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Ohio Veterans Home Residents Visit
Fostoria American Legion Hall
By Leonard Skonecki
"That's a good bingo."
If Dean Mosier said it once, he said it a boatload of times the afternoon of November 8. Dean, designated bingo caller, was one of the many volunteers from Fostoria's veterans posts who hosted three dozen veterans from the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky.
According to Kathy Watson of the American Legion Auxiliary, organizers of the event, this is about the 12th year the veterans from OVH came to Fostoria for a fall visit.
The AMVETS Auxiliary also contributed money and volunteers to the event.
Bingo, followed by a spaghetti dinner, followed by more bingo was the order of this year's event.
Among the volunteers were Dottie Lehmann, Nancy Allison, Vera and Larry Ward, Juanita Link, Luann Brandeberry, Doris Kuntz, Laura and Phil Hossler, Cindy Swartz, Sandy Thompson, Kathy Shiley and Donna Vaughn.
There were some young helpers, too.
Juanita Link brought her grandchildren, Andrew and Sarah Cockie. Their father, John, is the commander of the local Sons of the American Legion.
Kathy Watson's niece, Aliecia Moran, and her friend Miranda Youster lent a hand as well.
All that spaghetti needed cooking and the men in the kitchen were Bob Ludwig, Denny Shiley and Buzz Hollinger – chefs extraordinaire.
The OVH crowd likes bingo. They play a lot.
Everyone even has a lucky number. It's the same lucky number for everybody – N- 40. Whenever it's called, there's a lot of hollering and carrying on.
A few years ago, one of the players was a woman and when the caller announced, "N-40," she said "I'm not 40." Everyone's been getting a laugh out of it ever since.
The OVH vets and all the volunteers had a good time. It was a good way to spend the Saturday before Veterans Day.