Annual Ham Bingo event scheduled for March 10

Supporters of the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group will be hamming it up on Thursday, March 10, at the third annual Ham Bingo event. The fun begins at 7 p.m. and proceeds will benefit the local Cancer Group.
“It’s really become a fun thing that people look forward to,” said Cancer Group member Cheri Krejci. 
Once again, Ham Bingo will take place at the Pizza Cellar’s party room. This year’s event is sponsored by Craig and Robyn Kruckeberg. Bingo winners will take home their choice of a ham or Hope Butter and a meat raffle will also take place. 
The evening will feature 25 games of Bingo, and it costs $1 per game to play. Krejci said that this year’s event will also include a few surprises, although guests will have to attend the event to see what those surprises entail. 
“It’s continued to grow,” Krejci said, of Ham Bingo. “We do have a plan, so if we’re packed, we know how to make a little more room. We’ll make sure there’s room for everybody that wants to play.”
Before, during and after Ham Bingo, guests are also able to enjoy a meal at the Pizza Cellar, which will offer their usual meals. There will also be many volunteers on hand to ensure the event runs smoothly, including a mix of Cancer Group members and other community members. 
Another new addition to this year’s Ham Bingo fundraiser offers yet another opportunity to give back to local people who have been touched by cancer. Leanne Hanson, owner of A Touch of Charm, will be selling daffodils at the event as part of her local extension of “Daffodil Days.”
Until 2013, the American Cancer Society held Daffodil Days once a year, encouraging people to buy the flowers and support the fight against cancer. When the American Cancer Society discontinued the event, Hanson decided to start her own version of the fundraiser in Blooming Prairie. 
“Everybody just enjoys it so much, I just didn’t want it to end,” said Hanson. “I thought, ‘There’s just no reason I can’t do it on my own and make it work.’” 
Starting on March 7, Hanson will offer 10-stemmed bunches of daffodils for $10 at A Touch of Charm, and proceeds will benefit the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group’s Community Fund. The fund provides assistance to local people with cancer. “It’s nice to help support our community and help local people out,” Hanson said.
Hanson will have 90 bunches of daffodils available and said the sales will be on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Hanson will also attend Ham Bingo and sell the daffodils there. 
“Anybody that doesn’t get into the store to pick up their daffodils can pick them up while they’re at Ham Bingo,” explained Krejci. 
To learn more about Daffodil Days, or to purchase a bunch, visit A Touch of Charm during the week of March 7. Store hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or, visit the Pizza Cellar starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, and play Ham Bingo and purchase daffodils that night. 
Krejci said that many people are looking forward to Ham Bingo. “We’re just excited to do it again,” she said. “It’s just a fun way to raise some money and have some fun on a Thursday night. The kids like it, and it’s just a couple hours so it doesn’t get too late for the kids.”
Later this spring, the Cancer Group will also hold their spring luncheon, on the day of the Blooming Prairie City-Wide Garage Sales.