Elburn Lions Club Bingo Nights provide food, entertainment for a cause

ELBURN – The first thing one notices at an Elburn Lions Club Bingo Night is the range in ages of the players.

“There’s all age groups,” organizer Nick Carter said. “It’s not just seniors and it’s not just women.”

The Elburn Lions Club holds its Bingo Night every Friday, from September to May. The evenings of entertainment and fundraising have been taking place for the past 10 years. It’s completely volunteer-run, with Lions Club members and their spouses managing the games and food. There’s also a full-service bar.

Bingo Night on Jan. 20 featured Ream’s Meat Market brats and sloppy Joe’s.

There are four teams of volunteers, one for each of four Friday nights in a month, Carter said. When there is a fifth Friday in the month, the team members pitch in as needed.

There are a few rules, including no outside food, and you have to be 18 years old to play.

The Early Bird Games begin at 6:30 p.m, with the remaining games played from 7 to 9:30 p.m. And bingo isn’t as simple as one might think. There are 19 different bingo games, each with different rules, as well as the option for five raffle games and pull-tab tickets.

People play with six- or 12-card sheets, and keep track of the numbers called by ball-caller Chet Cybulski with a marker called a dauber. There are six different colors of daubers, and people usually have their own colors.

“Bingo people are gamblers,” Carter said. “They’re superstitious. Everybody has a rhythm and they play a certain way.”

But they are also there to have a good time.

“I like the camaraderie,” said Elburn resident Kathy Semrick, there with her daughter Amanda. “It’s a chance to get together and have fun. “

Semrick has been playing bingo for about a year, and this was her daughter’s first time.

“It’s fun and it’s a cost-effective night out,” said Elburn Lions Club board member Stacy Groesch. “And all the proceeds go for a good cause.”

Groesch was at the table with the Semricks, as well as her friend Missy Lewis from Hinckley and a few others.

The money raised from the games goes to fund events such as Breakfast with Santa, Ski for Sight and Bingo for the Visually Impaired. Because all of the people running the event volunteer their time, the money raised can be fully used for the club’s many activities and services.

Carter explained that you can play one of each of the different games for $18, plus $1 for a dauber.

In addition to winning individual Bingo games, certain games include a chance at winning a jackpot. Some of the pots can become substantial, such as the current prize that’s more than $6,000.

A recent jackpot, after 97 weeks without a winner, was up to $15,000, when there were six winners in one night. While the jackpots are amassing money, they are typically split in thirds – one-third to the pot, one-third to the Bingo winner and one-third to the Lions Club’s programs.

Chuck Galauner manages the pull-tabs, a game that takes place simultaneously with the Bingo games. “Bingo” Bob Thomas, one of the runners, circulates around the tables to sell the pull-tab tickets. Every 15 minutes or so, he comes back to Galauner to drop off the tickets and the money.

“It’s three hours of running,” Thomas said.

If you go:

Elburn Lions Club Bingo Nights

Where: 500 Filmore St., Elburn

When: 6:30 p.m. (Early Bird) and 7 p.m. (regular games), Friday nights from September to May

Costs/Info: A full-service bar is available and food is served. Call 630-365-6315 or visit www.elburnlions.com.