Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

Photo Credit: Lion Ambassadors / Instagram

At this point, Midnight Bingo has become heavily ingrained into the Penn State Behrend experience. Ask anyone on campus they have either participated or, at the least, knows of Midnight Bingo. 

While this Friday night staple may feel like it came from thin air, where exactly did Midnight Bingo come from? After doing some research and consulting with Kendrick Imler, the Lion Ambassador Historian, I have compiled a history of this Behrend tradition.

Midnight Bingo’s humble history started in 2001 with 5 Resident Assistants. After the first edition of this event was a rousing success, these RAs created a club that handled the planning and creation of the event. While this group worked well at the start, after the original 5 Resident Assistants graduated, the club started to fizzle out. With Midnight Bingos becoming less frequent, it seemed this event would be a flash in Behrend’s history. 

All of that changed in 2004 when Lion Ambassadors took over Midnight Bingo. Rather than letting the event die, the Ambassadors propped up the idea and took it further. If not for this club, Midnight Bingo would not be the staple event it is today. 

On an almost monthly basis, the Lion Ambassadors come together to workshop bingo themes and prizes. With the amount of time and effort this takes, a whole committee of Lion Ambassadors is set with the job of organizing the event, and the entire club helps the day of the event. No matter what the theme entails Lion Ambassador’s aim for everyone to have a great time at every bingo. 

When I asked Kendrick about his thoughts on the event, the Lion Historian stated that “Midnight Bingo is the best event that Behrend has to offer when it comes to on-campus events.” Like many students starting at Behrend, Kendrick’s first real activity on campus was Midnight Bingo.

“The energy was at 100 percent the whole time. People are cheering when a number is called and boo when a number they don’t like is called. Shirts are being thrown all over the gymnasium,” Kendrick recalled from his first Bingo. “People are laughing and having the time of their lives. Which is what Midnight Bingo is all about. Midnight Bingo is a carefree event that anyone in the Penn State community is welcome to join.”

While Behrend may not be the only Penn State that holds bingo nights, no one else does it like the Lion Ambassadors and their most well-known event: Midnight Bingo. No matter if you hope to win a whoopie cushion, a garden gnome, a frisbee golf set, or even one of the larger prizes such as a television, Midnight Bingo is a place open to everyone and everybody.

No matter the outcome, there is no doubt that Midnight Bingo will hold a place in the memories of Behrend students, alumni, and the Lion Ambassadors who put in all their hard work to make the event run as smoothly as possible. 

“Midnight bingo is a staple to this campus and my one hope is that the event never dies and will live for as long as possible,” said Kendrick Imler, the Lions Historian.