We opted to stay an extra day in Petersburg this visit. The skies were gray and it rained/drizzled a bit, but the town is plenty colorful to make up for the weather. We explored, shopped, tried several of the local restaurants and cafés, and did a few boat projects.
We’ve of course seen this sign for bingo on the side of the Sons of Norway Hall just about every visit, but this time we thought “Hey! It’s Friday night! Maybe we should go play bingo with the locals!” and so we made a plan!
Kevin dropped an advance review copy of his upcoming novel Untamed Coast at Sing Lee Alley Books. This is a super cute local bookstore that is a must-visit in Petersburg.
Alicia and Gregg hosted happy hour on Evenstar Kadey Krogen, for a little pre-bingo get-together: deviled eggs, crab dip, hummus and pita, salami and cheese and crackers, and various other snacky things. Flotilla alumni Dave from Nordic Tug Turnagain joined us! You may remember Dave and DeAnne (and Bodhi!!!) from last summer — he happened to be in town (without DeAnne or Bodhi) de-winterizing Turnagain — so great to see him!
After happy hour, it was time for bingo. Let’s see what trouble we could get into.
We climbed the stairs and tried to learn the rules as fast as we could. It’s not just about marking the square called…there are multiple patterns and different goals for each game. We bought books of cards, got some colorful dabbers, added a dollar or two to the special baskets for special games or extras that we didn’t quite understand, and followed directions to sit next to someone who’d played before so they could help us. (For instance, you’re not supposed to tear the pages off the pack that’s all together. “They’re that way for a reason” we were told, after the fact. Oops.)
We sat next to Carolyn, who was super helpful in explaining what to do for each different game, and we mostly managed to keep up! She thought we looked familiar, and we finally figured out/learned that she was the owner of Papa Bear’s Pizza here in Petersburg for 22 years and that we’d talked to her several times on previous visits! She and her husband sold the business two years ago to Coastal Cold Storage (it’s now called Coastal Bear Pizza).
The evening was full of a lot of laughs, fabulous local color, and we even won some prizes! (Cash, a book, some little spider plants planted in hand-decorated cups…really sweet!) The locals mostly got a kick out of all of us newbies and thanked us for coming (and even invited us back!)
Whenever B-1 came up, after the bingo caller said “B-1” over the PA system, the entire room responded “Be one with the universe!” which quickly became a bit of a contest of who could be loudest and most committed, locals vs. tourists. It was quite silly but very fun.
Carolyn showed me some other mark-making techniques with the dabber pens. Not just a night of bingo, but also art!
There was a “half time” during bingo night, where the organizers brought out fruit salad and rice and meatballs (free) and you could purchase candy and soda, plus all the popcorn you wanted (complete with a tiny crock pot of butter and a plethora of seasonings). This was much more fun than we even expected, and I think we’ll be back!
We returned to our boats (after 10:30pm!) and the harbor was quiet and still as we walked the dock.
We’ll head out in the morning for Thomas Bay where we’ll also stay two nights!