Photo by Bill Green Charlie Smith calls out numbers as hundreds of basket bingo players listen carefully at the Jefferson Ruritan Center on Sunday afternoon.

"It's fun winning," the Urbana resident said as she marked off numbers on several bingo boards spread out on the table before her. "It's terrible when you lose. Everybody has to lose, but it's so much fun when you do win."

Ms. Yoder was one of the many enthusiasts who filled a large room at the Jefferson Ruritan Club on Lander Road to play game after game of basket bingo Sunday afternoon.

A large Longaberger basket placed next to her table and four smaller ones filled with items such as stationary and chocolates were her rewards for being the grand prize winner of the "King Tutt's" drawings, a pull-tab ticket game that was held between bingo games.

Hardly a weekend goes by without some form of bingo, often with baskets as prizes, being advertised in Frederick County. The game has long been a popular fundraiser for fire companies, clubs and other organizations.

Sunday's basket bingo, which ran from about 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., was a fundraiser for Dance Unlimited Repertory Company, part of Other Voices Inc., a Frederick -based performing arts training organization. Dance Unlimited organizes about two basket bingo fundraiser games per year. The event usually raises between $4,000 and $7,000 for the company, said Tinamarie Hemmer, a parent who helped with the games.

Those who attended could play at least 20 different bingo games. Raffles and special games, like King Tutt's, were also held throughout the afternoon. The baskets were all from the Longaberger Company and filled with everything from bath towels to stuffed animals.

Ms. Yoder said she goes to about five or six basket bingo games each year -- and she always makes it a point to come to the one organized by Dance Unlimited. Ms. Yoder's daughter Kelly Yoder, 27, who began dancing at age 5, studied at the company. She later spent two years as a Rockette. A few tables away Marcia Metzgar sat with family and friends. Ms. Metzgar, of Brunswick , plays several basket bingo games a year, primarily to support clubs in Brunswick High School and other community groups. Her son Andrew Metzgar, 17, takes lessons at Dance Unlimited. For years, she was heavily involved in planning the basket bingo fundraiser, she said. This year, she came to relax and enjoy herself.

"We're very low-key today," she said. "Usually we're a little more rambunctious, but we haven't won anything ... yet."

Melissa Martin brought a table of 18 people, including her mother, grandmother and three daughters, to the game. Ms. Martin, a Longaberger consultant, said she sells baskets to about six different basket bingo games each year, including Dance Unlimited's.

She is also a fan of the game. Ms. Martin, who lives in Thurmont , sometimes plays bingo several times a week, traveling as far as Hagerstown and Fairfield, Pa., for games. She has won up to $1,000 at certain games.

The best part of it?

"Gambling. Winning," she said with a laugh as she marked off numbers with a purple marker that matched her nail polish. Plus, it's an excuse to get out and enjoy oneself, she said.

Though she is an avid fan, Ms. Martin said she typically doesn't bring any of the good luck charms, such as lucky trolls, that some fans are known to carry to games.

Her tactic?

"I bring people," she said.