It was a cold Saturday night in mid-January, all the big holiday celebrations were over and all I wanted to do was stay in and curl up under a nice warm blanket. I had a whole night of watching Lifetime TV planned. However, my friends had something else in mind. They were hell bent on dragging me to a Golden Globes party in Center City.
I know you’re probably thinking – who wouldn’t want to go to a fancy Golden Globes party downtown. You get to dress up, talk about movies and television all night, and hopefully sip on free cocktails.
What you don’t realize, because I haven’t shared it with you, is that this wasn’t your typical Golden Globes party – in fact it wasn’t your typical party at all. It was an event hosted by GayBINGO! – the fabulous, irreverent, campy, monthly happening that features everything from drag queens to good old-fashioned Bingo, that has been entertaining Philadelphia audiences and raising money for our city’s AIDS Fund for more than 18 years. And this month they just happen to be hosting a Golden Globes party.
No, you didn’t read that wrong, my friends were trying to drag me to a drag show – complete with Bingo!
Being the good sport that I am, I got out from under the blankets and met them at the Gershman Y (where the event was being held). As I walk in I’m thinking – well this should be a calm and easy night of Bingo and then I can head back to my couch. Well, this was not the kind of Bingo I was used to. It was elaborate stuff. I walked in and was handed a clipboard and a packet of Bingo cards with an intense sheet of directions.
As I sifted through the directions and joined my friends, who had been playing for about an hour before I arrived, I realized that the people at this event meant business. I could barely mark the numbers on my card before someone was yelling out BINGO. And the raffle they were running in conjunction with the Bingo was up to $1,800!
With the help of my friends and some concentration, I finally got into a Bingo groove. I was having a blast and blotting my card at what I considered rapid speed – although the pros out there and the friends with me probably wouldn’t agree.
I may not have left the event with any official winnings, but I had a lot of fun and felt good knowing that the money they raised was going back to the AIDS Fund. I’d highly recommend you check out this popular event. If nothing else, the wacky humor and outrageous costumes will have you practically falling off your chair.
For more information on GayBINGO!, visit http://www.aidsfundphilly.org/events/gaybingo.
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