Thought You Should Know

The social smorgasbord here at Dartmouth is kind of like watching Tom Cruise these days; you never know what’s coming next. Everyone knows about the fraternities and sororities, the amazing performances at the Hopkins Center, and even the dude who calls himself the Regurgitator and swallows billiard balls (you will hear of him soon enough), but every week provides some unexpected great events that go under the radar. That’s why I’m presenting a few gems that you just need to know:

Bingo Night in Collis
This is not your grandparents’ afternoon Bingo. The prizes are so top-notch and the heckling so ridiculous that Collis Commonground gets packed. The top giveaways are usually an X-Box and a TV, but the one I always gun for is the Sandlot DVD. The anticipation rises with each called number and everyone gets really into it. Once two girls got Bingo on the same number for the TV giveaway and no one in the crowd knew how to settle it until suddenly someone yelled “Run!” The two girls then both booked it full-speed for the stage, only to collide and almost fall over! My favorite games are usually the occasional “Loser Bingo” ones, where everyone stands to start and sits down as soon as one of their numbers has been called, eventually leaving an Ultimate Loser to win some terrible prize like a Spy Kids 3-D movie. In my three visits to Bingo Night, I’ve walked away with some great laughs and one brand new Twister game.

Free Ice Skating at Thompson Arena
This is always a popular event, as it should be. In fact, if you don’t show up at the beginning, it usually gets so crowded that they run out of ice skates to rent. But don’t be discouraged if you and a group of friends arrive too late for skates because there is perhaps an even better alternative. Some of my friends and I once ran out onto the ice in our sneakers and promptly began a game of Zero-Traction Capture the Flag. We draped jackets over the boards on each end and played three on three while trying our best to dodge passing skaters!