Forest Grove Police Chief will host 'Celebrity Bingo' Tuesday night at Vex

Forest Grove's Police Chief Henry Reimann will take a step back from collaring crooks Tuesday night and step into calling numbers.

The latest in a series of "Celebrity Bingo" events held at Vex (1937 Pacific Ave) in downtown Forest Grove, the event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Five rounds, each at $1 per round with the final round set at $3 will be played. Half of the winnings will be disbursed as cash prizes at the cocktail bar, while the other half will go to efforts to build a memorial veterans park in Forest Grove.

Winners can instead choose to donate their prize money to the effort as well.

Dan Blue, one of three co-owners of Vex in Forest Grove explained the event to News in the Grove's Chas Hundley during a brief sit-down interview.

This isn't the first time the cocktail bar has hosted a local celebrity, Blue said. The inaugural bingo was called by Jodi Owen, a volunteer who heads FC West Soccer Club, a preschool to 8th grade-age organization operating in western Washington County. After that, Vex tapped Santa Claus himself to read the numbers.

"He filled the house," Blue said.

As for the head of the Forest Grove Police Department, Blue said the chief plans to direct his half of the bingo cash to efforts to build a veteran's memorial in Forest Grove.

"There's a rumor going around that we don't serve cops," Blue said. He cited a pride flag and drag events at the bar as possible sources of that rumor.

"Some of our best customers are actually law enforcement," he said. "And we don't discriminate any direction," Blue added.

Blue has plans to bring local elected city leaders to the bar at future events as well.

If you go

What: Celebrity Bingo hosted by Forest Grove Police Chief Henry Reimann
Date: Tuesday, January 14
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Vex, 1937 Pacific Ave.