Monroe County Fair pairs with Relay for Life for bingo fun

Katie Tibai
·2 min read
Crystal Dagastino calls numbers and letters during a bingo game at the Monroe County Fair.
Crystal Dagastino calls numbers and letters during a bingo game at the Monroe County Fair.

For the first time ever bingo has come to the Monroe County Fair - and it’s for a good cause.

The Bingo Barn was run by Relay For Life as a general fundraiser for the organization. Both volunteers and players alike hope that the money raised does a lot of good for cancer research, and provides financial support for the many programs run by the American Cancer Society.

Shelley Waltz, Relay for Life Chairperson and cancer survivor, was pleased by the turnout to the event. Since this is the first year bingo was offered at the fair she didn’t have any expectations.

“For the first time, I think it has been pretty good,” Waltz said. She believes that unpredictable weather and newness of the event are factors in the varying turnouts on different nights. The Fair Board had the idea for Relay For Life to run bingo, and getting it implemented has been in the works for quite awhile.

Georgie Warren and Tammy Hatt were two players who came multiple nights to enjoy the game, company and chance to raise money for an organization that has special meaning for them. Both of them have family members who fought cancer, so they really appreciate that this event was brought to the Fair and all of the good work that Relay For Life does for cancer research.

Volunteers Jacob Waltz, Shelley Waltz, Marge Waltz and Marylou Hardoin participated in the bingo game, which helped raise money for Relay for Life.
Volunteers Jacob Waltz, Shelley Waltz, Marge Waltz and Marylou Hardoin participated in the bingo game, which helped raise money for Relay for Life.

The Bingo Barn was open in the evening Sunday through Saturday, and required many volunteers. Rose Oberski, Relay For Life Chairperson and cancer survivor, emphasized that this is not a one day or one week event but a year round effort.

“My hope is that we can raise cancer fighting dollars and make the public aware of what we do,” Oberski said.

Like Waltz, Oberski didn’t have any expectations for the event since it was their first time at the Fair. She is proud of the volunteers’ efforts, and glad that they were all able to work and learn together to pull off a successful event for a good cause.

Crystal Dagastino, Oberski’s former neighbor, was one of the many volunteers. While she is originally from Ida, she now lives in Florida.

“When Rose was looking for volunteers, I decided to come up and help out,” Dagastino said. Dagastino worked multiple roles throughout the week including manning the player tables and acting as the caller.

Georgie Warren (left) and Tammy Hatt, both of Monroe, played bingo at the Monroe County Fair.
Georgie Warren (left) and Tammy Hatt, both of Monroe, played bingo at the Monroe County Fair.

Waltz appreciates the opportunity to get the word out about Relay For Life and to showcase all of the programs that they have in place, such as the “Hope Lodge” which provides housing for families with loved ones going through treatment, and “Look Good Feel Better” which offers wigs and other support for cancer patients.

She hopes that they will be able to continue to do the event in future years and raise money for an organization that means a lot to her and the community as a whole.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Fair pairs with Relay for Life for bingo fun