If you would like to support your local snowmobile community as well as have a chance to win local and fresh pork, you are strongly encouraged to participate in the pig raffle being hosted by the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club. This is the first time the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club is holding a pig raffle, and it is a wonderful opportunity for someone to have a great product at a very affordable price. The final raffle will be held this fall.
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| The winner of a pig raffle sponsored by the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club gets to choose whether they would like to keep the pig as a pet or have it processed and packaged for their freezer with the cost of that covered by the club. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
“Windham has the highest number of registered snowmobiles of any town in the state of Maine,” says Barry Bernard, treasurer of the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club. “There are almost a thousand registered sleds in the town of Windham.”
The Windham snowmobile trail has about 50 bridges to get over brooks, streams, and rivers that the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club maintains.
“In a year, we are probably replacing or repairing six to ten of those bridges,” says Bernard. “We spend about $15,000 to $25,000 each year to keep our trails in the best shape."
He said that this includes equipment, insurance, and administrative work.
"The Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club relies on state grants, and we also get a little bit from the town, as well as membership money from club members,” Bernard said. “We also get donations and sponsorships from a few businesses in Windham.”
Still, there is a need for funds to keep local trails in tip-top shape.
Emily Buell, a member of the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club and head of its events committee, works at Mineral Spring Farm in Windham where she also helps raise animals. She suggested the idea about raising a pig and holding a pig raffle to raise generate funds for the trail system.
“I have been raising pigs and offered the idea to the club,” says Buell. “I know that a lot of people like to have local fresh meat in their freezer.”
Buell offered to raise the pig free of charge and the club will cover any other costs for the raffle.
Apart from selling raffle tickets at Windham Summerfest, there will also be a chance to suggest a name for the piggy for a small fee, and then a name will be drawn at random.
Buell puts a lot of work into caring for the pig, from maintaining a clean pen to meticulously looking after the diet to make sure that it is nutritious.
“I know exactly what the pig eats, I know what has gone into it, I know how the pig has been treated, and it feels great to know where your food comes from,” says Buell. “It takes six months to raise a pig efficiently; you can keep a pig for longer than six months, but it will eventually begin to just put on fat.”
The pig is expected to grow around 300 pounds in six months, and the winner of the raffle gets to choose whether they want to keep the pig as a pet or have it made ready for their freezer.
“The processing date is in December, so the winner gets to choose whether they want to keep the pig alive or send it to the processor,” says Buell. “If they want to keep the pig as a pet, I will drop it off at their house and it will then become their responsibility.”
If the winner would like the pig to be prepared for their freezer, the club is willing to cover the cost of processing and packaging the pig, she said.
“There is a lot of personalization on the way the winner wants their meat cut and packaged,” says Buell.
The average cost to raise a pig is $800, from purchasing the piglet, all the feed, care, and processing and slaughtering fees. The cost of the meat itself, however, has a retail value between $1,100 to $1,200.
“This is a wonderful way to not only support Windham snowmobile trails but to also have a chance to win delicious fresh and local pork that has been humanely raised in a small farm environment. Both care and flavor are top notch, and the meat will feed you for a while,” says Buell.
Ticket costs are five tickets for $10 or 12 tickets for $20 and will be sold at the Windham Summerfest’s Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club booth as well as on the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club website under the store tab. <
Still, there is a need for funds to keep local trails in tip-top shape.
Emily Buell, a member of the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club and head of its events committee, works at Mineral Spring Farm in Windham where she also helps raise animals. She suggested the idea about raising a pig and holding a pig raffle to raise generate funds for the trail system.
“I have been raising pigs and offered the idea to the club,” says Buell. “I know that a lot of people like to have local fresh meat in their freezer.”
Buell offered to raise the pig free of charge and the club will cover any other costs for the raffle.
Apart from selling raffle tickets at Windham Summerfest, there will also be a chance to suggest a name for the piggy for a small fee, and then a name will be drawn at random.
Buell puts a lot of work into caring for the pig, from maintaining a clean pen to meticulously looking after the diet to make sure that it is nutritious.
“I know exactly what the pig eats, I know what has gone into it, I know how the pig has been treated, and it feels great to know where your food comes from,” says Buell. “It takes six months to raise a pig efficiently; you can keep a pig for longer than six months, but it will eventually begin to just put on fat.”
The pig is expected to grow around 300 pounds in six months, and the winner of the raffle gets to choose whether they want to keep the pig as a pet or have it made ready for their freezer.
“The processing date is in December, so the winner gets to choose whether they want to keep the pig alive or send it to the processor,” says Buell. “If they want to keep the pig as a pet, I will drop it off at their house and it will then become their responsibility.”
If the winner would like the pig to be prepared for their freezer, the club is willing to cover the cost of processing and packaging the pig, she said.
“There is a lot of personalization on the way the winner wants their meat cut and packaged,” says Buell.
The average cost to raise a pig is $800, from purchasing the piglet, all the feed, care, and processing and slaughtering fees. The cost of the meat itself, however, has a retail value between $1,100 to $1,200.
“This is a wonderful way to not only support Windham snowmobile trails but to also have a chance to win delicious fresh and local pork that has been humanely raised in a small farm environment. Both care and flavor are top notch, and the meat will feed you for a while,” says Buell.
Ticket costs are five tickets for $10 or 12 tickets for $20 and will be sold at the Windham Summerfest’s Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club booth as well as on the Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club website under the store tab. <
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