Posted on Aug 17, 2020
The Rotary Club of Haliburton’s Annual Summer Carnival had run for 75 continuous years, so the club was not about to let the Coronavirus break that streak in spite of the Midway and Fireworks operators suspending operations in 2020.
 
The Club instead took the opportunity to do a ground-breaking ceremony for their new Welcome Centre/Public Washroom facility in Head Lake Park with club members and local politicians on hand for a photo op.
 
One of the club’s signature features at the summer carnival is their Famous Beef on a Bun, so a “Drive Thru” edition was launched.  The club was overwhelmed by the response and the event was a sellout exceeding the volume of sales from a typical Carnival night.
The evening culminated with the drawing of the winning ticket for the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro. The draw was a sellout with the community responding to the direct mail campaign like never before - resulting netting over $60K. Community members both permanent and seasonal appreciated that the club decided to proceed with the raffle in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic and made the fundraisers one of the most successful ever.
 
While the day was far from a typical Summer Carnival, the community and the club appreciated the opportunity to safely participate in a community event which made everyone feel just a little bit “normal”. 
 
Want to learn more about organizing and running a similar fundraiser? Contact Haliburton Club President Ted Brandon.
 
FOR MORE ABOUT FUNDRAISING...READ HERE.