Bingo Fun Ships Offshore!
At an American Legion Post in Georgia, Bingo is held once a month and this year, the Post celebrated its 15th year of Bingo. On a cruise ship, guests pay the price to play Bingo and while critics say passengers shouldn’t be charged extra fees on top of their cruise fees, like how much it costs to play Bingo, or go bowling, online comments indicate a different take on the matter.
One passenger wrote they specifically set aside money for gambling before a cruise. Another wrote the additional fees aren’t a bother. In an upstate New York town, 50-50 Cow Plop Bingo is a hit that residents look forward to every year. The three Bingo venues, brings the activity more into the spotlight and out of its stereotyped environment – the retirement community.
The Legion Post’s Monthly Gathering
The Auxiliary even gets involved and serves snacks and alcoholic drinks. A reporter, after being asked over and over to the 15-year tradition, comes, too. A Legion member, who used to be a military judge, is on hand to give the reporter the lowdown on how Legion posts are numbered and that most people don’t know the Coast Guard has served in every one of America’s wars. After learning more about the military and renewing her respect for service, the reporter saunters to the large banquet hall where Bingo is played.
The reporter calls this batch of participants the “gentle” Bingo players. She meets the Auxiliary volunteers, who invite her Fish Fry Friday at the Legion, but she doesn’t like fish, so she turns her attention to Bingo. The pot was recently at $900. The reporter likes this and decides she should attend to try her chances at winning the pot and hang around one of the volunteers, just as passionate as she is about military service. The reporter also notices a Bingo prize table and pulls a few onlookers away from the table for photos. The night’s Bingo game includes prizes, but the real winner will be a nonprofit foundation.
Cruise Ship Blues and Bingo
The question is whether cruise ships should charge as much as they do for activities or special requests like room service. The subject of Bingo stems from comments made about the cost of Bingo. What cruisers don’t know is the cruise fees themselves have been lowered over the years, but costs have gone up, and ships need to earn money elsewhere if it can’t cover the expenses from cruise fares. Additional fees come in the form of casinos, alcohol and shore visits, three main sources of revenue for cruise ships and the reason passenger fares are low. Families enjoy low fares because cruise ships are fun without the extras. For those who like the extras, it may be presumptuous to assume cash for the casino or Bingo are included in fares.
The 50-50 Cow Plop Bingo
The 13th 50-50 Cow Plop Bingo was held in a local park. It’s an activity that brings the town together every year. The town supervisor says the game is unusual, but folks love it. Five Bingo cards cover 100 squares where cow plop has the potential to land. Players choose the squares they think will receive the most cow plop. They can choose one or more squares. After the plopping is over, players whose squares were filled could win up to $250 each. This year, six players won. All proceeds from the smelly Bingo game went toward the expansion of the town’s park, which includes a community center, more parking and moving an old schoolhouse within the park.
Whether Bingo is held on cruise ships, at the local club or in the form of cow plop, one thing is for sure, it is evident the game brings people of all different types together.
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