The Lampasas County Livestock Association is planning to upgrade the parking area at its show barn to make it more accessible for residents and exhibitors. Funds raised from this year’s Reverse Raffle on Oct. 25 will go toward the new project.
LCLA Reverse Raffle Committee member Jeff Rutland said the non-profit organization raised over $200,000 at last year’s event. None of what the LCLA accomplishes would be possible without the support of Lampasas residents.
“The last few years we have done really well [in fundraising efforts],” Rutland said. “Last year, the stock show itself did very well. The community has really been supporting this effort for many years.”
The annual Reverse Raffle is the LCLA’s main fundraising event. In recent years, money raised from the event went toward the construction of an ag barn to provide opportunities for local students who didn’t have the space to keep and care for an animal at home.
The 80-foot by 80-foot barn contains 36 individual pens, with each pen 10 feet long and 5 feet wide. Rutland said the ag barn is fulfilling its mission.
“We built that barn, and last year it was good and this year it is full,” he said. We feel like with the community support and with the kids that are getting involved, that the stock show is growing.”
Now, the LCLA hopes to improve the venue’s experience for visitors by having a more sufficient parking area.
Rutland noted the LCLA is in the early stages of the project.
“We have done a lot to the inside of our building; it is time to start working on the outside,” he said. “We need to improve the drainage in our parking lot. We have contracted with Eckermann Engineering to do a site plan and work on our parking. A lot of people use that facility in the community, and we want to make it more accessible and safer for people.”
Rutland is unsure what the parking lot project cost will come to, but he estimates it could range from $250,000 to $500,000. The LCLA is planning to use a mixture of concrete and pavement for the surface. It will take multiple fundraising cycles to come up with the funds to cover the improvements.
Lampasas residents can support the parking lot project and the LCLA by attending the Reverse Raffle on Oct. 25. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and a ribeye dinner will follow shortly after. The cost to attend is $100 per couple.
Top prizes available for this year’s event include a golf cart, ladies’ item, firearm, $1,500 local business voucher and a $1,000 cash prize.
“This all goes back to the kids,” Rutland said of the donations. “We don’t have anyone on the payroll.
Everything we raise goes back to maintain this facility and give scholarships. The kids that show their animals, without the community it makes it hard to do. We need the community’s support to be successful in this effort.”
Those interested in tickets to this year’s Reverse Raffle may visit Rutland at the Texas Farm Bureau office or email him at JRutland@txfb-ins.com for more information.
