By Mary O’KEEFE

The CV Chamber relaunches its bingo event with a pre-game barbecue and chance to meet the captain of the CV Sheriff’s Station.

The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a bingo fundraiser on Saturday at a new location: St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church.

The CV Chamber is an active organization in the area, hosting several events during the year including a golf tournament and Hometown Country Fair. The funds raised at these, including at bingo, help support the CV Chamber and its scholarship program.

“Every year we raise money to support the scholarship program where we support exemplary students in the community,” said Steve Pierce, CV Chamber executive director.

Eligible senior students attend Clark Magnet or Crescenta Valley high school.

Like most bingo events in the area, the Chamber has partnered with American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614. The veterans of these two community organizations are experts in the ways of bingo, hosting multiple games throughout the year in support of many local non-profit organizations.

“[The CV Chamber] supports us so much, so we’re trying to help them,” said Mike Baldwin of American Legion Post 288 in an earlier interview with CVW. “They’ve been very supportive of our events over the years and partnered with us to do the [refurbishment of the] Two Strike [War Memorial] and [helped with] Armed Forces Day that we had last May.”

This year the Chamber added a twist to its traditional bingo by hosting a barbecue before the games begin.

“We will have Bruce’s Twisted BBQ and have tri-tip and pulled pork,” Pierce said, adding there will also be sides of beans and slaw.

The barbecue will be in the church’s courtyard; bingo will be played inside St. Luke’s Sadler Hall.

“People will also be able to meet the captain of Crescenta Valley Station,” Pierce added.

Captain Robert Hahnlein, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept./Crescenta Valley Station, will be on hand to introduce himself to those who have yet to meet him and will speak with community members on issues of concern in the area.

Hahnlein followed Todd Deeds, who was named captain of the CV Sheriff’s Station in 2019 but has since stepped down due to medical issues. Hahnlein officially took the position of captain in April 2022. He has served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. for 32 years and is very familiar with the CV area, not only because of his time at the CV Station but because the Crescenta Valley is his hometown.

“I was born in Glendale and raised in La Crescenta,” he said. He attended Lincoln Elementary, then Clark Middle School and graduated from Crescenta Valley High School. Since his promotion to captain he has worked to reach out to the community and the bingo and barbecue event is a perfect way to speak with community members.

Station personnel will also bring its new mobile command post to share with the public.

There will be nine bingo games with prizes of $100 each; one game will have a prize of $300. There are also three “big chip” games planned with prizes of $100 for each game.

Those who want to meet the captain and see the mobile command unit should stop by St. Luke’s between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The barbecue begins at 4:30 p.m. with the first bingo game beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 for barbecue and bingo, $20 for bingo only.

St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church is located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. (at the northeast corner of Rosemont). The parking lot accessed off Cross Street.