She might have missed out on the top prize of $1,900 and change by a handful of numbers.
But Vernon’s Flo Kenney was happy with the consolation prize of $116 during the Pick 8 game in one of the afternoon sessions of the Vernon Winter Carnival’s Bingo Marathon Tuesday, Feb. 7 at Vernon’s Halina Activity Centre.
Pick 8 is a game where players choose eight of the 75 bingo numbers on their card. The bingo caller – in this case, the always vivacious Mary Viala, 80, longtime board member at the Halina Centre – then draws a number from the I group, which is I-16-to-I-30.
Whatever number is drawn, players hope to have their eight chosen numbers called before the selected number in order to win the entire Pick 8 jackpot. If the eight numbers are called after the selected number, the player with the bingo gets the consolation prize.
Viala drew I-30, much to the delight of the near-capacity crowd at the Halina Centre.
However, it took Kenney about 10 extra numbers before she could yell bingo.
Sessions for the Bingo Marathon began at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., with more at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and is open to players 19 and over. Each session features 13 games, cash prizes for all games, and all games had to be played in duration.
“We’ve got people here from Salmon Arm, Lake Country, Kelowna and West Kelowna,” said Halina Activity Centre manager Diana Williamson. “We haven’t had a crowd like this for bingo since before COVID.”
Viala hosts bingo at the centre Tuesdays and Fridays.
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