It’s a Western NY Thing
It’s a Western NY Thing
Ellicottville American Legion to host meat raffle April 11th
photo / Jessica Schultz, ellicottvilleNOW
Like Buffalo wings, sponge candy, and lake-effect snow, western New York is just known for certain things, and meat raffles are one of them! While the origins of meat raffles are unclear, many trace them back to food-rationing practices in Britain during World War II. Now, they’re ubiquitous in western New York, even capturing the attention of The New York Times, which featured two Erie County meat raffles in a recent issue. To Toni Oldshield, president of the Ellicottville American Legion Post 659 Women’s Auxiliary, their biannual meat raffles are a great time to get together for a good cause. “People love it, and it really goes back into the community, to veterans and veterans’ families,” she said. Mark your calendar for Friday, April 11th, when the Post 659 (located at 6500 Maples Road) spring meat raffle will take place!
Oldshield said doors will open at 6:00pm and the raffle will begin at 7:00pm. She explained that in addition to the meat raffle, the event includes 50/50 tickets, which will be sold throughout the evening, a gun raffle, money raffles, and basket raffles. “We’re going to have a lottery ticket Easter basket, and another raffle will be a fire pit filled with all kinds of anticipating-summer things,” she added.
Gun raffle tickets are $10 each and are on sale now. Only 500 tickets will be sold, and they’re available at the bar at Post 659 or from any Sons of the American Legion or Women’s Auxiliary member. The top three prizes are firearms, and the fourth and fifth place prizes are cash. The gun raffle will be drawn at 7:00pm on the night of the meat raffle. The meat raffle includes ham, pork chops, steak, Polish sausage, hamburgers, Sahlen’s hot dogs, ribs and more.
How exactly does a meat raffle work? Oldshield explained that participants can buy tickets for $1 each. Each ticket has two numbers on it. “When all 120 tickets are sold, they spin the wheel,” she explained. “We have three spins on each ticket, so you could possibly win on every spin. It’s a lot of fun!”
All money raised will be split between the Post’s Sons of the American Legion and the Women’s Auxiliary, which give right back to the community. Oldshield noted that they recently helped a local veteran with some household repairs. She also listed several community organizations and events that receive donations from Post 659, including the fire department’s Easter egg hunt, the Rotary Club’s annual Halloween party, backpacks for Ellicottville Central School students, and more. Area veterans receive fruit baskets with gift cards attached and delivered to their homes for Christmas. Additionally, funds are used to maintain the building and support scholarships for Girls State and Boys State.
The meat raffle is a great time to meet new people and learn about membership in the American Legion. Enjoy a cash bar and complimentary refreshments, including grilled hot dogs, salads, and finger foods, as well as door prizes. Oldshield said, “We’re growing, and we’d like this to be open to the community so we can welcome and encourage membership. We always need younger people, and we need people that are older who can tell us how it was run back in the day!”
Prospective members do not need to live in Ellicottville - they just need to be a veteran or be related to a veteran and provide proof of military service through a DD214 form. Sons of the American Legion include males of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the U.S. military, and membership in the American Legion Auxiliary is for female veterans or female relatives of veterans.
Post 659, which is led by Commander Dale Dunkleman, hosts many fun events throughout the year, including monthly car shows during the warmer months, live music, horseshoe leagues, and more. Post 659’s Women’s Auxiliary meets at 6:00pm on the first Wednesday of each month, and the Sons of the Legion, which is headed up by President Bill Coolidge, meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00pm. For more information, call Post 659 at 716-699-2386 and follow Ellicottville American Legion Post 659-Sons & Auxiliary on Facebook.