A beloved Elizabethtown College tradition is back this semester. The Office of Student Activities (OSA) hosted their semiannual Bingo Night which took place on Sept. 20, and it was a night to remember. It was a night of luck, laughter and prizes. Some of the prizes ranged from a Lego set to an ice maker and even Pentatonix tickets. The game was free for Etown students and was hosted in the Koons Activities Venue. With there being limited space in the KAV, the event was on a first come, first serve basis.
The very dedicated Jays do not take Bingo lightly. “I have been waiting since 1:30 p.m. and I am really hoping to win the concert tickets!” Tiana Basset, a first year neuroscience major said.
A first year Bio pre med major, Cassandra Stand, said she has been waiting in line for six hours. “I think this tradition is an awesome thing that Etown does and is a fun way to keep people on campus,” Stand said.
To prepare for the waiting time before the doors open, students played a game of cards with their friends, watched shows, listened to music or grabbed something to eat. For Kacie Welch, a first year early education major, she happily watched Peter Pan while waiting. “I think that this tradition is a very fun and silly idea, however, the line gets incredibly packed in such a short amount of time.”
For the first year Jays, this was something new that they have not experienced before. “I am extremely excited for bingo. This is my first time doing the tradition and I am hoping to win the relaxation set.” said Kaitlyn Schoener.“I am excited for bingo and I am hoping for the relax basket.” Ella Waltersdorff said. OSA hopes that the first years will keep this tradition alive and continue doing it during their time at Etown.
The doors opened to the KAV at 7:30 p.m., and the games started at 8:00 p.m. Each round had a unique pattern, such as a postage stamp and the letter ‘X,’ that one had to mark to win that round. These patterns added a competitive twist to Bingo.
Nate Kubasko, a sophomore psychology major, was in attendance. “I am hoping to win the Lego set, cooking basket, or the concert tickets,” Kubasko said. When asked about how he feels about the Etown tradition, he said “I love everything about it! I love the idea of camping up before the doors even open. It is definitely competitive and fierce, but it is worth every moment.” As the night went on, Kubasko went on to win the Hydration basket which included Liquid IV, an Etown Stanley bottle, a frother and some Bloom energy packets.
First year Cheyenne Coleman, an early education major, was also one of the many winners of the night. She took home a Kindle fire and a page turner. “I loved Bingo!” Coleman said. “I loved that everyone in the room would collectively laugh/joke about things! It was a great atmosphere and seeing everyone laugh together was super nice.”
Etown Bingo would not be as special and successful if it were not for the OSA members. OSA is made up of our very own Blue Jays, and they work hard every semester to create events for their fellow classmates. For senior OSA member Ella Nappenberger, this was her second year hosting bingo. “It is fun because this is the main event that we host that a good majority of the students come to.” Nappenberger said. “We just got the prizes from the cabinet upstairs and printed out the rules and prize sheets,” she said. “It was a lot more organized this year with the way we had the people enter the KAV and fill it up compared to last year.”
If you missed this semester’s bingo, make sure you are on the lookout for the spring semester bingo!
