So you’ve heard of trivia or karaoke night at a bar—but what about music bingo? 

Last week, I was out wandering downtown Phoenix with some friends when we heard fun ’80s music coming from Formation Brewing.

We didn’t realize until we grabbed a table that only short snippets of each song were playing, and that’s because they were part of a game. 

My partially filled musical bingo sheet at Formation Brewing. (Jessica Swarner/The Copper Courier)

The friendly host walked over before the next round and gave us some (free!) bingo sheets plus a dauber so we could follow along. 

It’s as simple as it sounds—you listen to each song and mark it off on your card if it’s there. The first person to get five in a row wins a gift card. 

We had a lot of fun trying to identify all of the songs and singing along until the title came to us. I would recommend searching for music bingo near you for your next night out!

Which activity would you pick for a night out? 

We’ve had a lot of readers ask how they can get involved in their communities, so we’re introducing Arizona, Activated, to let you know about upcoming opportunities. 

Here’s one event to consider next week:

Songs That Write Wrongs Open Jam Nights

When: Monday, April 13, 6:30-9 p.m. 

Where: Fuerte Community Center, 2232 N. 16th St., Phoenix

Description: “Hosted by Fuerte Arts Movement in collaboration with community leaders Sherito (local poet) and Bloom (local songwriter). Join us every other week … for an open jam session centering poetry, music, and storytelling. This space is for writing new music, jamming together, sharing songs with each other, and building community through shared creativity and advocacy. We will now be rehearsing music from the Singing Resistance Songbook.”

Want more? We post weekly roundups of ways to get involved. Our friends at Collective Phoenix also keep a running list of events related to civics, advocacy, and volunteerism. You can follow them on Instagram for updates. 

Share yours: What’s something you’ve done so far this year to better your community? Let me know, and I may share some responses!

This is how our reader Carolyn takes action:

💬 “I volunteer with an organization called ‘Neighbors Who Care‘ in south Chandler. We help people stay in their homes longer by offering rides to people who can no longer drive to get to their appointments, food stores, hair salons, etc. There are many other services available such as respite care for 4 hours per week so the caregiver has some time to do things they need to do, friendly visits to someone who needs companionship, wellness calls, etc. Volunteering is very rewarding!”

Harkins Theatres is bringing a whole new movie-watching experience to its theaters later this summer.

Bryan Patrick Miller was arrested in 2015 for the murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas. Their killings in Phoenix are often referred to as the “Canal Murders.”

Some of these Zillow listings for Phoenix rentals are more practical, while others may be just for dreaming. But hopefully they’re all at least entertaining to look through.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jessica Swarner with stories from The Associated Press, Britteny Dee, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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