Shei Samson photos
The Boy & Girls Club in Hawthorne hosted a free night of food, fun and bingo last week. (Top) Alexa Muniz, Raylynn Morgan and Andre White show off their new bikes that they won during a game of bingo.

Walking into a valentine decorated Boys & Girls Club was just the beginning of a fun evening for the families that attended the free Friday night of spaghetti, bingo and prizes. Well over 80 people attended this first-time event, in an effort to bring the community together in a family friendly atmosphere.

Basketballs began bouncing and table games such as pool, drop disk and ping pong amused the kids, while adults visited at nearby tables. Some families walked through the facility, noting the many after-school activities available at the club’s scheduled time frames. Many parents took the time to sign-up their children while attending the family night, happy to learn of the low cost $1 a day fee, including Fridays.

Shei Samson photos
The Boy & Girls Club in Hawthorne hosted a free night of food, fun and bingo last week. (Top) Alexa Muniz, Raylynn Morgan and Andre White show off their new bikes that they won during a game of bingo.

Director Lyndsey Burall had coordinated the evenings event, with staff member Kira Garland assisting at a craft table where children made heart butterflies. Jeremy Burall and Dan McLaughlin, an overseer from the regional Mason Valley Boys and Girls Club, worked in all the kitchen prep, serving the attendees with a welcoming smile.

Following dinner, vintage bingo cards were passed out to everyone as Emily Steepleton, a volunteer from the Yerington Boys and Girls Club assisted. Barbara Owens drew excitement as the bouncing numbers from the machine began spitting out balls and they were loudly announced. Most every child admitted never having played bingo, nor had they seen such a sight. Parents hovered over their children, assisting in the location of letters and numbers as variations of the bingo games were being played. It truly became a family bonding evening, as well as a rewarding one, when winners began picking up prizes.

Hailey Jean Jackson displays her new Razor Scooter she won during an event at the Boys & Girls Club last week.

Thanks to the community support from local businesses and the Sheriff’s office, a variety of items were donated such as new basketballs to razor kick scooters, bicycles to gift certificates and more. Hailey Jean Jackson was thrilled as she won a blue Razor, but then in the following bingo game her grandmother, Kathy Gamache won her a new pink bike. In one bingo pull, three young participants won bikes – Alexa Muniz age five, Raylynn Morgan age seven and Andre White age 11, could hardly contain his emotion of winning. With so many activities the evening provided endless participation.

To end the festivities, families decorated heart-shaped cookies with frosting and sprinkles as desert. Thanks to Safeway, this desert donation left adults and kids celebrating the valentine season with a smile.