The town we live in has an amazing community theater.
When I was a kid, it was this old run-down theater that showed old movies.
The owner had two Dalmatians that used to guard the doors and you always had the feeling like the ceiling was going to fall down on you at any minute, and so you wind up staring at the ceiling more than you would be looking at the screen.
But then someone got the idea to fix the place up and donors spent millions and the result is now a legit theater that attracts real celebrities, shows, and amazing events.
So, when the calendar of events comes out, each year, I always peruse it with great excitement. I don’t get to a lot of the shows, but there’s usually at least one that I really want to see.
My parents get tickets to a lot of the shows, but then one or both of them winds up being tired and so we wind up with the tickets, so I’ve seen quite a few things that I didn’t know I was going to enjoy and wound up loving.
This August, when the catalog came out, I saw that The Price is Right Live was coming to town.
And I almost passed out with excitement.
Let me give you a little background.
Growing up, The Price is Right was my jam.
My Mom loved the show and my Grandma loved the show, and so, if I wasn’t in school at 11 am, I was in front of the tv with Bob Barker.
By 7 years old, I could tell you the both exact price of Mop-n-Glo AND guess the price of a Chevy Chevette within a dollar.
I loved all the games they played. I dreamed of punching out paper circles and grabbing cash, of watching the mountain climber climb the steep incline, and spinning the big wheel.
However, the big draw…the game I loved more than anything else…was Plinko.
Those big, round chips.
I just wanted to hold them and climb the stairs to the top of the Plinko board and drop the chips down, watch them make their way through the maze, and drop into the $500 slot at the bottom.
Oh, how I longed to play Plinko.
One summer, I found a board and I nailed long nails in a maze pattern, drew dollar amounts on the wood, and spent hours with my friends dropping my self-made chips down the board. (I’m looking at you, Gail and Erin)
Anyway, we wound up with two tickets to the show and my parents had two tickets. But, my Dad wasn’t feeling well, so Monkey Girl and I took our tickets and my Mom and Baby Monkey (who is twelve and totally not a baby, but when you name someone on a blog when they are three, it sticks) went with my Mom.
What a show.
We watched people get called down, we saw clips of the show from the past 40 years with crazy antics as people got called on down. We cheered, we laughed. It was awesome.
Person after person was called on down. In between, people’s names were drawn and they won Amazon gift cards. I didn’t care that they weren’t calling my name. Monkey Girl and I were having a blast.
And then it was time for the last round of people to get called, and they called one name and then I heard it.
“Amy Bozza! Come on down!”
What?
I jumped up and screamed and yelled and ran down the aisle.
Along the way I saw one of my students and her mother and we waved and screamed at each other.
We had to sit and wait while the people who were before us made their bids, and then we were able to watch one guy win a trip to Hawaii.
And then it was our turn.
We got up to the stand, Mark Walberg said “hi” to all of us, (no, not that Mark Wahlberg…this is the one who is the host of Antique Roadshow, but still pretty darn cool), and rolled out the first item up for bid.
An electric guitar and amplifier.
The first thought in my head was $1,200, but then the people next to me started to bid.
They bid low and I started to second guess myself.
So, when my turn came, I said “$850.”
And then Fran, who stood to my left, said “851.”
And immediately, I knew she had won.
I said “Fran,” in a voice that my own children would have recognized immediately as my tone of exasperation and I slapped the podium in front of me.
Walberg laughed and told the audience that I was mad at Fran and then said “She didn’t come here to make friends, Amy,” which I knew to be true, but still…dammit Fran!
And, of course, the electric guitar and amplifier was $1,150, and would have been mine if not for Fran.
So, the producer gives me a t-shirt and I go back to my seat and I watch Fran and Mark banter on stage and then they open the curtain and Fran gets to play…
Yeah, you knew it.
Plinko.
Fran had to guess the correct number in four different products to win four Plinko chips.
Fran got three right.
From my seat, I got all four right.
Fran climbed the stairs…my stairs.
Fran dropped the chips…my Plinko chips.
Fran won about $1,500…my $1,500.
So, yeah, I didn’t get on stage and I didn’t win the money, but I won a t-shirt and I had a great, great time.
And tonight, I’m setting the DVR to start recording The Price is Right while I’m at work, because I need to study.
Because next year…the Showcase Showdown is all mine.
