If you haven’t played bingo at the new Grant-Reeves Veteran Center, their massive crowds on Tuesday and Thursday nights might surprise you. But for the crowds that come out, bingo night isn’t just a chance to win big, it’s a chance to spend time with the community.
Linda Loggins, who lives in White County, has been playing bingo for over 33 years. Every week, Loggins meets up with her friends Kathy Cabe of Toccoa and Beaulah Kilpatrick of Toccoa at the GRVC (formerly Grant Reeves VFW Post) bingo night in Cornelia. The three dedicated bingo players travel around Northeast Georgia through the week, hitting bingo spots in Habersham, Stephens and White Counties.
Cabe and Kilpatrick make their way around Toccoa’s bingo nights while Loggins attends bingo in Cleveland. When they meet in the middle at the Cornelia veteran’s center for bingo night, the group of friends sets up their table with their drinks, snacks, colorful bingo daubers and good conversation.
“It’s just fun,” Loggins says. “It’s fun to be with people [and] get out of the house.”
The conversation and laughs flow easily. Amidst the crowd of others hoping to hit it big, these three feel a sense of anxious anticipation.
Cabe, who has only been playing two years to Loggins’ 33 plus, says she looks forward to being around friends and making new ones during bingo night— and how much money she could win.
“It gets you out of the house, you get to be around friends, it’s a lot of fun,” Cabe says.
After losing the old VFW Post in a fire, the Post reopened as the Grant Reeves Veterans Center and moved to their new Cornelia location inside the old Office Pros and School Tools at Cornelia Crossing Shopping Center. While the loss of the former Post was unfortunate and untimely, the new location has given them room to dramatically expand their bingo audience.
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GRVC volunteers say that they’ve seen well over 300 people come out for bingo on $1,000 jackpot nights. On the evening of Jan. 6, 183 players joined the game.
The money people spend at the GRVC, whether it’s to buy bingo cards or to grab snacks at the canteen, goes back into supporting the programs they offer veterans and their families.
If you want to check out bingo night, which happens every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., head over to the GRVC at 174 Cornelia Crossing. Their next $1,000 jackpot is on Feb. 10.
