A weekly community staple since the ‘50s – bingo is returning to Canmore next week.
But organizers at the Royal Canadian Legion Three Sisters Branch need volunteers to sign up to make sure the event continues into the future.
A lack of volunteers saw the Friday night numbers game fall to the wayside over a year ago, but Legion member Amy Nelson is determined not to let that happen again.
“It is coming back as long as we can get the volunteers,” she said. “It is definitely missed by a lot of people in town.”
Nelson is holding a volunteer recruitment and training evening next Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 7:15 p.m. at the Legion.
The following Friday (Nov. 18) the weekly bingo game will resume with early bird at 7 p.m. and the regular game at 7:30 p.m.
She said the goal is to recruit a core of volunteers and have enough people sign up; the commitment is only one Friday a month.
Each bingo game requires three volunteers and Nelson said Chris Wyman with Three Sisters Diner has offered to feed those who offer four hours of their time for an evening.
She said bingo in Canmore has a 60-year history in the community, with the entire two levels of the Legion filled with people at times.
With dinner specials and drink specials, Nelson said she is excited for the event to return and hopes others are enthusiastic and willing to volunteer to make it happen.
“Especially with the winter season coming, it is a great thing to do on a cold Friday night,” she said.
Because bingo is licensed in the province, Nelson said it is also important for the Legion to bring the event back before the end of the year when its licence expires.
Anyone looking for more information or wishing to volunteer can contact Darlene at the Legion at 403-678-4200.
