Complete silence was all you could hear except for host Hunter Day shouting bingo numbers. 

“O, 69,” Day yelled from the front of the pavilion. 

Every VTSU Castleton student was itching to yell bingo.  

Three in a row, almost four.  

Junior Anneliese Bolewski then jumped out of her seat throwing up her hand winning the second blackout prize; the Nintendo Switch. Many people were hoping to trade prizes with her, but she was reluctant. Already having a Switch, she wanted to make the “best trade” possible.  

“Super Bingo is a classic part of the Castleton culture. I love seeing 19 to 28-year-olds go absolutely ham for bingo,” Bolewski said with a laugh.  

When speaking to her, it really seemed like she believed every student should get the chance to go at least once to try to feel that high of winning. She spoke about super bingo with a smile. It seemed she had a lot of fun and it seemed that winning gave her an extra pep in her step. 

“I’ve accomplished bingo. I can move on with that chapter of my life,” Patrick Mcguirk said with a smirk. 

Mcguirk said he wasn’t expecting to win, so was not prepared to choose what he wanted. None of the prizes looked appealing to him, but he had to make his choice fast, so as to not be embarrassed by standing up there too long twiddling his thumbs.  

The pressure led to him choose the object closest to him; the wearable blanket. 

His thought process?  

“Even if I don’t wear it, it can double as an actual blanket,” he said.  

He too said he had a lot of fun. Getting the chance to hang out with friends was fun, though he said he’s not a huge bingo fan.  

Both Bolewski and Mcquirk said they enjoyed the host and the energy he brought to bingo at the beginning of the night.  

Bolewski said it must have been difficult for him to be a “replacement” for Perry Ragouzis, who was so beloved by the Castleton community, but she thought he did a wonderful job anyways.  

“I was shocked with how many people were there. The fact we ran out of chairs meant people had to sit on the floor or other’s laps. I was nervous,” Day said.  

Day thought it was fun to be able to interact with such a large audience, seeing over 200 people in attendance.  

“There’s a feeling you feel sorta like Santa Claus, giving out prizes. People were happy so I was,” he said with a smile. 

The obvious choice for him if he could have chosen a prize would have been the Switch or TV.  

“But I’m a simple man and would have chosen the weighted blanket,” Day said.  

If he got the chance, he said he would in a heartbeat be the host for super bingo again since he loves seeing people and being involved.  

When it was over, students reflected on the game.  

“It wasn’t about bingo, it was about hanging out with my best friends. It could’ve been a magic show or a comedian. I didn’t go for bingo, I went for my friends,” Mcguirk said.