Basket Bingos and Bull Roasts

So apparently we in the Maryland area are a bit strange. We do crazy things in the name of raising money for our kids’ schools, their sports teams, and anything else we can think of – all as an excuse to eat, drink, and play games. Having grown up in this area, things like basket bingos and bull roasts are nothing new to me. But any time I meet someone from elsewhere around the country, I am reminded that not everyone parties this way.

Last Friday night, my kids’ school had a free family game night. For this particular game night, we played bingo. Seated next to us was a family who recently moved here from the Oregon. The mom commented that in Oregon, bingo is for occupants of retirement homes. Ha – not in Maryland! We love our games.

And lest you’re thinking of bingo being playing in those smoke-filled lodges or VFWs, think again. Basket bingos are typically held in a school cafeteria or church hall, and are definitely smoke free. Each game has a prize in the form of a Longaberger basket filled with various other sundries. (Families and local businesses sponsor each basket and fill them with whatever they wish. Sometimes you get a basket full of Mary Kay products. Other times a family will use a theme like “movie night” and fill the basket with related items.)

Basket bingos typically raise somewhere in the $4,000 – 5,000 range for the organization. Even in this recession, basket bingos held around here typically sell out. My daughters’ school is holding their annual fundraiser bingo on March 12. Tickets are $12, which gets you a stack of cards for the night’s games. There are plenty of other opportunities to drop some cash throughout the night, whether it’s on snacks, bingo dabbers (you mean you don’t have your own?!), or extra cards.

Next on the list of events no one else in the country apparently does is the bull roast. Wikipedia actually has a very brief page dedicated to explaining what this event entails, and then specifies it typically only occurs in the Maryland area. How wonderful that we are famous for this non-stop eating festival! Yes, a bull roast is basically a big all-you-can-eat buffet. You pay around $40 per person to benefit the sponsoring organization. Then you pig out (or is that cow out?) with your friends. My husband particularly loves the slight variation on this called “Bull and Oyster Roast” – he claims he once ate 25 raw oysters at one such event. Ewwww. (Sorry, Wyeth.) These events can raise anywhere from $5,000 – $10,000, depending on the size of the event.

So there you have it. If you’re not from Maryland, I’ve just helped you learn something new. Maybe you could help raise funds for your organization with one of these events? Enjoy .