By Mikaela STONE

The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars is holding their 11^th annual bingo game on Friday, Aug. 18 at Healy Hall at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 2411 Montrose Ave. in Montrose. This year is extra special as the American Legion just celebrated its 99^th birthday in April.

The doors open on Aug. 18 at 4:30 p.m. for community members to meet, greet and enjoy the pizza, submarine sandwiches, and chips available for purchase. If one wants to brave the heat, coffee will be available for free!

Volunteers from across the community – from Prom Plus Club to a team of 15 veterans – have come together to help with food and games.

The first game of the night is at 6 p.m. The “traditional game” is sponsored by the CV Weekly and players who turn in the coupon found in this week’s paper, hidden somewhere among the paper’s pages (happy hunting!), will receive an extra card for the first game.

The night offers three surprise bonus games, too. Raffle tickets will also be available inside Healy Hall. The raffle has been put together with help from the Verdugo Hills Council of the Boy Scouts. While the prizes remain a surprise, Lynn McGinnis teased the possibility of winning a handmade quilt or a stay at a hotel.

Tickets are available for purchase at the door and at the offices of the CV Weekly and the CV Chamber of Commerce; attendance is capped at 250 players. Those worried that tickets will sell out early can text McGinnis at (818) 427-2470 to add their name to the will-call list.

The tickets are $25 dollars, which nets the savvy player 40 chances to win up to $100. The final game of the night is traditional blackout bingo with double the amount of prize money!

The funds raised from this bingo night will go to the American Legion and VFW for their support of local veterans and youth. The Legion offers multiple programs to benefit local children, including military children whose constant moves have kept them from finding a community to feel at home. It also supports Boys and Girls State, which sends nominated children to Sacramento State College to further a potential career in government. This annual bingo night is the only fundraiser the American Legion has needed because of the ongoing support it has received in the past from the public.

On behalf of the American Legion, Lynn McGinnis thanked the community sponsors, volunteers and players for their support of veterans, but issued one warning: “We’ve been known to get a little corny on the microphone.” But he assured that “so far [he has] managed to duck all the tomatoes, so [he’s] happy.”