Have a hankering for pizza and a good time? Two pizza joints in town, Landshark’s Pizza and Mama Sherry’s Pizza Wings & Things, are cranking things up with a new crowd pleasing game called Rock'n Bingo.
“The game we play is an upbeat, dance in your seat and sing-along kind of game,” said game facilitator Bill Nauta. “The locals that have played keep coming back each week and friendships have been made with it as well. It's a great family-friendly evening out.”
Nauta said the game is played much like traditional bingo, with a game card and color dabber, the difference is the squares to be filled in are popular songs that must be identified by hearing a particular tune.
“It is bingo with music instead of using numbered balls,” he said. “We call out a letter on the bingo card and then we play a 30-second song clip. You are looking for the song you hear playing.”
Rock’n Bingo has several genre categories that can fit any crowd, as Nauta explained for this area he often finds players enjoy country music and classic rock.
“At Landshark’s for example, most of them know country music, and there is a big '80s crowd there,” said Nauta. “Most of the songs included in the game are quite popular songs for the time period. They are pretty recognizable, so you don’t have to be a musical genius to play.”
Landshark’s owner Brian Hassmann said the game has indeed become a hit at his restaurant.
“We do it every Monday night,” he said. “We usually have a packed house, and have good time with it and everybody stays pretty late. It’s cool to see people of different age groups from their '60s to their '20s having fun in here.”
Hassmann explained that as the sponsoring restaurant, he pays for the activity and gives away prizes, but the cost is worth the great community atmosphere the game brings in.
“It’s really a good time,” he said. “I give away free pizzas, free pitchers of beer and free wings, but people come back for it and don’t really care about winning prizes; they’re just here for a good time.”
A D.J. by day, Nauta said he began facilitating game nights for the
“I’ve been at Landshark's Pizza for quite a few months now and the game has gained a lot of popularity,” said Nauta. “We come close to packing the house each Monday night.”
So what’s not to love? Pizza, tunes and prizes for the whole family seems like a win for everyone involved.
“Everything is family friendly; everyone from the little ones to the grandparents — everyone will feel comfortable with it,” said Nauta. “It’s fun, it’s free, it’s family friendly; and that’s why we keep doing it.”
Wanna Go?
Rock’n Bingo is hosted Monday nights from 7-9 p.m. at Landshark’s Pizza located at 763 Harbor Blvd and Wednesday nights from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Mama Sherry’s Pizza Wings & Things located at 529 Harbor Blvd. For more information visit