Tensions were high. Tempers were flaring. We could barely contain our excitement! All that was needed was a G54. And then the last ball was drawn – B54. Once again, our table had lost. The joyous winner, beaming with accomplishment and pride, sprang onto the stage to claim the coveted prize, a grocery bag filled with goodies.
A competitive bingo match seems more the stuff seen at “game time” at a retirement home, but Lawrentians got a taste of their future this Monday at the annual Grocery Bag Bingo. With over 40 people in attendance, the Student Organization for University Programming-sponsored event kicked off the annual Fall Festival.
“During Fall fest, SOUP has a series of fun events that precede parents’ weekend. It is definitely a great way to build school spirit. Plus, everyone likes a free bag of groceries” said Sepi Shokri, who is the Fall Festival chair and was the host of Grocery Bag Bingo.
There were numerous grocery bags that were offered as prizes, each one with a different theme.
P.J. McMonagle won one of the 11 goodie bags. “I won the mystery bag, which was filled with miscellaneous items that tend to be an afterthought when one goes shopping. Things like Asian Chicken fried rice mix, tomato soup, instant brownie mix, and so on. In other words, I think they ran through the grocery store with their eyes closed, and filled a bag with the random things that their hands touched,” said McMonagle.
Other bags were cleverly themed: the breakfast bag, good for winter bag, the elementary school bag, etc. But, unfortunately, not everyone could be a winner.
Rosie Strelnick, a fifth year who has played all five years she has been at Lawrence, exclaimed, “I have played grocery bag bingo for five years and I have yet to win. All I really want is a snack!”
It was not only Strelnick who had a lot riding on Monday night’s game. Emily Mohr, a senior RLA, admitted, “I didn’t tell any of my residents about this event because I wanted to increase my chances of winning. I feel like this would’ve been a great event if I had just won.”
This year’s Fall Festival comes to an end this weekend. A musical performance titled “Music Therapy” by singer and songwriter Alisa Turner and the Canadian rock band Red Umbrella will take place at 10 p.m. Friday in the Julie Esch Studio in the Warch Campus Center. A stand-up comic, Rob O’Reilly, performs at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Warch Campus Center Cinema. O’Reilly’s comedic résumé ranges from appearances on shows like “America’s Got Talent” “The Tonight Show,” to Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” Rob O’ Reilly is sure to get Lawrentians and their parents laughing as he rounds out this year’s Fall Festival event lineup.
A competitive game of bingo kicks off Fall Festival
