, I did add sprinkles.

Kudos to my Brother Knights Keith Miner and Greg Hanson for putting on the Springo Bingo event. My family paid $20 for bingo cards, 50/50 raffle tickets, food, drinks, and two prize packages that each surpassed the $20 we paid. How is that for good, clean, affordable entertainment? And that doesn’t even take into account the priceless ice cream party my family got to enjoy together on Friday night.

How sweet it is! Don’t Blink.