The HD Rendezvous Raffle, Explained by Mick Doherty:

Our illustrious founder, Pete Ballerstedt, arranged for a Raffle to raise supplemental funds for the Rendezvous. We pay our long distance instructors just about enough to cover their travel expenses. (Imagine my sheepishness when I tell these fine artists what our budget is.) As a wise friend once said to me, “Expenses will rise to exceed Income.” Left to my own capitalist instincts, I’m inclined to simply raise the price by a little bit, and thus resolve cash flow issues. However, in HDR registrants’ feedback, more folks have let us know that they prefer the Raffle to higher prices, and furthermore, they find it downright fun, so: We shall have the Raffle!

The Raffle works like this: Folks bring items to put in the raffle to help raise a bit more dough for the festival. You can bring all sorts of things. Many items are handmade, from fine art and photography to kneedlework, all manner of crafts, jars of home made preserves, and lots of items I can’t remember right now.

Folks have also contributed items ranging from an old ukulele or other instruments (including, twice from Kevin Harding, a homemade Cajon!) to cds and music books, or even a six pack of beer or some vino or a gift basket assortment.

Then we all buy tickets, and we pull tickets, and folks win stuff. No pricing, in other words, just luck and fun.

Each item is given a number and a paper bag with the corresponding number. If you want to win that item, you try to rig the system by buying a bunch of tickets to put in that bag, and hope the odds play your way.

Write your name — or, for those buying dozens of tickets, an inimitable nickname or abbreviation — on the half of the ticket that says “Name”, put that half in the bag, keep the other half of the ticket (just in case your handwriting is cramped and illegible, after filling out a few hundred of these) as, of course, both halves have the same number.
Don’t keep the wrong half-ticket, by the way, the “Name Half” Goes In The Bag!

The raffle drawing takes place on Saturday after dinner, and thanks to Marcia Skinner having shown us the proper way to do this, it goes quite quickly, and is fun! We try to give every contributor a loud verbal credit (that’s my job, as the loud guy) and all donations are appreciated.

Aside from the raffle, of course, instructors will have books and cds and other HD accouterments for sale.
So by all means, bring that giant roll of cash from your last winning casino visit!

Now is the time to contemplate bringing some precious item that you never use, but you think it is cool and are finally ready to part with, or something that you’ve made and want to share. Large items should be precious, due to lack of space.
For instance, the cool stroller that Eileen & Jack George retrofitted to serve as a dulcimer cart. It was big but good, and we stored it under a table to save space when it wasn’t being brought out to demo!

Small items made of gold, silver and precious jewels would be good, too, although we’ve never seen too much of that :)

We assign each item a number. We keep a list with the items/numbers and the donor’s name and any critical details (ie: “This bird house was made by Pete’s father-in-law specifically to donate to the Rendezvous Raffle!”). Each item gets a brown paper lunch bag with the item number and name on it. We have tables set up with raffle items & bags. We sell tickets by the gazzillions. People walk around and look at stuff, and put tickets in the bags of the items they like…