Tyler Parks and Rec hosts Valentine’s Day music bingo benefiting the Goodman-LeGrand Museum
Published 5:25 am Saturday, February 14, 2026
“Bingo!” rang out over the music as Betsy Mowery sprang to her feet with a winning card in her hand at Tyler Parks and Recreation’s Valentine’s Day music bingo event Friday in Tyler.
“We love the music,” said Mowery, an attendee at the event. “We caught it on a billboard and I’m here with my two girlfriends for our Galentine’s celebration and my two neighbors.”
Tyler Parks and Recreation hosted a Valentine’s Day music bingo night inside the Historic Mayfair Building where guests like Mowery played bingo by listening to Valentine’s-themed songs and then blotting out the title on cards. The event aimed to connect the community of all ages during the holiday, along with benefiting the Goodman-LeGrand Museum through $10 entry tickets and stickers.
“We are celebrating that we can all love each other and that Valentine’s doesn’t need to be just romantic love,” said Erin Garner, tourism facilities manager for Tyler Parks and Recreation. “I think more than ever, we all should be loving on each other, whether it’s friendship, neighbors or anything like that.”
The Valentine’s bingo is attached to a larger fundraising initiative for the Goodman-LeGrand Museum, a historical Tyler 1859 Greek Revival home and museum that runs on donation only. Funds will be used for museum maintenance upkeep such as fixing windows, porches, redoing the bathroom flooring and greenhouse renovation. When brainstorming ideas to help fund maintenance upkeep, Garner said she thought of music bingo after playing it with a friend.
“It was so much fun and I immediately got hooked and I was like there’s no way we can’t do this,” Garner said. “It’s something different and not the same thing that everybody is doing, so just trying to change it up.”
The first musical bingo the Tyler Parks and Recreation hosted was in October 2025 and after so much positive feedback Garner said they decided to do more.
“I keep telling everybody the sillier you’re willing to be with us, the more fun you’re going to have,” Garner said. “We really just want to try and make sure that people have a good time with all of our parks and our events and we try to make them as low cost as possible.”
Guests had their choice of food trucks, Sip’n Drinks and Treats and Fire Flame Azian Fuzion, and a cash bar sponsored by Heart of Tyler Incorporated, a nonprofit dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Tyler. In between the rounds of bingo, the event had Valentine’s Day-themed mini games, such as singing a song with a specific word in it, naming the romcom from a quote and a finding item race.
Mowery said her group had a lot of fun.
“The games are great fun and we’re enjoying it because it’s not boring,” Mowery said. “You don’t have to sit and wait, and it’s just fun watching everybody interact.”
Sonia Barron invited and attended the bingo with her work friend, Sarah McLean, and said she has enjoyed other music bingos and decided to invite McLean.
“I had been to a music bingo before and we are just excited to be here,” Barron said.
McLean said it was a good idea to use the bingo as a fundraiser.
“It’s nice that we were able to support and give back to the City of Tyler,” McLean said.
Garner said every penny counts to keep the history alive in Tyler and they host the bingo nights in locations that show off city’s history.
“We are really trying to get the museum back to its former glory,” Garner said. “If we don’t preserve history we have, it gets lost, and that’s really sad for us to forget our history because we would be doomed to repeat it.”
The Historic Mayfair Building, a 1927 art-deco building, stands as a historic concert and dance hall in Tyler. Garner said bringing the community into Tyler’s historical places allows them to enjoy and appreciate them.
“We’re really excited to have everybody here and it’s a great space for us to be able to highlight the history in Tyler,” Graner said. “It will make people want to come back after the event.”
Throughout the event, many participants danced to the music, laughed and enjoyed the company of each other.
“It’s continuing to make sure that we are moving up and giving the community what they need,” Garner said. “We want to continue to create these spaces and activities for people to enjoy and be together as a community.”
For more upcoming events and information on the Tyler Parks and Recreation visit, https://www.cityoftyler.org/government/departments/parks-rec/programs-services.