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Bingo players milk new game for dairy prizes

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Sharline Anderson of Milton is all smiles as she fills up the bottom half of her Dairy Bingo card at the Rock County 4-H Fair. She was the first one to win the farm-based game at the fair on Tuesday.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Players place corn kernels on their farm-based cards as Craig O'Leary calls a game of Dairy Bingo at the Roack County 4-H Fair on Tuesday.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Travis Trawicki, 9, of Evansville covers one of his squares with a kernel of corn during a game of Dairy Bingo at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Tuesday.

JANESVILLE — B-I-N-G-O!

Sharline Anderson was the lucky person who got to shout it first.

That's because the 50-year-old Milton woman filled a row across her dairy bingo card first.

Corn kernel markers filled the squares of "Drink milk," a farm scene, a milk pail, a grouping of cheese and a dairy farmer on her card in this new game, created by Linda Kleven, a member of the 4-H Fair's Daytime Entertainment Committee.

"I thought rather than just play bingo, I'd create the game based on a dairy theme since Wisconsin is the dairy state," she said, while setting up for the game Tuesday afternoon.

Her idea was a hit.

Most of the chairs in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion quickly filled for the 4 p.m. game that was free with nearly 50 dairy-related prizes, including ink pens inscribed with "Got Milk!" and Frisbees with the slogan "Wisconsin—America's Dairyland."

Friends Paula Peterson and Sally Darr, both of Milton, were the first to join in the game.

"We have nothing else to do," Peterson said.

"Yeah, the sheep are all settled," Darr added, explaining the two had connections to Harmony 4-H Club.

Craig O'Leary, 4-H Fair board member, served as the game's caller.

"Y and the little red barn," he yelled so he could be heard over nearby street traffic, music and fairgoers shouting to one another as they walked the fairway.

"Y and the word Wisconsin," he shouted after pulling the next card from the plastic jar he had just shaken up."

Ahhhh! sighed a person in the crowd, who obviously was pleased with the call.

"R and Yogurt," O'Leary shouted to players.

"Can we have a better card?" Peterson jokingly complained, still unable to fill any of the squares on her card.

About 10 minutes in to the game Anderson yelled "Bingo!"

She giggled and clapped with excitement then proudly displayed her prize—a multi-colored ink pin before throwing it in her fair bag for safekeeping.

Anderson was with a Catholic Charities developmental disabilities group of women that plans regular social outings that incorporate educational opportunities.

"I saw this as one," said Jen Partridge, case manager with the local organization.