Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/01/00

TERRY GAUTHIER-MUESSIG
STAFF WRITER

It was a good night for Monika Mirvica of Port Monmouth. She went home with the gold.

The competition was steep -- Mirvica was among 162 people vying for a chance to win at "Gold Dollar Bingo," the Friday-night fund-raiser sponsored by the Keansburg Fire Co. 1, Main Street.

ED CURRY photo Monika Mirvica, Port Monmouth section of Middletown, plays Bingo at Keansburg Fire Co. 1 on a recent Friday night. Below, a handful of the Sacajawea gold coins offered on select nights.

As the evening began, the professional bingo players marched into the hall, armed with every imaginable good-luck charm they could carry; trolls, leprechauns, even photos of grandchildren were among the trinkets in their bags.

The novice players entered with a few dollars in their pockets, hoping for beginner's luck.

For $4 and and an extra $1.50 for the dabber -- a bingo board marker sold by the ladies auxiliary at the snack bar -- a novice can play for the night.

"You can use a pencil, pen, even a crayon if you like; you really don't need a dabber," said Lou Palaio, a firefighter from Keansburg.

There wasn't a player, however, in any of the fire company's three bingo rooms without a dabber. One player even had an official-looking bingo bag with tiny, numbered bingo balls on the front flap. The bag, which resembled an insulated lunch tote, was filled with different-colored dabbers and a few goodies.

In an effort to keep the fire department's weekly bingo fun and interesting and to draw more competitors, Angelo Melillo of Keansburg, a volunteer firefighter and bingo guru, added the gold-dollar game as a special attraction. There have been three such evenings to date.

"The winners have a choice of taking the Sacajawea gold coins or paper money. The players can also take part in gold and part in paper," said Melillo.

Melillo also was responsible for introducing the all-paper bingo as a way to phase out the bulky, traditional cardboard game. "People hated them (paper bingo cards) at first," he said. "Especially for the people that have been coming here for years."

As players adjusted to the paper, Melillo began adding new games -- Valentine Heart, Picnic Table, Postage Stamp and Love Letter -- to go along with the 11 others, including two 50-50 games.

It has been about one and a half years since the creative bingo games have been introduced. On gold-dollar nights, the average crowd is about 150 people.

Mirvica was the first big winner on this particular gold-dollar bingo night -- she won $100 and took her winnings all in gold.

Why the gold?

"My husband, John, saves gold coins, these are for him," she said.

Mirvica, like many of her fellow competitors that night, chose the gold for its value to collectors.

A bingo player on and off for about 10 years, Mirvica said she does not play every week. When she heard about the gold-dollar bingo, however, she had to try her luck at adding some coins to her husband's collection.

Carolyn and Bill Hartsgrove of Keansburg have been hooked on bingo now for two years. Their son was a bingo volunteer before going off to college.

"He was the bingo caller, we wanted to support him in what he was doing, so, we came to the bingo," Carolyn Hartsgrove said. "We've been come here ever since."

As Carolyn Hartsgrove relayed her bingo tale, her husband, Bill, smiled and nodded while strategically preparing his boards for the night's games.

At the last gold-dollar bingo, Carolyn Hartsgrove won $50. Her daughter and a neighbor got a share in the winnings; they're the coin collectors.

Then there was Mary McCluskey of Keansburg, who boasted, "I go seven nights a week." McCluskey, who had no intention of saving her winnings, "went to the store and spent them.

"I had two left, so I kept them," she said.

The volunteer fire department depends on the bingo as a major source of revenue, according to Palaio. The once- or twice-a-year coin toss and the raffles are used primarily to support the maintenance and upkeep of the fire company.

Every Friday, the fire company gives out $1,000 in bingo money. At one point, only 50 people were coming to bingo; the company's profits were minimal. Palaio recalled an evening where the proceeds amounted to only $17. He told Melillo, "I'll give you $20 a week not to go through this."

That was not the answer Melillo was looking for, of course. Instead, he called in a few bingo consultants and even traveled as far as Connecticut to scout out bingo ideas.

And, since the bingo hall desperately need some revamping, "I took a shot," Melillo said, "a $14,000 shot" for renovations.

Melillo's hard work paid off. The fire department's investment received a favorable response from bingo players. New carpets were added, the building was painted, new curtains were hung, and ample air conditioning and heating were supplied. The most expensive endeavor was acquiring new bingo boards and a new TV for the three bingo rooms, one of which is nonsmoking.

Volunteers also seem to like the changes.

Dave Simmers of Keansburg enjoys working in the nonsmoking room. He volunteers every week, but admitted he "can't take the smoke; I try to get in the nonsmoking room as much as possible."

Both Simmers and Matt Lohsen, Keansburg, like to sell bingo boards at the front door; admission is $2 for the standard games.

Ed Cahill of Keansburg, aka the "50-50 animal," sells the 50-50 boards for a $1 each. There are two 50-50 games each night.

While the volunteers walk around waiting for someone to yell bingo, they hand out gold-coin chocolates on the gold-dollar nights, while two of the ladies from the auxiliary work the snack bar.

"These people (volunteers) become your family; week in and week out you see the same faces," Palaio said.

He offered the story of the O-66 number tradition: "When the number O-66 is called, a few people would ring a bell," he said. "There was an older man that used to come here, he had a few quirky things he did, like yelling Happy Birthday and ringing a bell. He recently passed away and a few people decided to carry on his tradition -- O-66 they ring the bell and I-24, you might hear Happy Birthday."

Lohsen said, "I've never seen a bunch of more honest people in all my life." The 25-year-old added, "People would come back to me saying they took too many boards by mistake, and give them back, or they would come back with a $1, saying I gave them too much change."

Bingo Hall doors open at 6 p.m. every Friday night; bingo starts at 8 p.m. and runs about two hours.

The only thing the volunteers and the players hope for, besides having a good night and winning, is a silent fire bell.

Published on November 1, 2000

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