Radio bingo a social hub in isolation of pandemic
The ice surface at the old Renfrew Arena is long gone, the face-off circles and other markings barely discernible anymore on the concrete floor after the Timberwolves junior hockey team left for newer digs.
Now part of the Royal Canadian Air Force Association's Renfrew branch, known simply as The Wing, the cavernous hall is used for other purposes, including popular twice-weekly bingos. Or, rather, it was, until March, when COVID-19 shuttered the Old Barn.
But on Thursday evening, down a connected hallway and into The Wing's lounge, an assortment of oohs, ahs and related exhortations (including a kind of wailing “ou-ou-ouoo!” often heard at Timberwolves' games) rang out from 16 enthusiasts who, sitting at pandemic-distanced tables and holding colourful bingo daubers, listened intently as Burnstown radio station CJHR-98.7 host Tony Bove called out: “N-34.”
“Shit's bananas!” shouted Joenne Davidson, upon discovering no N-34s on her six bingo cards.
Valley Heritage Radio began broadcasting charity bingo soon after first going on the air in 2007, but according to station manager Jason Marshall, sales of bingo cards — a good indication of audience size — has increased by between 25 and 50 per cent since the pandemic hit. These days, about 2,500 sheets, each with six cards, are sold at nearly 30 Ottawa Valley venues each week.
“It was quite a noticeable spike,” he says. “It's become the thing to do in the Ottawa Valley on a Thursday night. The entertainment value is huge and, before COVID, we'd see people gather in garages and rec rooms. They're still doing that, but socially distancing. At least we hope so.”
The pastime, he adds, is a comfort for those who face greater isolation because of COVID.
“People love to tune into bingo because it gives them that sense of normalcy, that sense that things are going to be OK.”
Station accounts and events manager Kelly McNulty adds that many listeners during the pandemic hold “virtual listening parties” remotely, over Zoom or FaceTime. “They all have their own cards, and they're chatting and playing together, especially younger listeners.”
At stake each week is $300 for one line or four corners, $500 for two lines, and $1,000 for a full card. Occasionally, prizes are augmented with, say, pizza or some other incentive. Listeners phone in when they've won, and the game is paused while their card is electronically checked.
Participation, meanwhile, isn't limited solely to Ottawa Valley residents, with some scanning and sending cards to friends and relatives in such faraway lands as Prague and Democratic Republic of Congo, where the broadcast can be accessed online. A group of Edmonton fiddlers, says Marshall, initially became fans of the station, and are now regular bingo players.
A few miles away, Melissa Herrick and her family were playing bingo at their Kinburn home. They had played sporadically before, she noted, but became regulars over the last two months, after her husband's parents, John and Teresa Herrick, were looking for something to do to replace their postponed weekly curling outings.
Additionally, as farm suppliers, the Herricks have been essential workers throughout the pandemic, adding to the pressure they feel.
“We all work together, so on Thursdays we make a big dinner and then relax playing bingo,” says Melissa. “It de-stresses everybody.”
Before The Wing began hosting bingo nights, about a year ago, bartender Rocky Craig used to play in a friend's heated garage, with about 20 others. They had their own bingo machine, he said, and so after someone phoned in with a winning full card, he and his friends would continue until one of them won, with some small ante at stake, before switching to card games.
He motioned to the former hockey rink that's now a closed bingo hall. “There's no sports, no real bingo, so we're just trying to help out, to make things work.”
At one table, Shawna Kehoe was celebrating her birthday with friends and coworkers already in her bubble. They typically rotate hosting at their homes, but a night at The Wing is a welcome change. And regardless of venue, it's an important evening. “I work at Finnigan's (Roadhouse) and am a manager at Mark's,” she says, “but I make sure I'm off Thursday nights. It's like our date night.”
At an adjacent table, Arnprior's Marilyn Gunn was playing with family members. “I was sitting at home by myself and I needed to get out,” she said.
Gunn's cousin, Susan HeinsSchutt, started playing in March, after having to quarantine at home following a Florida vacation. “My sister and I were playing over video chat, so we were having a connection. Then I started coming here to The Wing.
“It's just a way to get out and do something, because we are missing going to hockey games or the theatre, that type of thing.”
Former Renfrew mayor Audrey Green was also trying her luck at bingo on Thursday. “I think our whole lifestyle has changed due to COVID-19,” she said, “and we have to adapt to new and different things.
“Something like this is certainly where the future is. It's not going to be a big hall with all kinds of people playing bingo, not for a long time. So if you can get your family and friends to do this, it's beneficial. It's good for morale.”
Visit valleyheritageradio.ca for more information.
It is completely shameful that long-term care homes are on their own after the devastation we saw in wave one. Literally nothing was done.
ONTARIO ND P LEADER ANDREA HORWATH,
on care homes being told it's up to them to solve staffing shortages. SEE A4