Carnival prizes to be given without cow's aid

Martinez-Evans Little League has a day of family fun planned for its 13th annual Betsy Bingo carnival Saturday.

The Little League's only fund-raiser is slated for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kelley Field on Old Petersburg Road.

For the third year, Little League officials decided to hand out prizes every half-hour without the assistance of a cow and a field-size grid to choose the winners.

"It just got ridiculously too much work," said Doug Miller, a Little League Betsy Bingo representative. "Plus, we could not get a dependable cow to do his business when he needed to."

Instead, Miller said, prizes will be awarded by a random raffle. He said tickets, which can be purchased from Little League players or at the carnival, will be pulled every half-hour with a $50 prize given at the top of each hour; $100 at the half-hour; $250 at noon; $500 at 2 p.m.; and a $1,000 grand prize at 4 p.m.

"There's tons of games and rides," said Angie Hood, a Little League spokeswoman. "It's a lot of fun."

The carnival features games and rides, including miniature golf, a shooting gallery, a fun house, a bucking bull, rock wall and a water slingshot.

"You can get somebody in the dunking booth and dunk them and we have balloon wars and the kids love that," Miller said.

Food and other refreshments will be available.

Carnival proceeds account for a majority of the revenue needed to pay for equipment, field maintenance, improvements, and operating costs for the league, which organizes more than 800 children on more than 60 teams.

Carnival attendees also can bid on auction items, including Atlanta Braves dugout tickets, a charcoal smoker grill and gift certificates. State Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Evans, will be the auctioneer. The auction begins at 1 p.m., followed by a home-run derby for league players.