My Unexpected Maine Adventure

One of our group recently went to Maine to visit his adult children, who have cottages along the coast.

When he came back, I asked him to give us a quick overview of what stood out most about Maine.

I was expecting to hear about lobster rolls, rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, beautiful blue skies, quaint little towns, golf courses, and the lack of crowds compared to the New Jersey shore.

Instead, this is what I got.

"I went to Maine to visit my adult children, and almost the first thing they said was, 'Let's go to bingo Monday night.'"

I hadn't played bingo in 20, 30, maybe even 40 years, and I really didn't know what to expect. They assured me I'd do just fine. They and their friends are regulars. In fact, they have their own regular table and even wear special T-shirts every Monday night. That's when I realized these people take bingo very seriously.

Bingo is held at the local senior center.

We arrived 45 minutes early just to find a parking spot and buy our bingo cards. Apparently, you also need something called a dauber to mark your cards.

The bad news was that strangers had already taken seats at their usual table, so there was a last-minute scramble to find enough room for everyone before the games began.

The place was absolutely packed. There had to be well over 100 people there, and everyone seemed to know exactly where they belonged. There's nothing quite like a room full of partially deaf old people trying to hear bingo numbers.

Then the game started.

A hush fell over the room...

...except for one member of our group.

She talked nonstop.

She talked about the numbers that had already been called, the numbers she hoped would be called next, what she had bought while shopping that afternoon, and whatever else happened to cross her mind.

The nearby tables responded with plenty of side-eyes and an occasional "Shhh!"

None of it had the slightest effect.

Neither did the loud "Shut up!" from one otherwise perfectly normal-looking older woman.

The rest of us found the whole thing hilarious, which, of course, didn't help matters.

Two hours later it was finally over.

None of us at our table had won a thing.

By then I was shell-shocked.

I was exhausted from concentrating on the numbers, trying to keep up with my bingo cards, and surviving the surrounding chaos. I couldn't wait to go home, sit in a quiet room, and stare off into space.

But here's the strange part.

I can't wait to go back next week. And maybe get a team Bingo tee shirt.

One final observation.

I later learned that one reason this little senior center is so crowded is that a neighboring town also has bingo night. They attract something like 200 people. Ironically, some people from that town come to this one because they think they'll have a better chance of winning.

And if you're wondering about the menu, don't expect lobster rolls.

It's lemonade, hot dogs, chicken fingers, popcorn, ice cream bars, water and soda.

So there you have it.

A real Maine experience.