Editorial: Turkey Bingo is a valuable event

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The Farmington Fire Department’s annual Turkey Bingo is a remarkable event. It’s three hours of people crammed side-by-side into nearly every available space the department’s downtown fire station has to offer. It’s an old-fashioned community event where kids in stocking caps sit down the table from someone with a brightly-colored mohawk.

The fact that it raises some needed funding for the city’s volunteer fire department is a nice bonus, but there are times when it feels like the event is as good for the people taking part as it is for the department.

This year’s event raised more than $14,000 for the fire department, the best result by far in the 61 years the department has been asking people to compete for a shot at winning their Thanksgiving dinner. But as fire chief Tim Pietsch pointed out last week it’s about more than just raising money.

Unless you know a firefighter personally, your best chance of coming into contact with a representative of the fire department is under some unfortunate circumstances – because they’re putting out a fire at your house, or because the department’s rescue crew has responded to an accident in which you were involved.

Turkey Bingo is a chance for firefighters to mix with residents in a much more positive atmosphere. The event is a lot of work for firefighters, who spend much of the night squeezing between packed-together tables to sell Bingo cards or raffle tickets. But it was also clear Saturday every member of the department who was on hand was having a good time. The event was an opportunity for firefighters to have fun together, and for residents to offer some thanks for the work firefighters do throughout the year.

That makes for a good night.

Tags: opinion, editorials, farmington