There were lots of things to choose from as far as stuff to do. Blackjack, 7 card stud, dice game, money wheel and a poker tourney. The main event of the evening was horse racing. The church paid a group called 'Armchair Races' to help out in the event. Basically, the company sends out several taped races sealed in packages to the event hosts. Anyone that wants to can bet on a horse to win for $2. Then they play the tape and pay out on the results. Looked like fun, but I didn't try it.
I did notice a couple of things at the event. First off, Catholics really consume a lot of beer and wine when they get together for parties. Second, I was extremely surprised at how many curse words were uttered while gambling. I told my friend that the church probably should have moved the confessional booth from the sanctuary to the corner of the fellowship hall to save the people some time as far as getting back on God's good side. I'm sure there were some qualifying for some time in purgatory just from their actions that night.
The highlight of the evening was a guy who everyone called 'Frank. He was evidently a member of the church there for the entertainment. He was quite a lively guy and sang several songs by Frank Sinatra. Everyone was getting a big kick out of his act. Here's a picture on the left of him hamming it up for the camera.At the end of the evening, Frank sang the song 'New York, New York' for the crowd. You note in the picture below that several people formed a kick line and were doing it Rockette-style, much to Frank's delight. Seemed like everyone had a great time and now I know how Catholics party in Baltimore.
