My wife and I attended the Whitetail Dinner and Auction on Saturday night in Rhineland, MO (5 miles west of Hermann, MO). We were invited by Tim and Michelle Schulte, owners of New Haven Veterinary Clinic. The purpose of the event was to raise money for local catholic schools.
I have been to many of these banquets before…mostly for the Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited. Two things I know for sure about these events: 1) The are a great time and, 2) they always raise a lot of money for the represented organization.
These are also great venues to meet people who share the same passion for the outdoors as you do.
This event is probably the best event I have attended to date. The tickets cost $40 per person and included an open bar with top-shelf liquor, canned beer and wine. The menu consisted of prime rib, chicken, salad, sliced potatoes, green beans, and either carrot cake or cheese cake for dessert. They also had two types of horseradish sauce to top the prime rib.
When entering the door to the event, there was a banner that displayed the annual amounts of money raised in the previous years. Each year, the number was between $30,000 and $45,600!
The event included a silent auction, a regular auction and multiple raffle items including 20 firearms. Each of the firearms raffles cost $20 to pick a card from a deck. They split the card in half and the buyer kept one half and the “raffler” kept the other half. Once the deck was sold out, they put all of the card halves in a bucket and pulled a winner. These guns alone raised more than $11,000.
Perhaps the best auction item of the night was a HUGE sweet potato (spelled with an “e”…sure it would make Dan Quayle proud). The potato was donated by a local farmer who works the event every year. He is not able to make a lot of monetary contributions, but he donates his time and the fruits of his farming labor. This potato went for $225!
The event was a success and did not reflect the current economic situation that America is facing. Money was flowing and, in return, good food, drink and friendship were enjoyed by all. I hope to be invited again next year.
You are very right, Kevin. These type banquets or get togethers are always great fun, good company, and a great way to make contact with those who have similar interests. Glad to hear it was a big success.
Over $200 for a potato and it wasn’t grown out here in Idaho!
Mel…that potato was bigger than my head! A local donates his biggest one every year. Once again, though, I did not win ANYTHING! They raffled more than 20 guns and all kinds of other stuff. I never am lucky enough to get a winning ticket. Maybe next time!
Did you win something for the Hermann farm house? Some of that horseradish sauce?
I did not win ANYTHING..not even a door prize. My wife ONLY won a door prize. One of these days though….look out. I’m going to need a U-Haul to take home all of my winnings…