Winter WI.
Last night was the culmination of our Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance‘s second annual major fundraising event, the 20 Firearms Sportsmans Raffle. Finally, after months of selling tickets, gathering raffle prizes, and all the organization and promotion- the drawing took place at Bucktail Lodge in Winter, WI.
Well, I didn’t write down who the winners were, but I did hear a few familiar names as they were called out; Tom Whitt from Sno-Trails, Jodi Longtine from North County Riders, and Swanie from NW Relic Riders– were just a few of the lucky ones last night! 11/1/2/24: The Alliance Fundraising Committee just published the list of winning ticket numbers and first names on our Alliance FB page attached to this article!
Late afternoon, folks started gathering, just in time for tasty Bucktail Lodge food, while waiting for the drawing to begin.
There was a flurry of activity before the drawing, as the rush to buy tickets continued almost right up to the drawing time. The power group of Darlene Mela, Jayne Schroeder, and Steve Bethke, handled the crowd like professionals- one could tell this wasn’t their ‘first rodeo’.
Andy Mela and another gal (oh I forgot her name) ran a 50-50 raffle and I was busy selling 2025 AWSC Raffle Calendars and visiting with Alliance and club members. I can say, there was not a moment of dullness all night!
As the bell tolled 7 pm, the anticipated drawing got underway. While waiting for the final ok to begin drawing, Steve Bethke spoke to the packed room about the fundraising committee’s history and explained how raffle proceeds help the Alliance maintain our trails. As the first ticket was pulled from the raffle drum, he gave the mic over to Joe Schnering, bar owner and newest member of the Alliance Fundraising Committee.
Krista, Joe’s girlfriend, pulled tickets out of the drum, one-by-one, as Joe went down the list of 20 firearms and announced the winner of each. After the winner of the final firearm was pulled from the raffle drum, Joe switched to raffling off 20 additional prizes, which ranged from generous gift cards to gear bags, coolers and fishing poles.
Whenever one of the winners was present, they were met with loud cheers as they came up to the desk to claim whatever prize they won. This year, we had many winners from other areas, and even out of state- tourism at work, and it shows us how popular our area is to visit!
Another successful fundraising event on the books. We won’t know the final profit for a few days, but the committee estimated we were in the range of our $25K to $30K goal.
I am certain I can speak on behalf of the Alliance Fundraising Committee to thank everyone who came to this event, and to all who purchased tickets, donated raffle prizes, and helped in some way – YOUR support of the Alliance and motorized sports is greatly appreciated- your support is why we have such beautiful trails!
UPDATE as of 11/11/2024 The Alliance Fundraising Committee will put together a list of winners within a few days, after they meet – keep an eye on our Alliance FB page for news.