Contributed by Mike Feazel
Bingo is back at Lake Monticello Fire & Rescue, starting April 4, with a new day – every Friday evening – a new band of volunteers, a renovated bingo machine, new food options and updated systems, said Carol Sorber, one of the organizers.
The doors will open at the fire house at 5 p.m. every Friday, with play beginning at 6:30 p.m. As before, prizes for regular games will be $100, with a progressive games increasing $100 per week, and a $1,000 jackpot.
Thursday night bingo had been a staple for Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire & Rescue (LMVFRS) for decades until Covid-19. It re-opened after the pandemic, but not all the regular players returned, and it shut down in 2023.
“After COVID, attendance never quite returned to previous levels, yet it still required the same number of volunteers,” said John Lye, president of LMVFRS. “Additionally, we faced ongoing challenges in recruiting enough volunteers to keep bingo fully staffed.”
But the lost bingo revenue was a big factor for the fire & rescue department, Lye said. He said the department is only partially funded by the county, and relies on other sources, including bingo and its annual fund drive, to close the funding gap. “Bingo was one of our most effective ways to raise much-needed funds,” Lye said. “We’re optimistic that it will once again play a vital role in supporting our mission.” The funds raised through bingo will go to purchase equipment and fund operations.
Sorber’s group has been working since December to re-start the bingo. She said that has included “going through state training, inventorying the available supplies, and planning how we might bring the bingo program back to life. We had to drag it into the 21st century — from a pencil and paper accounting system to computer-generated state forms and reports.”
Much of the work involved making sure the fire bingo complies with all state regulations, said Sorber, who was a caller for another bingo in Mt. Vernon in the 1970s. “Today’s bingo is regulated by the Commonwealth of Virginia,” she said. “There is significant paperwork to complete and report regularly. We have to account for everything. That wasn’t the case in the 1970s.”
In preparing for the re-opening, Sorber said her group (Julianne DeVarennes, Janet Girton, and Jean Shore) contacted former of volunteers and former regular players, asking about ways to improve the experience, such as streamlining the purchase of bingo cards and by cleaning and overhauling the large board that displays the bingo equipment numbers.
Organizers decided not to use the Maple Room kitchen for food and beverages during bingo. Instead, various food trucks will be available Friday evenings. The change benefits local businesses, Lye said, and it “will allow for more variety of food options for our patrons and allows our volunteers to concentrate on the bingo side, and not have to work the kitchen as well.”
They also decided to switch the bingo night to Friday from Thursday. In previous years, the Lake Monticello bingo was on Thursdays to avoid conflicting with several other bingos on Friday nights. But some of the Friday games have closed, Lye said, and organizers thought Friday evenings might be more convenient and attract more players.
“We’re thrilled to have a dedicated group of volunteers ready to take the reins and breathe new life into bingo,” Lye said. “Their enthusiasm and fresh approach are truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see them in action.”
The group did a trial-run bingo night March 21 to work out any kinks, with more than 70 “friends and family” playing. Organizers and players said it went very well.
No one under 16 will be allowed in the Maple Room while bingo is being played. Children 16-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
