Bingo and Other Contests in Edmonton, 1950s, by Helen Mahoney

Helen Mahoney competes to win a car in the early 1950's.

One winter in the early 1950's, four of us sat high up in the Edmonton hockey arena (now called SkyReach Centre). We were part of a sell-out crowd playing bingo for great prizes. The biggest prize would come at the end of the evening. This was for a new car. The noise and excitement grew with each call of BINGO. Necks craned to see who had won that gem, then concentrated on hearing the numbers of the next one. At last the car game started. This was a full-house bingo. Every number to be covered. I BINGOED. So did two others. We were asked to centre ice for the play-off. As I stumbled down the steep stairs, words of encouragement came from all around. Dazedly we three sat at a long table. I remember how bright the lights were and how hushed the crowd. Numbers were to be called until one of us bingoed. Only one number was needed. That number was B5. I don't remember who the winner of the car was. It wasn't me!! I did win a tomato red swivel TV chair. Numb with shock, I slowly climbed up to my seat. Everyone was silent. One person yelled, "Give us a smile." No smile. Two weeks later, I cried for hours. That car would have been - to us - as a young couple with a family - the same as someone winning 649 today.


The rounded back, tomato red swivel TV chair, with golden threads woven through became a member of our family. Adults and children twirled it around and around. The chair was used a part of a tent city made with sheets and blankets when children were home ill, or the winter day was too cold to be outside. Even our dog, Laddie, begged for a ride. Finally the tomato red became a muddy pink and the gold thread raveled. Reupholstered a chocolate brown, the chair accompanied our young ones as they left home, and returned. No one remembers what finally happened to my "car prize".


Some years after the bingo night, I entered a contest for a colour television at Crown Lumber. One Saturday the telephone rang. A happy voice trilled, "You have won the colour television." Speechless, I started to jump up and down - all around the room The delighted children also jumped up and down and the dog to bark. My husband took the telephone. There was a simple skill-testing question to be answered. Denis and his pat, Pat Brown, both excellent at math, gave the right answer after a few false starts. Quickly they drove to the lumber company office, where the excited staff helped load the television into our 1954 BelAir.


Word spread through the neighbourhood of our good luck. For a few weeks we had the only colour television on the block. There were over twenty children under fifteen on our avenue. Many of them gave their full attention to watching TV with us. There were only thee stations and no cable. Gradually the crowds thinned down as other interests caught their attention. Our own family would actually go several hours without watching.


Thankfully there have been no other bingo or contest wins. Two turns in the spotlight were enough, thank you.