Bingo at Lunch with Friends

Over 115 seniors attended the September Lunch with Friends at the Marco Island Lutheran Church. September is hot, humid, and rainy, and these guests are the brave year-rounders of Marco Island. Rain does not easily deter their schedule once a month as they gather for lunch, catch up with friends, meet new ones, celebrate birthdays, and enjoy a full-course lunch with local updates from speakers. September was spiced up with Bingo! 

September’s program was sponsored by the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) with lunch courtesy of Rene and Tish Champagne. According to Pat Rutledge, Chief Executive Officer of MIHS, the mission of MIHS is to preserve and share the history and heritage of Marco Island and the surrounding communities. “We want to make sure that our history doesn’t disappear but sad to say, our history is disappearing all around us,” said Rutledge. “At the MIHS, we have folks who are passionate about preserving our local history, and you are a BIG part of that history. As a token of our appreciation, we have gifts for you on your tables – please enjoy them.” 

Pat also reminded the group of another senior tradition – the complimentary senior concert scheduled for February 26, 2026, sponsored by the Noontime Rotary Club of Marco Island and FREE to all seniors – so please register early. 

“We are going to have fun; we are going to play BINGO, and we are getting ahead of our local competitors in Marco,” shared Pat, who was the Bingo caller while husband and volunteer Ron Rutledge was the Bingo spinner. On the tableswereBingo cards and bags with chips for everybody.The first game was traditional Bingo, with the winning pattern of five in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. And yes, the winners yelled out Bingo! 

This September group was very animated, and you could tell that most of them had played Bingo before. The players were fully engaged as they listened to the caller for the letters and the numbers. For a simple game, Bingo is also very fast-paced as players have to listen to fill their cards as quickly as they can. Lots of multi-tasking activities, as players had to be alert and focused all the time. 

A big thanks to sponsors Al’s Pals, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Lutheran Church, and the YMCA, and to the many kitchen and set-up volunteers. A birthday shoutout to all the September birthdays who each received a celebratory birthday cake to take home. Mary Beth Cummings was introduced by Nancy Cot as the most recent employee at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. 

The October 15th Lunch with Friends will be sponsored by the Marco Island Civic Association with a presentation from Marco Dementia Respite (MDR), so reserve early!