By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Fears that some local charities would face a long search for a locale to hold their bingo fundraisers were put to rest recently when they received approval on a new venue for the events.

The UpReach Therapeutic Riding Center in Goffstown and Manchester’s Prayer Hall expect to resume their bingo fund-raisers in September after leaving their current site this month. The new bingo location will be in the Mill building at 60 Rogers St., Manchester.

The relocation comes after the charities received news in June that their leases at the Amoskeag Bingo Center on McGregor Street would not be renewed. New owners West Side Bingo took over that building on May 1.

“We never thought of ourselves going out of business. I couldn’t fathom that we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” said Jan DiMarzio, bingo director for Prayer Hall.

That organization operates the Hooksett Food Pantry, two transitional apartment buildings in Allenstown and a rooming house in Manchester.

Goffstown’s UpReach Therapeutic Riding Center and American Legion Jutras Post 43 of Manchester were also informed their leases would be dropped.

The charities wasted no time in searching for new places to hold their bingo fundraisers, said one UpReach official.

“Our expectations were (that) we would have to hit the ground running and find a new place,” said Karen Kersting, UpReach’s executive director.

“Our phone was ringing off the hook,” Kersting said. “People were very generous about asking what they could do to help.”

That generosity helped solved the charities’ woes, when Tom Deblois of Robat LLC offered to rent them the Rogers Street space for their bingo events.

The charities received approval for the move on Thursday, Aug. 3, following a brief meeting with the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustments.

DiMarzio said she considers the charities lucky for finding a new space in a relatively short period of time. Also, she said the new 8,700-square-foot space provides an outstanding new accommodation.

“You’ve heard of the ‘wow’ factor,” DiMarzio said. “When we found this place, I was so excited I brought the charities in so they could see it for themselves. It sent chills through me. There was a ‘wow’ factor for everybody who saw it.”

The new hall has a seating capacity of 300 to 400, which matches the number of people who attend the Prayer Hall bingo events, DiMarzio said. Prayer Hall generally takes in approximately $100,000 annually from bingo.

Kersting said approximately 120 to 170 players generally turn out for the UpReach bingo events, which accounts for $80,000 of the riding center’s $400,000 annual budget.

The new bingo space will be air conditioned and requires little to no renovation, said UpReach Board President Richard Danais.

“The only thing we have to do is put in lighting for our parking lot,” Danais said.

The terms of the lease have not been finalized, Danais said, but the charities will continue to pay their lease through a $4 portion of players’ admittance fees.

The new bingo venue will be known as Charities Hall, Kersting said.

“The environment is a very bright, airy and clean place for people to congregate,” said Kersting.

DiMarzio said she is happy to have all the charities remaining together in one locale, along with Knights of Columbus and possibly the Palace Theater.

“It was important to us that all the charities be able to stay together, and now we’re going to be able to do that,” DiMarzio said. “It’s like it was meant to be.”