Meat raffle Saturday in East Dundee

For decades, meat raffles have been good fundraisers for fire departments. At Thanksgiving, many sell tickets for people to win turkeys and hams. The money raised is used to make ends meet, buying what departments can't afford: equipment and protective clothing.

Summer meat raffles have become just as popular. Instead of turkeys, firefighters sell tickets for hamburgers, brats, hot dogs and ribs. For five years, East Dundee firefighters have not waited for the fall holiday to raise money they need. They have taken advantage of the grilling season, hoping people will support them and place their winnings over hot coals instead of inside an oven.

The East Dundee Firefighters' Association's first meat party of the summer is 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Bandito Barney's Beach Club. Another is scheduled for August.

"People have always supported our summer and Thanksgiving meat raffles," said Paula Roland, association treasurer. "The money we raise from the (July) raffle will help pay for our liability insurance at Max Freeman Park."

The association owns the North Street park. Throughout the year, members rent it to people to have their own parties and picnics. The summer raffles used to be held in the park until members grew tired of dealing with changeable weather and the expense that goes with selling alcohol.

Now, they will let a popular North River Street tavern deal with the expense and work that goes into selling alcohol.

"We can concentrate on buying the meat and selling the tickets," Roland said.

For those winning tickets, people can win everything they will need for their barbecues, including hamburgers, ribs, hot dogs and bratwurst. The association has already purchased cases of them. All people have to do is bring their dollar bills and luck to Bandito Barney's.

The firefighters' association is a nonprofit group of employees who work for the district. They do not control any of the property tax revenue the district receives to pay salaries and expenses.

Years ago, the association sponsored two fundraisers - the annual summer carnival and the Thanksgiving meat raffles. They stopped hosting the carnival because amusement companies no longer wanted to provide rides for small events.

They also stopped the Thanksgiving raffle for a time because their former Third Street firehouse was not big enough to hold the crowd. Last year, though, they resumed the holiday raffle and used the money to buy toys for low-income children in Dundee Township.

A date has not been set for the August raffle, nor has a decision been made to hold a meat raffle in November, Roland said.

For information about the meat raffle, call the fire department at (847) 426-7521.