SPRING ISSUE 2016
A Special Supplement to
JACKPOT!
Literature for the ladies
Bingo night at Eagles Lodge in Creston incites large crowds and requests for more bingo in southwest Iowa. ■
CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN
Betty Donaldson, 84, left, and Darlene Freeman, 85, both of Lenox look up from their cards for a photo during bingo night April 15 at the Eagles Lodge in Creston.
By KELSEY HAUGEN and those with that let- and horizontal bingo. CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com
I
t’s Friday night, and the Eagles Lodge in Creston is packed with 10-year-olds, 90-year-olds and everything in between. The room is silent as the crowd of people, eyes fixated on their cards, wait for caller Shelley Zimmerman to announce the next number during the “letter X” round. She calls “B72,”
ter-number combination make a mark on their card. “I think we have a bingo,” Zimmerman announces. “Yes, downstairs.” The winner of a letter X bingo comes forward to receive her prize: $25.
April bingo Bingo is held monthly on Fridays at the Eagles Lodge. Those who attend play several rounds throughout the nearly three-hour evening, including double bingo, blackout
living
The recent bingo night, held April 15, brought in about 100 players, and one person won the jackpot: $500. Some players sat with friends and were simply there for the social aspect. Others were playing to win and kept to themselves. “Some people take this seriously, but we have fun,” said Christi Hudson, Please see BINGO, Page 6C
Members of the 125-year-old Ladies Literary Circle enjoy time with each other, literature throughout history ■
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Judy Gile gives an animated presentation of Edgar Lee Masters’ book “Spoon River Anthology” during a Ladies Literary Circle meeting April 15 at the home of Connie Purdum. Gile is one of about 20 book club members, who meet every two weeks.
By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
In a room glowing with sunshine, Judy Gile’s voice changes pitch as she read from pages rustling between her fingers. Her pitch heightens with a female voice, then lowers with a male. Giggles ring from onlookers when she adds an accent flair or reads a humorous quote. During the Ladies Literary Circle April 15 presentation at the home of Connie Purdum, Gile read exerpts from Edgar Lee Masters’ book “Spoon River Anthology,” a collection of poetry about living in
Spoon River Valley in Illinois. Humor and depth lent a hand to Masters’ poetry, and the ladies surrounding Gile drank it in. “I like reading because I just get in the book,” Gile said. “I become a part of the book. If I’m doing something else, I’m thinking, ‘I want to go find out what happens.’” Gile, who joined the book club in 1978, is one of 22 members who range in age up to 90. She, like several others in the club, enjoys reading historical and nonfiction books. Others prefer novels of romance or political intrigue. Please see LADIES, Page 8C