Deep down in the Wimberley Valley remains a tradition that survived ice storms, the pandemic, and, yes, fake news cancellations.
Despite an old advertisement erroneously run in last week’s Wimberley View claiming that the bingo game was canceled, the Wimberley VFW Friday Night Bingo is alive and well. It has been a long established tradition in the Wimberley Valley that attracts many people from hardcore bingo players, couples on date night and families old and young trying to spend a quiet and relaxing Friday evening.
Wimberley VFW Post 6441 has been putting on bingo night for the past 36 years which has helped the post.
“Bingo Night has been something that has been going on for quite awhile,” Wimberley VFW Post Commander John Thompson said. “It goes on every Friday night with the exception of the first week of July which corresponds with our July the 4th Rodeo which happens on Friday and whenever a major holiday lands on a Friday night. But for the rest of the year we have bingo every Friday night weather permitting.”
“It’s a major fundraising event for the Post,” Thompson continued. “When I first came here nine years ago, we averaged around 65 people, and now it averages a little over 100. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of people come to bingo and make the comment ‘This is our first time here’… It’s a great time and reasonably inexpensive for people to come, bring their families and have a great time and an enjoyable evening. We also have food in the concession stand that the auxiliary fixes and operates. So people can have a snack or even a meal before they start bingo.”
It takes significant effort to put on an event that runs nearly every week of the year.
“We have regulars who get upset if we do have to cancel bingo night,” Thompson said jokingly. “We do have people who come every Friday night, and we have people who come every once in a while, and then people who come for the first time. I would say close to 50% of the people that come Friday night are regulars... It’s a good time, everybody seems to enjoy themselves, and we give away a lot of money so it’s something people look forward to. It’s an activity that is on an ongoing basis whereas I’m not sure what other entertainment we have in Wimberley that is every week.”
Bingo regulars Keith and Kim Tomlin have been going to bingo night for the past eight years.
“We can have anywhere from 60 to 200 people come here,” Kim Tomlin said. “When we started coming it was our date night. We can come in and eat… and this was an evening for entertainment. What they don’t give out in prize money goes out to the community in various ways so it feels like we are contributing.”
“Yeah when you only win once or twice a year it feels like a donation,” Keith Tomlin said.
Despite attracting some passionate players, the Tomlins state that bingo night is really lax.
“There are a few times people will ‘boo’ or ‘ooh’ and everything,” Keith Tomlin said. “Most of the time people will be clapping when somebody wins, so it’s really cordial. The lady who won the early bird round twice, people were like “Oh!”.
“If you win four times, you run,” Kim Tomlin said jokingly.
The Tomlins also talked about how bingo night attracts nearly everyone in town come Friday night.
“We have kids running around and playing and old folks and everything in between,” Keith Tomlin said. “There are several kids who are ten, twelve years old, even teenagers that want to come here for their birthday with their friends and hang out.”
Because bingo is a legalized form of gambling in the state of Texas, the VFW will give a percentage of the money to the state then split the rest for general needs, scholarships, and support for veterans.
“We give a certain percentage back to the state and the rest of it is ours,” Thompson said. “The primary purpose of bingo money will go to buying more cards, the machine needs fixing, or whatever it will come out of the bingo money. The rest of it goes into the general budget and fund and that is spent on support for veterans and the community.”
Like the Tomlins, many people come here not to earn winnings but to have a great Friday night.
“The first year we came I won 24 times, and Keith won four times,” Kim Tomlin said. “You really don’t make money on it, but it’s just a fun thing to do. I play two cards and he plays one. Some people play with six or eight cards.”
“We like to kid and joke around about the last time you won,” Keith Tomlin said. “I’m like ‘I’m not here as a winner, I’m here as a donor.’”
“It’s so rare for him to win,” Kim Tomlin said. “When he won last week everybody was like ‘Hell was going to freeze over’ and it was right after the cold weather spell we had.”
Bingo night at the Wimberley VFW Hall start at 7 p.m. every Friday night.
