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Bingo draws a crowd in downtown Reinbeck

Lion’s Club event at Dig Inn a good call

Reinbeck Lion’s Club member Dale Wambold speaks to a crowd of Bingo players (not pictured) gathered in The Dig Inn in downtown Reinbeck on Thursday, March 24, just ahead of the event’s 4:30 p.m. start time. –Photo by Soren M. Peterson

There was nary a free space to be found in The Dig Inn last Thursday, March 24 – save for those on the Bingo cards – as people packed the house for the Reinbeck Lion’s Club’s third monthly Bingo event.

The third installment of the increasingly popular Lion’s Club Bingo event was hosted by Ben and Holly Robertson who co-own the record store and bar located at 113 Broad Street in downtown Reinbeck.

For those Bingo players who weren’t there before 4:30 p.m. when guest caller Troy Myler of Big Grove Brewery in Cedar Falls began calling out letters and numbers, it may have been tricky finding an open spot to sit, sip a craft beer or Busch Lite, and focus on the Bingo which cost a buck a game. All proceeds from Bingo play were earmarked for The Flower Box Fund to help beautify Reinbeck’s downtown district.

From the front of the house to the very back – where the kids tend to gather and play free arcade games on vintage machines – people were ready to win either a handful of cash or a spiffy Lion’s Club visor.

“These are hot items. People want these visors,” Reinbeck Lion’s Club member Dale Wambold said as he explained to the bustling room how the event was going to operate.

Guest Bingo caller Troy Myler of Big Grove Brewery in Cedar Falls spins the Bingo cage in The Dig Inn in downtown Reinbeck on Thursday, March 24, as part of the Reinbeck Lion’s Club monthly Bingo event hosted by Ben and Holly Robertson, co-owners of The Dig Inn. –Photo by Soren M. Peterson

While there was free popcorn available in the back, both Ben Robertson and Wambold – who was directing people through the door – encouraged those in attendance to not only enjoy the Bingo and the beer but to order off local menus from area restaurants in downtown Reinbeck.

“Any time you can bring into the community some type of event [like Bingo], it’s a good thing,” Wambold said. “We’re trying to promote more activities like this. Bring people [to Reinbeck] from all over.”

Shortly after Bingo began that afternoon, Haley Cook announced she had “Bingo!” as her three-month-old son John cooed from an infant seat beside her.

Whether young or young-at-heart, a Thursday night spent with a Lion’s Club Bingo board at The Dig Inn is certainly a good call.

Watch The Dig Inn’s Facebook page for details regarding the next Reinbeck Lion’s Club Bingo event set for a future Thursday in April.

Bingo cards and beer lined the tables at The Dig Inn last Thursday night as folks including Julie Bachman (back right) came out in large numbers despite the nasty, windy weather for the third installment of the Reinbeck Lion’s Club monthly Bingo event hosted by Ben and Holly Robertson, co-owners of The Dig Inn. –Photo by Soren M. Peterson

Thanks to all the enthusiastic Bingo players, the March 24 event raised $500 toward new and restored downtown flower boxes.

Photo by Soren M. Peterson

Bingo player Haley Cook holds her three-month-old son John as she helps her daughter (right) sip some pop in The Dig Inn in downtown Reinbeck on Thursday, March 24. –Photo by Soren M. Peterson

Bea Greiner looks at her Bingo card in The Dig Inn in downtown Reinbeck on Thursday, March 24, as part of the Reinbeck Lion’s Club monthly Bingo event hosted by Ben and Holly Robertson, co-owners of The Dig Inn. Photo by Soren M. Peterson

Photo by Soren M. Peterson