“I'll bet I can buy exactly $200 worth of groceries without using a calculator,” said Cory Viger of Bloomingdale.

“You’re on,” said Sharon Kozlowski of Glendale Heights.

With $2 side bets, 21 Bloomingdale Lions Club members spent last Saturday shopping at the Glendale Heights Jewel. The annual Price is Right / Beat the Clock feat is known as Christmas Baskets.

It’s simple. At 8 a.m., Lions meet at a local restaurant. Over breakfast, they receive their team assignments from chairpersons Marv Roehlke and Jerry Bertrand of Bloomingdale.

“Each team shops for their designated family,” said Bertrand, who obtained the names from Bloomingdale Township. Roehlke and Bertrand already met with the families to pre-qualify them for a basket.

“Every family is different,” Roehlke said. “In one family, a parent may have lost a job. In another family, they may have had major medical bills last year.”

The Lions understand the task at hand. They exit the restaurant. The last one out picks up the check.

Then, they convoy over to Jewel. It’s 9 a.m. Saturday. The store’s pretty empty.

“Welcome, Lions,” says a voice over the loudspeaker.

Store Manager Tom Hong and Assistant Manager Mike Gibbons are ready. They’ve affixed Christmas stockings and balloons onto shopping carts. The decorations warn other shoppers that there are Lions roaming the store.

There’s a large “Welcome Lions” sign in the produce section. This is where teams begin placing fruits and vegetables in their carts. Next, they “beeline” to gather oatmeal, bread and milk. Along the way, they grab peanut butter, meat, cookies and soup.

Sabotage is rampant. Lions secretly place items into opposing teams’ carts. This will result in the team’s inability to remain under their monetary limit.

The clock ticks. The loud speaker reminds the Lions of their looming deadline.

One-by-one, the teams head to the check-out. Hong has arranged for his best cashier to total the bill. It seems that every team has exceeded their limit. So, which team has come the closest?

At the check-out area, Hong and Gibbons have cameras in hand. Their photos appear at: picasaweb.google.com/lionperry/LionsChristmasBaskets20082?authkey=DwIbNpye1S4#
Finally, Bertrand pays the four-digit bill. Larry Kowalski’s three-person team splits the $40 betting pot.

Now it’s time for the teams to load the groceries in their cars. This is the best part of the annual event.

“It makes us feel like Santa by delivering Christmas,” Bertrand said. “This is truly the spirit of Christmas.”