“What do I have to lose?”
That’s what 90-year-old Nancy Vogee said after being selected to win free Bellingham Bells admission for life — with a permanent catch.
The Bellingham Bells, Bellingham’s collegiate baseball team, recently partnered with The Hiding Spot Tattoo for Tattoo Night. Participants entered an online raffle for a chance to get inked at the July 21 game and four would, in turn, receive free game admission, a $50 team merchandise gift card and one meal and drink voucher at each game.
Vogee, a Blaine resident, has regularly attended Bells games for over 10 years, and entered the raffle when she saw the Facebook post advertising the event.
She almost didn’t attend that game. It was a hot July evening, and she had forgotten she had even entered. She went anyway, telling herself she could leave early if it became too warm.
When the Bells staff announced they would be drawing winners during the first inning, Vogee and her friends in the stands joked that maybe she’d be picked.
“The first name out of the barrel was me,” she said. “My son was with me and he couldn’t believe it.”
The signature Bells “B” now on her right ankle is Vogee’s very first tattoo, which she said hurt only a little. Turns out, she wasn’t the only one to take the leap.
“Three of the four winners (plus myself) got this tattoo as their very first! We really enjoyed working with Max, Liam, Ariel and Adrian at The Hiding Spot,” Bellingham Bells President and General Manager Stephanie Morrell wrote in an email to The Northern Light.
The tattoo earned Vogee and the other recipients free general admission, but Vogee typically reserves seats in the grandstands, which offer more shade.
“I said, ‘You know, your bet on me using this thing for a lifetime is pretty short,’” Vogee said, laughing.
She called to ask if they would extend her offer to grandstand seating, and the staff was happy to oblige.
Morrell said the inspiration came from a flash tattoo event that she attended for Wander Brewing’s anniversary in May. After seeing that almost 100 people were slated to get a tattoo that evening, Wander’s owners connected her with the team at Bellingham-based The Hiding Spot, and the rest is history.
The tattoos were so popular that Morrell said around 20 to 30 people have since gone on to get a Bells tattoo of their own.
Vogee is eager to attend future games and plans to bring her granddaughter with her to the next one.
“I just love baseball and it’s a good family outing for the whole family,” Vogee said.
