BINGO! - To the groans of those who didn't win, Darla Dahnert, was the first to yell, "Bingo" at the second Purse and Gun Bingo night. Pioneer photo by Ben Revermann
Purse and Gun Bingo at Starfire sold out again
Thu, 11/06/2025 - 12:30am
The second annual Purse and Gun Bingo happened at the Starfire Event Center the evening of Saturday, Nov. 1. A change from the previous event is that tickets were required in advance so that the crowd could be kept to a size that fit the available space. There were a few stragglers who came at the last minute, said Mindy Jimenez, event coordinator. “No one was turned away, everyone who wanted to play with us, got to.”
With either a designer purse or a gun on the winners’ table for each of 16 games, and with double winners getting a cash prize, the stakes were high. Tickets were $50 presale, with six cards for each game. Krys Cardenas, 31, bingo and gun enthusiast observed, “I was disappointed last February when I played and didn’t win a gun; I am hoping to fix that this year. I paid the entrance fee and that includes a free raffle entry.” The conversation had to be cut short as the calling of numbers began and Cardenas was on a mission and had to focus.
This event was a joint venture organized by both the Starfire Event Center and Sleigh and Cutter festival. Said Jimenez, “The proceeds go to Sleigh and Cutter. We sold 150 tickets and after discussing it with my manager, we are definitely going to be doing this again, either in February or March of 2026, but we don’t have any dates nailed down yet.” Jimenez added, “Because of the success of our last Purse and Gun Bingo, we were also able to iron out a lot of the details and problems, you know, what works and what doesn’t. Last time we had one bar open for both food and adult beverages that got a little cluttered, so this time we opened two windows with additional staff. One for drinks, the other for food, it made things so much smoother, it’s little things like that and the notes we take, improvements to serve you better.”
There will be another event for adults only, Flannels & Fizz at the Starfire Event Center from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. Food, games, live auctions, prizes and live band. $30 per person or $50 per couple.