Rural Routes: Knights of Columbus bingo night offers place to socialize, raise money

Editor’s Note: Rural Routes is an ongoing feature series about Southeast Missouri residents.

With multicolored daubers at the ready, patrons of the Knights of Columbus in Scott City were primed for an evening of socializing and a chance to call out “bingo!”

It’s a regular scene at the hall Thursday evenings. Knight of Columbus Joe Spalding of Scott City, co-chairman of the bingo, said the bingo takes place every Thursday with bingo starting at 6:30 p.m. and doors opening about 5 p.m.

“We have our regulars,” said Marcus Schaefer, a Knight of Columbus of Benton, Missouri. “And we get people that come down from Cahokia, Illinois. We get people that come over from Kentucky.”

Barbara Blue of Chaffee, Missouri, is one of those regulars and said she has been coming to the Scott City bingo for 10 or 11 years. She said she keeps coming back because it’s a chance to get out of the house.

Cindy Drumwright and her husband, Randall, of Benton, Missouri, play bingo Thursday at Knights of Columbus in Scott City.Jacob Wiegand

“I just get out to have fun with my friends,” Blue said.

The bingo featured different games where a guest had to achieve a certain pattern on their bingo sheet — including more intricate patterns such as a snowflake or the letter “x” — before being able to call out their achievement. Those winners also received a monetary prize.

“I don’t think the money really matters because the people come out, they visit, they’re here every week,” Schaefer said.

Lucille Dannenmueller of Jackson was at bingo Thursday and has a longer history on this world than most.

When Dannenmueller turned 100 years old June 14 she won a $400 bingo game while attending the Knights of Columbus bingo.

Walter Seyer of Kelso, Missouri, calls bingo numbers Thursday at Knights of Columbus in Scott City.Jacob Wiegand

Spalding said money raised at the bingos will go to charities, local Catholic schools and national Knights of Columbus causes.