Middle Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins - The Middle Georgia Technical College Foundation hosted its first annual Hooterville Hoedown, a reverse raffle fundraiser held at Hooterville Farms in Byron. A grand prize of $10,000 was to be awarded to the last ticket drawn.

However, at the end of the night after an intense final round and after all the deals were made, the owners of the last two tickets in the drawing decided to split the pot and both go home winners.

Richard Tritt of Warner Robins and Bobby Everidge of Byron made the mutual decision to split the winnings in half. Therefore, each winner received $4,500. The rules state if the grand prize is awarded to more than one winner, 10 percent of the prize is awarded to the Foundation.

"This fundraiser was a great success for us," said Cheryl Stelk, director of Advancement at Middle Georgia Technical College. "We had a huge crowd turn out for a really enjoyable evening with the excitement of the raffle, goo food, good music, and a bonfire to ward off the cool weather. We especially want to thank our hosts Tim Dupree and Linda Shingler who generously provided us with the location for our event."

The sponsor for the Hooterville Hoedown at the Silver Spurs level was Cheddar's Casual Café. Bronze Boot Scooter sponsors included Flint Energies, Ascension Design Group, Bill Coley and Ginny Wyatt of Fickling and Company, Versa Corp of Byron, Walmart, Dr. Michael Loden, Dr. Russell Eyman, Hooterville Farms, JMA Architecture of Perry, and Sunmark Community Bank.

Grillmasters of Perry catered the event with a pig pull and low country boil. Deejay Tiger Smith of Fort Valley provided music and entertainment. Emcees for the event were John Crow of Marietta, Georgia Lottery television spokesman, and Jody Usry of Byron. Special assistance for the Hooterville Hoedown was provided by Kohl's of Warner Robins, Classic Bottle Shop, and City of Byron.

In addition to food, fun, and the reverse raffle, the MGTC also hosted a silent auction at the Hoedown. Some of the great prizes auctioned off included fine jewelry from Satterfield and Dempsey Jewelers of Warner Robins, sports memorabilia including boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali, airline tickets from AirTran Airways, vacations in Hilton Head and Charleston, South Carolina, a Lake Oconee getaway, and many other great items.

The Middle Georgia Technical College Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the College and its students by supplementing available state resources with private funding to help further the College's mission of contributing to the economic and educational development of the community.

Funds raised at the Hooterville Hoedown will go toward scholarships for MGTC students and other necessary programs and projects that are not funded by the state. All donations made to the MGTC Foundation are tax-deductible. For more information on the MGTC Foundation or to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a student, contact Cheryl Stelk at 478.988.6800 ext. 7201.

Emcees for the event were (left) Jody Usry of Byron and John Crow of Marietta. Crow serves as the nightly television host of drawings for the Georgia Lottery that are broadcast across the state.