It's not about a farmer who had a dog. Bingo is so much more than a name-o.

It's a night out, a chance to win some money and, sometimes, a way to give back to the community.

Fans in the Southland are both loyal and fierce.

“The people that come there, for so many of them it's socialization,” said Debi Ross, former president of the Orland Park Rotary Club that assists the Orland Park Kiwanis with the weekly Wednesday game. “It's deadly serious. Don't mess with their bingo game, but they're there in a joyful way.”

Held at the Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 S. Ravinia Ave., crowds range from 120 to 200 players, with many who have come every week since the event's inception 23 years ago, said Jerry Stoiber, Kiwanis member who lives in Mokena.

Stoiber is the main volunteer organizer for the game.

“There are probably 50 that play with us that have played with us from the very start and come every week,” Stoiber said.

The same is true at the Tuesday night game at the Harry E. Anderson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9545, 323 Old Hickory Road, New Lenox.

“I just love it,” said Jeanette Dannowitz, of Mokena. “I look so forward to Tuesdays.”

Bob Brown, who organizes the VFW game, said many, if not most, of their players come nearly every week.

“We have a real secure crowd, I would say, of 60 players,” Brown said.

Although each bingo hall has its own games and ways to play, most are organized the same way, with a basic pack of bingo cards and options for both games and additional cards.

“A person can play for as little as $10, but most people spend upward of $50 for the night,” Stoiber said.

In Orland Park, doors open at 4:30 p.m., with early bird games that are not necessarily bingo starting at 6:15 p.m., and the regular games begin at 6:45 p.m. The fun runs until about 9 p.m.

In New Lenox, there are special games and early bird games, each costing a dollar more.

“That's where the money is, the money games,” said Marilyn Hanley, a volunteer at the VFW bingo game.

The VFW also sells pull tabs, a common gambling ticket at bingo halls, giving players an extra chance to win.

“You can do what you want, it's your decision,” Dannowitz said.

Each bingo hall has its own personality, not only because of the players who go but the games that are played and how organizers run it. For example, at the VFW, the games always start with a winning flag formation, said Sherry Spiro, of Frankfort, who attends every week. Players try to get all of the first column under the B, plus the first, second and third rows across, resembling a flag.

There's more to the game than winning, many say.

“You get to know the people, too. It's nice,” said Pat Ducett, of Mokena. “Good food, too, (at the VFW). The grilled cheese sandwich is delicious.”

Although some places, such as the Orland Park Civic Center, allow players to bring in food, such as pizzas, others, including the VFW, serve food. The VFW grilled cheese sandwich is legendary, players said. For under $5, it is served on sourdough bread with optional tomatoes.

“I'm 82 years old, I've eaten grilled cheese my whole life,” Dannowitz said. “I've never tasted one like this.”

Players come early to set up their tables — usually the same seats each week, with all their dabbers and bingo cards. Some bring good luck charms or pictures of their loved ones.

Bingo has its own shtick, and players come to win. While they wait for the game to start, they eat and visit with friends. Some buy pull tabs or other games hoping for good fortune.

But when the game starts, the room turns quiet.

Brown said organizers have to take the rules seriously, especially when someone calls “Bingo!” If an official from that hall does not hear the winner yell, the player cannot cash in. Each hall has its own rules, which have to be followed to the letter, he said.

Stoiber said there is a $1,000 jackpot at the Orland game.

In New Lenox, there are a couple progressive games that can draw crowds. Last year, the pot got up to $8,000. They had to turn people away, Brown said. In general, the bingo game raises $1,200 to $1,300 a week for the VFW, he said.

The Orland Park bingo game is the main charity arm of the Orland Park Kiwanis, Stoiber said. It requires 30 volunteer hours each week, with a core of six people who give a couple hours each week, and the rest split among the Orland Park Kiwanis and Rotary clubs' members, he said. The money raised goes back to local organizations, both Stoiber and Ross said.

“Over the 23 years, bingo has provided close to $3 million in community benefits,” Stoiber said. “I think the thing we're proudest of is that none of the volunteers take a dime, and any of the money that's generated stays in the community.”

Proceeds are distributed to local charities, both Ross and Stoiber said, including Crisis Center of South Suburbia and Together We Cope, both of Tinley Park. The bingo game has provided “over $300,000 in the last 20 years” for college scholarships, Stoiber said.

“It's an alternative to slot machines and riverboat gambling,” Stoiber said. “If it's kept in perspective, it's an evening out with a chance to recoup the money you spend.”

Because the money stays in the community, Ross called it a “win-win across the board.”

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.