“Top to bottom, side to side, corner to corner.  All you have to do is roll a ball … under the glass and over the bump .. it falls in a whole .. it lights a light .. and then, you roll a ball again… You don’t have to go to college to read the book of knowledge to know … Now is the time, this is the place, the name of the game is Fascination.  It’s just like Screeno,, Lot-o-Lucky or any of the five in a row games. Five lights in any straight line or row and you, too could be the very next winner.”

The Boardwalk circa 1962 in Long Beach, NY was the place to go during hot summer nights.  You could go for a nice walk and catch an ocean breeze. If it was July 4th, you’d see a pretty good fireworks show that was projected from a barge out in the ocean.

I was a Boardwalk Barker at a game called, Fascination … a competitive electronic bingo game.

44 tables… 10 cents to play, I sat on a high seat overlooking the players.  Once we had 44 players seated, I flipped a switch and the game began.  The first player to beat all others at getting 5 balls in row was the winner. And, from the start of the game I just blabbed and blabbed to hustle the game to the next 44 players who would be walking by on the boardwalk.

“Hey, there’s a player going for the top red line.  It’s up and around .. oh … right next door.. He just missed winning 8 big, big coupons or 800 Plaid Stamps just for a dime’s win.  Right next door is Izzy’s Delicious Knishes.  One coupon buys you a knish .. cherry cheese, potato, kasha or pineapple just for a dime’s win.”

It was amazing to me how people like to play games and compete with one another just to win a little stuffed animal or a knish. Then again, those knishes were always hot and delicious.