I am an active member of the Rockwood Unit No. 303 and was formerly on the Council as Chairman of the Ways And Means Committee. As such I was primarily involved with running what I like to think was the best Meat Draw in Winnipeg for many Saturdays. .
Historically, this Unit was virtually empty on Saturday afternoon, whereas the Unit was packed on Saturday evening with folks coming out for the dance. Over a period, that evening crowd diminished and the Unit remained empty Saturday afternoon until the Meat Draw stated many years ago. By then, many folks were quite happy to come out in the afternoon rather than the evening.
From a Veteran's Unit or Club point of view, this is a great way to attract new prospective members, keep regular members, and a great way to aid the profitability of the organization. Not mention having a great deal of fun.
We had five separate draws starting at 3:15 pm. Each Draw has the following prizes:
For the Fifth Draw, I substituted A Prime Rib Roast and a small Loin Steak with the eggs instead of the Bacon & Sausages. This had the immediate effect of the members sticking around for the last Draw and buying extra tickets.
Although I personally disagreed with the concept, one additional thing has proven to very popular and that is a couple of TWO for ONE ticket sales after the regular tickets have been purchased!
The Draws typically finished about 4:45 pm, so you can see that this is a fast-paced afternoon. We have one cashier and two ticket sellers selling 5 tickets for a dollar (in two colours). With the two sellers, this automatically created two lines. Naturally, most everyone talks to the person in the next line so it becomes a very friendly situation. Now isn't that a shame! People lining up to spend money and having a good time doing it!!!