HURON — The Prairie Heartland Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will hold its annual fundraiser and banquet on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Huron Event Center.
It should be quite an event - the group is turning 21 this year.
“Yes, this is our twenty-first year,” said Julie Hoffmann, who, with her husband Del, are among a handful of charter members of the conservation group.
The Hoffmanns are organizing this year’s banquet, which will include raffles, silent and live auctions of many items purchased and donated specifically for this event.
“Last year we welcomed 30 people who either purchased a sponsorship of the banquet or a life membership,” Julie Hoffmann said. “We hope to do as well - or better - this year.”
Those purchasing sponsorships or life memberships this year will have their names entered into a drawing for a Creedmoor rifle or a $500 Cabella’s Gift Card
The doors for the evening open at 5 p.m. for a social time, as well as games and more. Prizes for the games are highly sought and include something for everyone, she said.
“Our prizes are not limited to things hunting related - although the winner of our progressive gun raffle has a special prize awaiting them,” she added. “We have raffles for the children, with two or three top prizes, but every child who attends will go home with a prize from the banquet. At the same time, I go shopping for many home decor items that will appeal to the ladies in attendance.”
It is the family orientation of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation that drew the Hoffmanns in the first place.
“The RMEF is very family focused,” she said. “In fact, it has become so much a part of our children’s lives, that our son is coming back from Lake Area Vo-Tech to help out at the banquet.”
Oh, that gun raffle.
The winner of the Prairie Heartland Chapter’s progressive gun raffle will earn an entry into a drawing for a national elk hunt this fall in New Mexico.
Other popular prizes include a walleye fishing expedition at Driftwood Lodge in northern Minnesota, and a spring bear hunt, both of which will be part of the night’s live auction.
All proceeds from the event will go to support the conservation work of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in the area.
Reservations for the banquet may be made by calling Del Hoffmann at 352-4414. Tickets are limited.
COURTESY PHOTO A treasure trove of auction items and prizes will once more be available at this year’s Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - Prairie Heartland Chapter banquet and fundraiser, set for Saturday night at the Huron Event Center.
