Months of planning for the North Webster Community Center Dinner, Auction and Raffle are done by the community center board of directors. Working diligently to finalize plans are from the left, Executive Director Kara Dobbins and board members LeAnne Francis, Kim Beaman, Lori Mark, Board President Dennis Wagoner, Sue Ann Mitchell, Lloyd Shroyer and Phil Jenks. Not present were board members Matt Nei, Kim Jones and Heather Coy.

NORTH WEBSTER — Craving a new pontoon or a Polaris Ranger? Could you use $12,000?

Buy a raffle ticket for the 11th annual North Webster Community Center Dinner, Auction and Raffle and one of these may go home with you. Other raffle prizes are $200 a month in free groceries for a year and $100 a month in free gas for a year.

The biggest fundraiser of the year for the community center will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the North Webster Community Center, 301 N. Main St. (SR 13). The ticket costs $25 ahead of time and $30 at the door. It also gives admission to the event, a catered dinner by Chubbie’s Pub-N-Grub and a chance to bid at silent and live auctions for a wide variety of items. Doors will open and 5 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The live auction starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at North Webster Ace Hardware, North Webster NewMarket office and the NWCC office now until the event. Sponsored by Bart’s Water Sports, the pontoon is from Socks Marina, the Polaris Ranger from Loose Moose Motor Sports. The grand prize winner has a choice of one of these. Second prize is the groceries from North Webster NewMarket while third prize is the gas from Freedom Express.

North Webster Community Center is ”the heart of the community.” The funds raised by the auction help provide programming and keep the center open and maintained. The center is not tax-supported so it looks to grants, foundations, local businesses and the members of the community to keep it in operation.

Free parking is available in the center’s lot on the east side. Please enter from the north side due to construction. Parking lots behind the North Webster Church of God across the street are also open for the event and are free.

The NWCC board of directors initially raised 1.4 million dollars to renovate the building which is currently being utilized by the entire surrounding community. Today, the NWCC has become the home of many local organizations and businesses, such as the Kosciusko Community YMCA, North Webster Community Public Library, Senior Primelife Enrichment Center (SPEC), The Watershed Foundation Inc, and Synergy Massage.

In addition to these year-round tenants,  the NWCC facility hosts a variety of events including weddings, fundraising events, the Mermaid Festival Pageants, election polls, health screenings, class reunions, birthday parties and countless Boy Scout, Girl Scout, lake association, town council, service clubs and support group meetings.

With North Webster Community Public Library moving into its own facility in 2020, the community center needs support now more than ever. Continue the legacy of the North Webster Community Center by buying your ticket now. You do not have to be present to win the top three raffle prizes either. Stop by the NWCC office, call (574) 658-4111, ext. 221, or visit www.nwcommunitycenter.org for info.