Photo and interview by Amber waterman

Janis Lachance arrives at the Pleasant Street Bingo Hall an hour before the games start. She wants to make sure she and her frequent seatmates, Irma and John Theberge, get their favorite spot, a nondescript brown folding table under the thermostat.

But it doesn’t end there for Lachance. Slowly, the Lewiston woman pulls her “lucky” objects out of a round bag decorated with fabric bingo cards and surrounded by ink daubers. Out come a jade-colored elephant, two small dog figurines, another white and brown elephant, a “Bingo Fanatic” Christmas ornament, a couple of crosses, an angel statue draped with wooden rosary beads, a smaller angel, a snow globe, a handful of coins, a couple of dollar bills, a pure white elephant and finally, her favorite, an old Yogi bear.

“Yogi was my grandmother’s,” says Lachance, 49, with a wistful smile.

Other charms were given to her by friends. The dollar bills have writing on them. One says, “Don’t buy lottery tickets.”

“That doesn’t stop me,” she snickers.

Her bingo fever struck only once a week when she started 18 years ago. Now it’s three times per week.

“I’ll be sitting at home and my husband will ask me, Are you going to bingo tonight?’ If I’m not, he’ll tell me to go. I figure it’s better than sitting in front of the television or going to the bar.”

The biggest draw for Lachance is winning. She once won $1,100 in one night.

“But the luck, it comes and goes,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders. “If you come here enough, you’re bound to win something.”

With her lucky charms lined up in front of her, she shakes a green dauber to check the ink level. She pops open the cap and looks up expectantly at the announcer.

“B4,” he bellows.

Bingo is on.

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