Every Thursday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., seniors are invited to join in on the Bingo fun at the Corte Madera Recreational Center. There are about 30-50 seniors who gather each week for Bingo, snacks and socializing. During the number calling, silence fills the room as everyone is focused on their multiple cards. After each Bingo, the room fills with laughter and chatter, then silence once again as the Bingo caller begins a new game.
The fee is 10 cents for three Bingo cards, for each game played. During the last game of the day, they play a regular Bingo, then a picture frame, then continue to cover the entire board. Winners are rewarded with money collected from each game.
Carol Garza told me, “I don’t live here. I live in Grass Valley. When my husband’s here working hard, I come over here and gamble…” Carol won $5.95 on the last game played and said, “I’m taking everyone to McDonalds.”
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Dora Maggiolo told me, “I’ve been coming for 10 years … it’s a lot of fun!”
Doris Valeri shared, “I’ve been coming for about four years. I like it because it’s an outing, it breaks the day and I meet a lot of friends…” Her husband Nick drops her off in the morning, then plays bocce ball in San Rafael. When he’s finished he joins her for the last game.
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Charlie Washington of San Rafael, the Bingo caller, told me, “I have been calling the numbers for 14 years. In 1996 I started to play (Bingo) but I didn’t like to play … and then they needed a caller and asked me. I said, I’ll take over, I’ll call and I’ve been calling ever since.”
When I asked him what he likes about the experience, he said, “There’s a lot of people, friends of mine. I know about 9 out of 10 people by name so when someone calls Bingo, I can say, so-and-so just called Bingo.”
Connie Martigopoulos explained, “We meet once a week to play Bingo ... mostly to socialize. You’ll never get rich but you won’t lose a lot of money. It’s a lot of fun and there is always coffee available and a snack and occasionally there is a lunch.”
The Recreation Department also sponsors bus trips to a casino every few months. The bus leaves at 10:00 a.m. and they are back by 5:30 p.m. The next trip is to River Rock Casino on July 25. It is $28 per person which includes round trip transportation, driver gratuity, $5 lunch coupon and $20 players bonus.
This is a fun group of seniors who were eager to share their Bingo adventures with me. So, stop by the Corte Madera Recreation Department on Thursdays for a fun morning of Bingo, snacks and socializing. You just might meet some new friends and win a little cash too. Call 415.927.5072 for details or questions.
