PARIS — The Tuesday bingo game was, until this year, a revenue stream for American Legion Post 72. For many, it was the social scene.

Sheila Kailey and Lorraine Moore have met in Paris at the Legion every Tuesday for 10 years. Kailey drove from Waterford, Moore from Harrison. They parked their cars by the Legion and ate dinner at the Market Square Restaurant before the game.

Moore said they’ll still play Mondays in Norway and Saturdays in Oxford, but they would miss the crowd at the Paris Legion Hall.

“We’re just hoping maybe in the summertime they may open when the tourists come up,” Moore said.

Kailey blamed the cost of bingo licenses. The hall is up for a new license at the end of December. For bingo, the state license costs $400, according to Gilbert Turner, chairman of the bingo committee at Post 72. It’s another $700 for a sealed ticket license, the game that actually makes money for the hall.

Post member Sarah Little of Paris said that while bingo lost the post money in 2010, they made between $2,000 and $3,000 on sealed tickets, 25-cent ticket players open to win between 25 cents and $50. Still, even the sealed ticket revenue didn’t make up for the costs of electricity and materials for bingo games.

Turner said the licenses were a factor, but low attendance was the reason they were losing money. He said it was a combination of the bad economy and years of declining bingo gaming everywhere. The games were supposed to last until the end of the year, but after last week’s losses, Turner decided to end bingo after one more night.

There were about 40 players on Tuesday, more than in recent weeks.

Art Hill, adjutant for the post, noted there were at least six people he’d either never seen before or hadn’t seen in a long time.

“We’re sad that we couldn’t have a crowd like this every night,” Hill’s wife, Jo Ann, said.

Hill called it “a sad night.” He acknowledged that a lot of friends probably wouldn’t see each other much with bingo gone.

Bingo used to make a lot of money for the post, he said. Now they’re trying to find something to replace it. He said the post was considering hosting suppers every three months and selling sealed tickets there, but there were no firm plans.

The Legion rents out the hall for parties and receptions, but it’s not enough to pay for the scholarships and community projects the Legion sponsors.

Turner said it’s unlikely they’ll reopen bingo once players are out of the habit of coming in. “Once you stop, it’s almost impossible to get started again,” Turner said.

Pat Cleveland of Paris said she’d been playing at the hall for more than 30 years. Her mother played, too, until her death in 1992 at age 92.

“She sat right there,” Cleveland said, pointing to the seat next to her.

Cleveland said she didn’t plan on switching her routine to another hall, like American Legion Post 82, just down the road in Norway.

“Maybe when the summer comes I’ll go once or twice,” she said.

Linda Gauthier, playing in the back with nearly 40 cards in front of her, said she drives from Turner every week. She said attendance was dwindling because new players aren’t joining in the games.

“Younger people just don’t have the interest in organizations that they used to have in the past.”

treaves@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link