One of the first things Shippensburg Lions Club member Earl Nollenberger will tell you about bingo is that the people who play are almost as dedicated as he is.
Nollenberger, 55, who has been organizing the Lions Club bingo tent at the Shippensburg Community Fair for the past decade, explains the purpose of bingo is twofold. "We're here to have some fun and provide some entertainment," says Nollenberger, "but we also raise a lot of money for our charities."
A professor of biology at Shippensburg University for 32 years, Nollenberger takes a guess at why the bingo tent is so popular, "I guess it's just a great place to sit down and relax without spending a lot of money."
The Lions Club raises money to buy eyeglasses for the underprivileged and to pay for vision and diabetes screenings. Recently the Lions Club has taken up the diabetes cause, Nollenberger explains "because it (diabetes) is now the number one cause of blindness."
To successfully raise money for these charities every year, Nollenberger says, "It takes a lot of support from the Lions Club and from the community."
Ten to 11 volunteers are needed for every shift, says Nollenberger, who has been there himself every night of the fair from 6:30 p.m. until the tent closes around 11.
Normally about 80 percent of the club participates in some way during fair week, but Nollenberger insists the real supporters are the players.
"We get many of the same people in here every year," he says, "and some of the people who play are the ones who benefit from our charities."
The most popular game, says Nollenberger, is the "blackout" game which is held at the end of every night. Players must completely fill their cards to shout "blackout" and claim their prize.
Anywhere from 80 to 90 games a night are played, depending on the number of players in the tent at one time. With 200 players at 25 cents a card, that can quickly add up.
"A week at the fair, we'll raise $3,500 to $4,000," Nollenberger says with a smile. "That money takes care of a lot of our charitable needs."
Fifty percent of the money collected for each round goes directly to charities, with the other half going into the jackpot.
The Shippensburg Lions Club also raises money for a Shippensburg Area Senior High School scholarship, Shippensburg's Memorial Park, Cub Scout Troop 251, and scholarships for Beacon Lodge for the Blind.
As for Nollenberger, he shows no signs of stopping his annual volunteer work, "I like the fellowship involved," he says, "and you get to meet and talk to a lot of the townspeople."
