Depot Bingo — (Image courtesy of the Depot Theatre)

The Kentucky Derby occurred on May 5th, but that wasn’t the only event to draw gamblers that day. The Depot Theatre kicked off spring with their version of Cinco de Mayo Bingo that same evening at the Westport Heritage House! It was attended by over 50 participants who wanted to have fun and support the Depot or were just feeling lucky.

Depot Theatre Bingo Honors Founder

The monthly bingo events are a tribute to Carol Buchanan who founded the Depot Theatre in 1979 as a project of the Westport Historical Society. She helped fund the first Depot Theatre performances with the proceeds of Wednesday Night Bingo in the early years. This summer the bingo nights are beginning again!

It seems like the events are off to a good start! Attendance was good and the fundraising goal of $500 was surpassed. Twelve winners took home a total of $250 in cash prices and also non-cash prizes worth $250.

The Draws of Bingo

Bingo supplies (Photo courtesy of the Depot Theatre)

One might not automatically think of Bingo as gambling, but it is a game of chance. Will the numbers randomly drawn be called in an order that lets you be the first to mark your bingo card with your chips or dauber and make a bingo? There is a certain skill in paying attention to the announcer, scanning your card(s) for the correct number quickly and accurately, and being ready to yell when you are only one away from a bingo! The money spent goes to a good cause, there is a chance for you to win great prizes, and the suspense of trying to win is exciting! Why wound’t you want to play?

“As a theatre, there aren’t a lot of things more satisfying to hear than an audience’s applause at the end of the show – but I think I have a new one: hearing someone happily shout ‘Bingo!’ and wave their winning card in the air! I’m so pleased that we are able to provide entertainment at any and all Depot Theatre related events. You don’t have to be attending a show at the theatre in order to be charmed by the Depot. It’s where supersized bingo-fun meets our long history of theatrical entertainment!” –Angel Wuellner, Managing Director of the Depot Theater

I was happy to attend the first event, and even more excited when I won a round! I won two tickets to the Depot that will certainly come in handy. I have had my eye on a certain Sherlock Holmes play being performed there this summer. Other prizes included a basket of Mexican specialty food in honor of Cinco de Mayo, a basket full of spa treatments, and of course cash prizes.

More Depot Theatre Bingo to Come!

If you missed the first bingo night don’t worry because there will be more to come over the summer. The Depot will be holding a bingo night once a month all summer! The next night is June 16th at 5:00 pm at the Westport Heritage House so be ready to attend!

The money paid to attend and buy bingo cards is $5 for a set for all games, with $1 for each extra ticket if you want to play more than one card a game and up your chances of getting Bingo.

Depot Theatre Welcomes New Managing Director (adirondackalmanack.com)

About Katie Shepard

Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or at Linked.in. Or email her at katie [@] essexeditions [dot] com.