By Ed Birch, Special Writer
Students and family members of Cambridge Elementary School enjoyed an evening of bingo last Friday.
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) presented the winter edition of their highly successful Family Bingo Night. The PTO sponsors three of these events per year, and families circle these dates on their calendar as soon as they are announced.
Principal and the evening’s bingo caller, Glenn Famous said the events have been held at the Kendall Park school for 16 out of the 18 years he has been there.
”It is always a sell-out and fun event,” Mr. Famous said. “It is a night to bring the families out together.”Many families make a big evening out of this event, instead of going out for dinner or watching their favorite sporting events.
The even also brings out many Cambridge faculty members and their families as well as many alumni with their families.
Mr. Famous said the event usually draws a crowd of around 200 people and serves as a small fundraiser for the school.
Before the first event each year, teachers devote a small part of their educational time with their students to teach a quick lesson in playing bingo, Mr. Famous said.
Throughout the evening, players complete standard bingo, cover their complete cards, or complete different letters, or corners on their bingo cards in order to win the game.
The winning children get to select items from a 12-foot table of donated games and prizes. In addition, many door prizes also distributed to the students. “It is a lot of fun, the kids enjoy it,” Sherri Sidoti said as she helped her daughters Megan and Amanda play. “The kids get to see their friends.”
Ms. Sidoti said it was the third or fourth time she and her family have attended the event.
Megan, 7, who is in the first grade said her favorite part of the night was winning a prize from the table.
Second grade student Raffaella Socio, 7, won the very first game of the night and cheerfully went to the prize table where she picked out a stuffed dolphin that she immediately presented as a gift to her older sister, Gabriella, 9, who is in the fourth grade at the school.
The highlight of the evening’s festivities is the performance of Mr. Famous as “The Bingo Master.”
With 75 numbered plastic balls in front of him, Mr. Famous becomes the target of students screaming numbers at him for two solid hours.
”I have a schtick that I do,” Mr. Famous said.
On this night, Assistant Principal William Ciullo and Chief Prize Warden Jane Galero assisted Mr. Famous.The “Giant Jackpot” of the evening featured gift cards from Target Stores.The final Family Bingo of this school year has not been set as of yet.

