Tag Archives: Knights of Columbus Turkey Bingo

Family Ice Cream Party

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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.

Continuing the Turkey Bingo Tradition

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With inflation skyrocketing, there is one thing that people are focusing on this month: the price of a Thanksgiving dinner. Supposedly, 2021 is supposed to be the year that Americans will fork over a small fortune to provide a Thanksgiving meal. It goes without saying what the priciest item on the table is.

So, how do you make Thanksgiving affordable this year if you plan to serve turkey? You win one of course!

Back as a child, one of the highlights every fall was when the Knights of Columbus council at my childhood parish, St. Thomas More in north Spokane, would hold Turkey Bingo. Our entire family would arrive at the church social hall on a Sunday in November to eat popcorn, visit with friends, and try to win a turkey. It was here that I learned about the competitiveness of bingo and the agony of the words “clear your cards.”

Turkey Bingo is a popular fundraising event for Knights of Columbus councils. Council 4196 (St. Mary – Spokane Valley) is no exception.

Fast forward a couple decades to this past weekend. Once again I found myself at turkey bingo. Only this time I was bringing my own family and I was one of the Knights putting it on.

Our large supply of turkeys we gave out at our Turkey Bingo event.

On Sunday, the Knights of Columbus Council #4196 of St. Mary Catholic Parish in Spokane Valley held its annual Turkey Bingo (you can probably guess…turkey bingo events are pretty common in Catholic parishes). After I moved from Myrtle Beach I transferred from Council #5086 to #4196. What a blessing it has been to go from one awesome council to another and what a blessing it is that we are finally back to doing in-person events!

After we set up all the tables and chairs, I took this photo of our set up inside the St. Mary School gym about an hour before we opened to the public.

I had a lot of fun helping my brother knights put on the event but the best part was definitely playing bingo with Sid, Sloan, and my dad. I was given plenty of time to leave my post and enjoy the afternoon with my family. To give Sloan her first taste of bingo and see how much she was genuinely enjoying it was really cool.

Sloan and Sidney at Turkey Bingo at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley.

My wife, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly there to “enjoy” it. She was there to win! She had her eight cards spread out in front of her and knew all the combinations she had to hit in order to score a turkey.

Sidney playing her six cards at Turkey Bingo.

Success didn’t come right away but her persistence paid off. In the second to last game, she won the “top and bottom” round to win a bird for the Resers! In addition to walking away victorious, it was an afternoon marked by sweets, 50/50 raffles, and laughs.

Sidney holds up her winning card along with the ticket voucher she was given for her turkey at the Knights of Columbus Turkey Bingo event at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley.

To introduce my daughter and wife to one of our old family traditions and to actually now contribute my time to making the event itself function was pretty special. If there is any Catholic man out there who wants to become a Knight, please feel free to reach out to me. Now, let’s get that turkey cooking! Don’t Blink.