Out in the main hall at Oldemeyer Center in Seaside, the bingo caller and most of the players had no idea of the drama unfolding in the next room.

Two men with guns were robbing the gate.

"There was no chance for panic or anything," said Jim Bland, chairman of the bingo event for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8679. "It all happened awful fast. I didn't even get upset until it was over with."

Bland, 73, and two other volunteers were tending the tills in the small room adjacent to the main hall sometime after 8 p.m. Saturday when the two masked gunmen suddenly entered through a side door. The side door is usually locked, Bland said.

"No one said anything," Bland said. "I heard the patter of feet and saw them running in. I looked up and saw one of my guys with his hands up, so I put my hands up too. I was shocked to see what was going on."

The robbers grabbed handfuls of money, then dashed out the door. The bad guys dropped wads of cash as they made their escape.

"Twenty-dollar bills blew all over the floor," Bland said. "My bingo caller just kept calling. From where he was, he didn't even know what happened until later."

A couple of players sitting near the side room who saw Bland and the others with their hands up called the police.

Seaside police officers said they were able to follow the trail of money out the door. They called in the Monterey County Sheriff's K-9 team, but the dogs lost the scent about 150 feet from the door. The police investigation is continuing.

Seaside Sgt. Glen Hanano said Monday that investigators are actively on the case. "There is nothing we can disclose at this point," he said. "But this is something we want to resolve very badly."

Bland has been involved with bingo for more than 40 years. He has been chairman of the weekly VFW bingo event for at least a decade. He sometimes plays, but mostly he keeps himself on the volunteer end of the game.

He said he's never before experienced anything in a bingo hall like what happened on Saturday.

News of the robbery traveled quickly through the hall once the robbers fled. The bingo game stopped for a brief period, but the VFW finished all 24 games scheduled for the evening.

Bland said he does not believe the bingo event needs more security. The VFW hires two private security guards to patrol the games, but they were on the other side of the hall patrolling the parking lot when the robbery occurred.

"The guards we have are very dedicated," he said. "They were very appalled this happened."

On the other hand, administrators at the city-operated Oldemeyer Center recently removed the drapery from a big window in the hall that Bland would like to see replaced. "People inside can't see out, but people outside can see in," he said. He believes the robbers were able to check out the operation from outside the window before making their move.

Representatives from the Oldemeyer Center could not be reached for comment late Monday.

Bland said he does not believe the incident Saturday will deter veteran players who have a passion for bingo.

Bland worked the bingo games sponsored by another organization Sunday night at the Oldemeyer Center.

"We had a real good turnout," he said. "In fact, it was even better than it was the previous Sunday."

Bland is upset that someone would rob a bingo game. Proceeds from games are the VFW post's primary source of income. Much of the money is used to benefit children's sports programs and the VFW's "Voice of Democracy," an essay contest for children.

"We try to help out veterans and children in the schools, and something like this happens," he said.

Still, Bland said he wasn't willing to try anything heroic on Saturday.

"My life is worth more than the money," he said.