Players pack Grange Fair bingo fundraiser

CENTRE HALL — More than 300 attendees played for prizes donated by local vendors during the Centre Hall Fire Company’s third annual Grange Fair Bingo event, held May 21 in one of the fair’s commercial exhibit buildings.

Chief Brian Tice served as caller for the event, which is a primary fundraiser for the 30-member all-volunteer fire company. Fire company and auxiliary members were kept busy cooking and serving food to hungry customers throughout the afternoon, and two raffles were held as additional fundraisers.

The crowd was hushed as Tice called out numbers, with the silence broken only when a player yelled “Bingo!” This was followed by a collective groan from the other players, who needed “just one more number.” Reigning Grange Fair Queen Emma Spackman delivered prizes of merchandise and gift coupons to the lucky winners.

Fire company member Ken Strouse indicated that some funds raised at the bingo event, as well as by future fundraisers, will be used for the construction of a new fire house, to be located along an extension of East Locust Street in Centre Hall. Strouse said the company has outgrown its original building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue.

“That building was built in 1954, and we just don’t have room for all our equipment there anymore,” he said. Strouse said that planning for the new facility began in 2011 and the building design is now complete.

“It’s ready to be built, and we just have to come up with the money,” he said. “If everything goes right, we can start building next year.”