As a college student, “free” is one of the best words in the dictionary right next to “food.”
Free t-shirt? Sure. Free food? Absolutely. Free beer? Only for 21-year-olds.
"Music Bingo," a weekly event on Thursdays sponsored by Guardian Brewing Company, combines all of the above into an evening filled with music trivia, casual conversation and drinks.
Ryan Remington created the event, which he said him and a co-worker came up with about two months ago.
Remington is also responsible for hosting the event, which means distributing playing cards, checking for bingos and buying winners a drink.
“They flag me down, or they yell ‘bingo’ at the top of their lungs, however they want to do it,” Remington said.
Music Bingo usually draws around 15 to 20 people every week and about eight of those players win. During the first week of the event, Remington said they had 18 winners.
Jon Peckinpaugh said he and his friends have won six times. Remington already considers them regulars, even though the event is only four weeks old.
Patrons play table games while waiting for the next song to come on at "Music Bingo." Participants listen for songs to play and then mark their card if the song is on their card.Trevor Weldy,DN
Besides winning, Peckinpaugh said he enjoys the community atmosphere and gathering with neighbors.
“I didn’t even know music bingo existed until they started doing it here,” Peckinpaugh said. “It’s a fun evening. It’s very low key and very laid back. You listen to a lot of really good music, and every once in a while you win a free pint.”
Remington said hosting the event has been a learning experience because he tries to diversify it every week.
“Our very first week I had no idea what I was doing,” Remington said. “I’ve never played bingo before. I’ve since learned that if somebody gets a bingo, you should probably swap out the cards.”
The music theme changes every week and has included song covers and '80s music. Remington said he has even toyed with the idea of doing movie quotes instead of songs.
Besides changes in the music, Remington is looking to change the weekly day of the event.
“We might change it from an every Thursday thing to an every Wednesday thing,” Remington said, “and just see what works out best.”
Contact Trevor Weldy with comments at tjweldy@bsu.edu
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