After two years of capacity limits, Sudbury Performance Group is happy to announce they are back hosting weekly games of porketta bingo at the Trevi Bar & Grill.
If you’ve never heard of porketta bingo, there’s a good chance you aren’t from Sudbury, as it’s as unique to Sudbury as is their Giant Nickel.
“It’s really a uniquely Sudbury experience and it’s one of the thing’s that it’s known for,” said Mark Mannisto, founder and president of Sudbury Performance Group (SPG).
Porketta bingo is not like your typical bingo where the goal is to get all your letters/numbers called in a specific pattern to get bingo. In porketta bingo, Mannisto explains that players have three playing cards, with the goal that the caller (usually himself) calls out all three of the player’s cards.
“If I call out your three cards, you have to yell out either “Porketta” or “Porky” and you win either a pound of porketta or a pound of bacon or a pound of ham, pepperettes, a pound of cheese, or other such goodies, you’re basically playing for food,” he said.
Popular amongst the Italian community and beyond, porketta is a piece of de-boned pork, prepared with a variety of spices that is then slow roasted for about eight hours.
Mannisto adds that it’s very important winners do not yell out “Bingo” as doing so results in boo’s from the crowd or getting razzed with “You screwed up!” or something along those lines.
“Be careful! You might have to buy a round of drinks,” he said jokingly, “We lovingly make fun of you if you yell out bingo, but we’re basically there to have a good time.”
Porketta bingo is a great way to raise funds for SPG while also supporting community organizations
While gathering to play weekly porketta bingo is a way to socialize and have some fun, Mannisto said they use the event as a way to raise funds for SPG as well as for other community organizations in Sudbury, splitting the proceeds of the game days 50/50.
“It’s really become a Saturday tradition for a lot of people, and we team up with other local charities and other sports clubs, like minor hockey groups, and a lot of dance groups in town, it’s our way of giving back to other community groups in town,” he said.
Mannisto said, they try to book as many local community groups as they can to help them fundraise as an alternative, or in addition to, selling chocolate bars or pizzas in the box to fund their school trips or dance recitals.
“Teaming up with SPG for porketta bingo is a way to get your entire team or your entire to come out with friends and family, you play, you make an afternoon out of it, it really becomes a fun event for everyone and for all ages,” he said.
Since they began this event, Mannisto said they’ve partnered up with numerous other organizations including Sudbury Lady Wolves, Big Brothers and Sisters, Crime Stoppers, and NISA, to name a few.
Mannisto said they are hosting porketta bingo until the May long weekend, and if there are any community groups in Sudbury interested in partnering up with SPG, they’re available to team up to help them raise funds.
Sudbury Performance Group’s hosts Porketta Bingo every Saturday, at the Trevi Bar & Grill from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $30 and can be bought at the door. If you’d like more information on this event or partnering with SPG, please call 705-662-8518.
.jpg;w=960)