Jim Stanko still recalls the time, a few years back, when he attempted to end the annual community Thanksgiving Turkey Bingo game hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

“We tried to stop it one year, and we had a group of ladies come by demanding to play turkey bingo,” said Stanko, a longtime organizer of the event. “As far as I know it’s been happening every year, and as far as I know it’s never been discontinued.”

That year, Stanko remembers running to the grocery store to purchase frozen turkeys and a few desserts to reward as prizes for the winners. He also realized that the community has strong feelings for the event, which started when Steamboat Springs was still a cow town.

The bingo sessions were a way to bring people together for a few games of chance normally filled by participants who often played a few hands of the card game “Pitch” between sessions.

Turkey Bingo, a Steamboat tradition since 1952, will be held this Saturday at the Steamboat Community Center. There will be three sessions: noon-2 p.m.; 2:30-4:30 p.m.; and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Stanko said players need to arrive a half-hour before the session starts.

Each session consists of a packet of 10 bingo games for $20. Children under 10 with a parent’s help can play for free, and food and beverages will be available for purchase.  

“I think one of the things about this event is a lot of the people who have moved into Steamboat Springs want to keep, or are intrigued by, the traditions of a small Western rural community,” Stanko said. “The generation that is here now wants to keep a lot of our Western traditions going, and this is one of the traditions that fits into that line of thinking.”

The event was started by VFW Post 4264 and has become a holiday tradition and community event. 

Other traditional holiday events scheduled for Steamboat over the Thanksgiving holiday include the Steamboat Springs Turkey Trot 5K at 9:30 a.m. and the Community Thanksgiving Dinner from 12:30-4:30 p.m., both on Thanksgiving Day.

The annual Main Street Steamboat Light Up the Night event runs from 6-6:30p.m. Friday, Nov. 28 at City Hall on 10th Street.