A competition will soon be underway in Berlin. You can win a prize, but organizers hope you’ll participate to help support local businesses too.
It’s called “Berlin Bingo.”
To check off a box on your game sheet, a unique task needs to be completed at a business in town.
“Everything from buy a coffee, burger, pizza, even visit a martial arts or a dance school, just to go in and see it, or a showroom,” said Berlin Economic Development Director Chris Edge.
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With every bingo, you’re entered to win a handful of gift cards donated by other local businesses.
“The bingo, they gave us the paperwork, so I think it will be a fun thing,” said Sandy Amato, a case manager at Good Cause Gifts, a nonprofit which aims to create valuable opportunities for Connecticut residents living with disabilities.
You could check off quite a few boxes at Good Cause Gifts like: “buy a gift or service for a family member, pet or friend” or “spend $5 at a business that supports a cause you believe in.”
“We are a small business and we like to make sure that we support the community and we want the community to support us, so we’re all in it together,” said Amato.
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The town hopes this game gives people who live, work, or just drive through the area a little more incentive to shop, eat, or just explore.
“Hoping as the weather gets nicer and more vaccinations and people start to get more comfortable and they get out and maybe this adds a little more,” said Edge.
“It’s trying to get everybody to see all the great things we have in town,” said James Bannon, owner of Box Bistro, which already has bingo cards on display.
The health conscious food service caters to fitness enthusiasts, who have kept them going during the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s been tough, but we’re kind of out of survival mode now. It’s okay, we’re seeing more people come out and come in. We’ve been doing curbside service for a while,” said Bannon.
Berlin Bingo starts Thursday and runs through Mother’s Day.
There’s no limit to how many cards you or someone in your household can play.
“We’re not putting a limit on it because we want people to go out there and go see the businesses and support them, not necessarily just financially. One of the boxes is 'go thank a business for being in Berlin,' pretty simple,” said Edge.
Click here for a bingo sheet. Copies will be available in the local paper and some storefronts too.
There are three options to drop off your winning bingo card, as detailed on the sheet. The town tells us prize winners will be randomly chosen May 14.
