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30 | THE COLONY NEWS | MARCH 2023 | Actors Studio By Marsha Tobolski, 562-244-9223 It's a "wrap" for the Cafe Murder interactive dinner show! We hope all of you who attended enjoyed the evening as much as our little Actors Studio group did performing in the production! Now, it is back to the drawing board to research for our next show. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays every month from 3 to 5 pm in the Annex and welcome any of you interested in acting, marketing, technical or design to join us for our fun workshops! No previous experience is necessary, and in fact several Café Murder cast members had none; they just had a desire to get their creative juices flowing and become part of our small theatrical group. We hope to see new and previous faces (you will note I did not say "old faces") at our coming workshops. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Greg Hill, 951-526-9896, Chuck Gordon 661-714-3847, Ron Rodarte 951- 813-5700, or me at the above number. We have exciting news to share with all our Colony friends. We are now offering free beginner ukulele classes in the Annex on Fridays at 10 am. We will be providing music and ukuleles for those who do not have them. The ukulele is an easy instrument to learn to play, and no previous musical experience is necessary. Class space will be limited, so if you are interested, please call or text me at the above number. Our regular group continues to meet each Friday in the Annex at 1 pm. Strummers By Judy Moore, 949-468-7375 DAUBERS UP! On Friday nights, look no further than The Colony Auditorium for a good time, good company, and plenty of camaraderie at one of The Colony's favorite events — BINGO. DID YOU KNOW Bingo originated in Italy in 1530 but was popularized in the U.S. by a New York toy salesman, Edwin S. Lowe. In 1929, Lowe came across the game being played at a fair in Jacksonville, Georgia. There he noticed a crowded booth where people were playing a game with hand-stamped boards and beans. Back in New York, Lowe experimented with numerical combinations on the Beano boards and invited his friends to test out the game. As the legend goes, one of his guests mistakenly called out "Bingo" instead of "Beano" after a winning combination of numbers and the new name stuck. According to Sam Hitchcock, Treasurer of the Bingo Committee and Caller Extraordinaire, Bingo was introduced to The Colony by Al Buelo about 30 years ago. Over the years, it has grown to host around 200 players, both residents and non-residents. The Committee has a Bingo license with the City of Murrieta, which has been approved by the Murrieta Police Department. The backbone of this event has always been the group of 24 volunteers, all Colony residents. Sam explained that each week, a team of four is there to serve as Caller, Cashier, Runner, and overall Manager. Volunteers are always rewarded with special treats by the Committee during the year, but their biggest reward is seeing those happy faces when delivering money to the winning players! Peg Heilgeist, one of the earliest players, was the first "Double Action" winner. Hal Acord has been calling the game for 19 years. Linda Olivas and Candy Pineiro were invited to play by yours truly, and have since brought two new players, Don and Bonnie Donohoe. Richard "Ski" Szczawinski, my neighbor who encouraged my husband and me to come, is the President of the committee and has been calling for eight years. When I asked him his favorite part of Bingo, his response was, "WINNING!" I think if I were to ask anyone in the room what their favorite part of Bingo is, they would tell me they love the camaraderie, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and, of course, WINNING! There's nothing better than to hear the Caller call your winning number and be able to shout BINGO! Bingo is played on Friday nights and doors open at 5:30 pm, check-in is at 6 pm, and games start promptly at 7 pm. Interested in playing or volunteering? Contact "Ski" at 951-318- 8624. Bingo By Valorie Hillerich Back row: "Ski" Szczawinski, President; Sam Hitchcock, Treasurer; Diana ("DeeDee") Najmulski, Vice President; Front row: Esther Velazquez, Secretary

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