Middle Georgia Technical College

Murman, McLure Split Grand Prize at Second Annual MGTC Foundation Hooterville Hoedown

Warner Robins - Chris Murman and Gary McLure walked away big winners from the second annual Middle Georgia Technical College Foundation's Hooterville Hoedown, a reverse raffle fundraiser benefitting scholarships and other MGTC Foundation projects. Out of 300 tickets, Murman and McLure were the last two remaining tickets and decided to split the prize.

Chris Murman is the owner and golf pro at Houston Lake Country Club. Gary McLure is vice president for Commercial Lending at SunMark Community Bank in Bonaire. As it happens, both Murman and McLure were unable to attend the Hoedown and were represented by agents at the end of the drawing, Jim McClarnon and Mike Long. The winners' agents split the $10,000 grand prize between the two ticketholders.

"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 at Hooterville Farms, our presenting sponsor. Our hosts, Tim Dupree and Linda Shingler, have generously provided us with this location for the past two years. We also appreciate all of our other sponsors and all patrons who bought tickets."

Stelk expressed many thanks for the sponsors for the event. Grillmaster Sgt catered the event and provided a Golden Garters sponsorship. Wal-Mart was also a Golden Garters sponsor. Bronze Boot Scooters sponsors were Ascension Design Group, Clean Control-makers of Odo Ban, JMA Architecture, Dr. Russell Eyman with Central Georgia Periodontics, and Cheddar's Casual Cafè.

Grillmaster Sgt provided an impressive spread of Low Country Boil for the event, as well as a pig pull. Emcees for the event were John Crow of Marietta, Georgia Lottery television spokesman, and Mary Therese Tebbe of Warner Robins, executive director of the 21st Century Partnership. Special assistance for the Hooterville Hoedown was provided by the Optimist Club of Warner Robins, Classic Bottle Shop, Taylor Services Restrooms 2 Go, and the 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, airline tickets from AirTran Airways, vacations in Hilton Head, 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.

Photo: MGTC Foundation trustee Jim McClarnon (right) presents a check for half of the grand prize to Beth and Chris Murman at Houston Lake Country Club.