Dung luck: $5K prize for Cow Pie Bingo win
BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN - We all know that cows produce milk on a regular basis. They also produce pie, and we don't mean apple or cherry.

For the fourth year in a row, Middletown Reformed Church will sponsor Cow Pie Bingo, a fundraiser where the winner can raise $5,000. The event is set for Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. at Potter's Farm on Red Hill Road, at the intersection of Garden State Parkway exit 114.

For those who are not familiar, 500 tickets are sold, each ticket entitling a person to a box that is one square foot. Tickets are drawn at random and assigned to spaces on the "bingo board" that is painted into the pasture at the farm. The cow is led onto the field and wherever the first "cow pie" is laid, that square is the winner.

The idea for the fundraiser was hatched a few years ago.

"One of our church members was on vacation in Pennsylvania and she had heard about it," Scott Harris, pastor of the Middletown Reformed Church, said. "We checked it out on the Web and decided to go for it."

Tickets are $20, and Harris recommends that those who want to sign up should sooner than later. As of Monday afternoon, Harris estimated there would be less than 100 tickets available.

"Each year, in the few days leading up to the event, we always have people looking for tickets and I've got to give them the bad news that we sold out," Harris said. "It always happens."

Last year, it took the cow about 20 minutes to release the winning pie, which is the longest it has taken in the history of the event.

"We try to feed the cow plenty of oats in the week leading up to the big day, to ensure that she'll be ready to do her job," Harris said.

In the event that the pie lands on the border of two boxes, whichever box has the most pie in it will be declared the winner. If it's too close to call, and it's a tie, then the $5,000 prize will be split among the ticket holders of the winning boxes. The other $5,000 goes to the church.

With such a unique event sometimes comes scrutiny, even from those who are members of the sponsoring church.

"Some of our older members just shake their heads and ask, 'Are you serious?'" Harris said. "We feel though, that if we're going to raise money, then let's have some fun with it."

For further information, call the Middletown Reformed Church at (732) 671-1786.