The 25th Annual Packer Raffle, our club’s largest fundraiser has resumed its usual format with the big Tailgate Party and drawing set for Monday, Sept,13 at Village Bowl. However, several factors make this year’s effort a bigger challenge than usual.

First of all, we as a club are considering a gift of $50,000 to the park fund and a successful Packer Raffle could help towards that gift.

Secondly, our membership has continued to drop so that we have about 70 fewer people to do what we did just 10 years ago.  As a result, we now have 16 teams, not 17 as in the past, and each team has fewer members.  Teams have been given 22 tickets to sell, not 20 as before.  (See complete rosters printed elsewhere in this issue for your team assignment and captain.)

Thirdly, we have experienced another raise in price for our Village Bowl Tailgate Party.  It isn’t huge, but it impacts our bottom line.

Thus, it’s imperative that every club member be responsible for at least two tickets.  They need not be purchased by members, but can be easily sold once buyers recognize the odds of winning (one in 20) that are offered.

HERE’S A NEW TWIST – I have hung a flyer on the popcorn wagon and left several flyers inside when my wife and I worked there last week.  One couple, upon noticing the flyer and hearing a short pitch from me, decided to buy a ticket right on the spot!  If you are working the wagon (or the beer garden) in the month of August, why not print up a few flyers and see if you can move a ticket or two?  Every year we need to find NEW entrants.  This is a good opportunity to do so.

A few basic reminders:  Do not exchange tickets with people on other teams.  Work through your captain.  Print your name on the stub of each ticket you sell.  Only ONE person’s name on the front of each stub (even though tickets can be purchased by groups of 2,4,6,8 etc.)  We will provide limo service from ANYWHERE in Wisconsin.  If your buyer in Eau Claire wins, we’ll get them to Lambeau from there.  For each ticket sold, one person receives free admission to the Tailgate Party with beer, food and 100 door prizes provided.  Additional entrants pay a nominal $10 entry at the door.

The deadline for turning in ticket stubs and money is Wednesday, Sept. 1.  Let’s heat up August with a blazing effort again this year!

The particulars….

• First prize is a trip for eight people to Lambeau Field to see the Packers play in your choice of nine regular season games. Also included are a luxury limo ride to and from the game, a tailgate party at Lambeau, Packer wearing apparel, food and beverage enroute to Green Bay and $1,000 cash to be used however the winners want. We will provide the limo ride from anywhere in Wisconsin.

• Tickets cost $100 each but remember it’s for eight people. So, four couples could pay $25 each, or eight buddies could chip in $12.50 apiece. However (per state auditor’s directive) only one person’s name can go on the ticket stub.

• Second Prize is $1,000, third prize is $600, fourth prize is $400. Thirteen more awards of $250 will be given and one person will win a free entry for 2022.

• Sales are limited to no more than 350 tickets. Therefore with 18 prizes, contestants have a better than 1 in 20chance of more than doubling their money,

 • Each ticket allows one person to come to the drawing and tailgate party held at Village Bowl on Monday, Sept. 13 starting at 5:15 p.m. Over $2,000 in door prizes will be given out to those in attendance that night. Others who have contributed to the purchase of a ticket can attend for $10. Free food, beer and soda make it a fun event.

• When you get your ticket(s) from your captain, please try and sell them. They’re really an easy sell. At least, consider buying one yourself or with a friend. Those you don’t sell should be returned to your captain not passed on to someone else.

• Stubs and money should be returned to your captain or can be turned in to Dan Schwind at Town Bank in the Falls. Deadline for returning stubs, money or unsold tickets is Wednesday, Sept. 1.

• Please write your name on the back of each ticket you buy/sell as it will help us track down the winners.

• Flyers will be distributed at morning meetings or will be available online later this month.

Let us get on board and continue to raise big money for the kids of our community!

In the absence of the usual Tailgate Party and drawing at Village Bowl, 2020’s winners were announced on local cable access TV with the drawing originating at DJ’s Goalpost in the Falls on Monday, September 14. Seven of the 18 prizes went to Optimist members, though ex-members and a spouse won another three.

Bob Wenzel of the Falls, who captured the $1,000 third prize, donated $500 of it back to the club, which allowed for a profit of $22,900, third best in club history trailing only the record-breaking $23,869.23 of last year and the previous record of $23,803.71 the year before. The last 13 years of the raffle have netted $263,526.75 for the youth of the community!

Second prize of $2,000 went to member Carl Trapp. Brent Morris of the Falls took fourth place worth $750 and Steven Sadowski of Muskego garnered $500 for fifth prize.

Packer Raffle Chair: Ed Schlumpf

Packer Raffle Co-chairs: Del Kreuser, Dan Schwind, Joe Ludan