Bingo: Costume bingo is serious fun for Bellingham agency
The rustle of a Scandinavian dance and the sweet smell of a pancake breakfast are long gone from Norway Hall on a darkening Thursday night.
In their place are the sounds of hushed whispers, the rapid-fire pounding of dobbers on paper, all culminating in a final, earsplitting shriek - BINGO! - followed by the not-so-quiet cursing of the so-close competition.
It probably sounds like your average bingo night,
but it's not. Depending on the day, those mad dobbers could be dressed
in drag, festooned in pirate gear, gussied up in burlesque attire or
weighed down with a head full of high hair. This is Evergreen AIDS
Foundation bingo, and it will not be ignored.
The idea for a fundraising bingo night started in 2007 with a few test runs at the now-closed Fantasia Coffee House, but the foundation kicked it into high gear this April, when it debuted its first bingo night at Norway Hall in downtown Bellingham.
The theme was drag bingo, and it was glorious. Bellingham's own drag legend Betty Desire was a caller and a performer during intermission, while local pizza, ice cream and drinks nourished the crowd.
"People were coming up after the event and they were like, 'This is a great time, just keep doing it,'" says Michael Light, president of the board of directors for the foundation - and a bingo caller who looks just as good in drag as he does in a tux. "They've encouraged us."
Since then, the fourth Thursday of every month is a different themed bingo night, from Hollywood glam to pirates to the most recent, September's big-hair bingo. The last bingo night of the year will take place Thursday, Oct. 30, with a "Rocky Horror" theme that's sure to bring out the sexy dark side in the crowd.
Billy Munoz owns the Velvet Rope Hair Studio on Lakeway Drive, and he and his co-workers set up shop at big-hair bingo to spray and tease participants' locks to vertiginous heights. Munoz has been a volunteer for Evergreen AIDS Foundation since 2000, and he's excited to see the organization reach out into the broader community with bingo nights.
"I believe the organization should become integrated into the community and diversify itself," he says. "The people who come here enjoy coming here. It's probably your next door neighbor that'll enjoy coming here."
A night out at bingo costs $15 to $20 for 10 games, with food, beer and cocktails available as well. People don't seem to mind shelling out a little cash when they realize that the money goes to support the Evergreen AIDS Foundation's mission to provide HIV/AIDS education, prevention and client services throughout the community, including Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan and Island counties.
"We serve everyone, from gay men to straight women to straight men to bisexual men," says Scott Bertani, the organization's assistant director. "AIDS is not confined to one particular subset or group. AIDS is no longer a discriminatory illness, so we serve everyone and anyone."
Every month the foundation's case managers work with 110 to 150 people to find doctors, counselors, financial aid, housing, employment and more to help them live with the disease.
"Really, my favorite portion of the evening is having that chance when we can talk about the work the agency does," Light says. "People are really happy to know it's going to a good agency and to support what we do."
Though prizes range from salon visits to movie nights to money, that's not always the motivation to play.
Christa Delano heard about bingo night from a friend who works for Evergreen AIDS Foundation, and she came to September's event to have some serious fun.
Though the money raised at the event will help everyone fighting the disease no matter their sexual orientation, she sees this as a chance to support a community that often gets ignored.
"I really like people that are different, the underdogs of society. I like the gay community in Bellingham," says Delano, who is straight. "If we win anything, we're going to donate it back to the foundation."
For some people, bingo nights are their first introduction to the foundation, and they like what they see.
"There are people that have come every month to all the bingos," Light says. "There are people that maybe didn't know about Evergreen AIDS before. People are asking if there are ways to volunteer and support us."
The events have garnered interest in volunteering, and the organization raises anywhere from $600 to $1,000 per event, Bertani says, though most of that money goes toward the cost of putting on the bingo nights.
"We have not raised as much money at the events as we have hoped for, but we're hoping for more. (Right now) it's more of a community event and an awareness event," he says. "We will definitely be having it next year."
For Light, however, the power of bingo night can't be calculated in dollars. The events give the foundation a chance to be joyful in the face of AIDS, a disease that can hit anyone with its best weapons: fear and silence.
"We've been trying to think about what we're putting out in the community," Light says. "We're trying to look to the future and be positive, but we also recognize the gravity. This bingo gives us an opportunity to be celebratory and be mindful."
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