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Bunco tourney to help Kinship
Published 10:50am Thursday, January 31, 2013“If you can count by one, you can play Bunco,” said Jill Fazio, organizer of the First Annual Kinship Bunco Tournament, starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1 at Café 116, as part of the opening day of the Fergus Falls Frostbite Festival.
Bunco is a fast-paced dice game where participants in groups of four take turns to roll three dice during timed rounds. A player controls the dice as long as they roll a one, two ones or three ones. Points are scored for each one. Three ones in one toss is a Bunco.
Teddy bears create a twist in this tournament.
“If you get a Bunco, you run up and grab a bear and keep it until the next Bunco,” said Fazio. “It can get quite competitive, people hide the bear — it’s really a lot of fun.”
Café 116 will be serving free coffee throughout the tournament, and there will be a break at 8:30 with complimentary hors d’oeuvres.
There is an entry fee of $15, and prizes for the player with the most points and the least points.
Proceeds from the tournament, and from the sponsors of the event, go to the nonprofit Fergus Falls Kinship organization.
Kinship matches a child with a trusted adult to share an hour or more per week doing an activity such as going to the park or to an event.
The child typically has a need, such as a lack of female or male role model in their life. The activity the child does with the mentor is not as important as the time spent with a caring adult and relationships that are built.
“Kids that are matched with adult mentors build self-esteem, do better in school, have higher graduation rates and have decreased teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use and crime,” said Fazio. “If a kid goes to the Riverwalk and has fun and a good conversation with an adult role model, they are not likely to return and vandalize the park.”
Kinship also organizes monthly events and service projects that participants can attend as a group.
Space is limited to 80 players for the Kinship Bunco Tournament, and seats are filling up fast. To reserve your spot, call Kinship at 218-998-9005, or buy a ticket in advance at Café 116.
