Board of Realtors bingo set Saturday

Monday, November 8, 2021

After a two-year absence, the Putnam County Board of Realtors will celebrate the return of its bingo fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 13.

All procees from the event will benefit the Putnam County Board of Realtors scholarship fund, which awards scholarships each year to graduating seniors.

Doors at the Putnam County Fairgrounds Community Building open at 5:30 p.m., with early bird at 6 and the main games at 6:30.

The main attraction of the night will be a bonanza game sponsored by First National Bank with a prize starting at $500. However, additional card sales could increase the payout to $1,000.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, if space is still available. Tickets include 15 regular bingo games with six-card sheets, the bonanza game, early bird game and a door prize ticket.

Tickets may be purchased at Abstract & Title, Carpentor Realtors, Collins Evans Real Estate, F. C. Tucker Advantage and First National Bank, both the Greencastle and Cloverdale locations.

For more information, contact Diane at 720-2091.

Pull tabs will also be on sale.

All entrants must be 18 years old.

The Board of Realtors began its bingo events in 2009 as a way to boost its new scholarship endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation.

The events grew rapidly in popularity, and the players suggested the Board of Realtors add more events. In 2012 that happened, with a second bingo added to the calendar.

Starting with around 100 in attendance, the popularity of the event reached its beak in November 2019 at 258 players.

“In the spring of 2020, as we ramped up for what would have been our 20th bingo event, so did COVID,” Board of Realtors Executive Officer Diane Ummel said. “The April 2020 event was postponed, and postponed, and postponed, until now, Nov. 13, 2021.”

Organizers are ready to get back to “normal,” but with some precautions.

“This will be our first event in two years, and we hope to have a great turnout but want our players to feel safe attending,” Ummel said. “With coronavirus still lurking, we are making some subtle changes to the event. We will be setting up the room a little differently and limiting attendance accordingly.”

In addition, the drinks and snacks for sale at the event, as well as free popcorn, will be packaged in advance to limit open containers and handling. No outside food or drinks will be allowed.

“It goes without saying, if you have been exposed to COVID, tested positive or have had any symptoms in the two weeks prior to the event, we ask that you not attend,” Ummel said. “We believe that those planning to attend will use common sense and be courteous to all the other attendees.”

Starting in 2006 with $12,000, the Board of Realtors scholarship fund has grown to more than $110,000 while more than $26,000 has been awarded in scholarships.

“This year, for the first time, we are opening the scholarship up to any Putnam County high school graduate,” Ummel said. “In previous years we awarded one scholarship to each of the four Putnam County schools, but we are now accepting applications from private and homeschooled graduates as well.”

The scholarship is also available to those attending any accredited two- or four-year program, which includes trade schools.

“Our goal is to get money in the hands of those students that are seeking to further their education and are willing to work or seek out the means to make their dreams come true,” Ummel said.

For more information or to complete an application, graduating seniors should go to https://pcfoundation.org/scholarships/ and click on “apply for scholarships”. The application is currently open, with a deadline for submission of Jan. 21.

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