Laconia Rotary announces winner of Harley Davidson raffle

LACONIA — John Goewey of Schenectady, New York, is the winner of the 27th annual Motorcycle Raffle, the major fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Laconia.

This year, the prize was a "Wicked Red" 2019 Harley Davidson FLHX Street Glide with ABS braking, security, cruise control, and GTS Boom Audio with GPS. It has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $24,482.

Goewey bought winning ticket #0295 in the opening hours of sales on Motorcycle Week from the Rotary’s raffle booth on Lakeside Avenue in The Weirs, while attending with his son to celebrate his son’s birthday. The winning ticket was drawn by a member of the Laconia Police Department at the close of Motorcycle Week.

When he received the call, Goewey was attending a gathering of around 80 relatives, celebrating the uniting of previously unknown family members who were discovered through an ancestry program.

“Hey, everyone, I won a Harley!” he yelled to the crowd and was promptly answered by cheers. “It’s been a weekend full of surprises, all of them blessings,” he said later during the call.

Although he’s been riding for more than 35 years, this was only Goewey’s second visit to Laconia’s Motorcycle Week. His first visit was in 2014 in order to put some miles on his first Harley Davidson, purchased after decades of riding on import models.

Goewey is an active member of his church and frequently supports charitable causes like Rotary, though when he bought the ticket, he was largely unaware of the work that Rotary does. After hearing that he had won the bike, he did some research about the club and learned more about its charity work and volunteerism.

“I’m very thankful to the Lord for this gift, and really appreciate the charity work that Rotary supports,” Goewey said as he was picking up his new motorcycle at Heritage Harley Davidson in Concord, which sponsors the raffle and assists the club with getting the bike ready for the winner. “I’m especially happy to learn about their international work helping people in need in third world countries because, as a member of my local church, we recently built an orphanage in Haiti.”

In addition to supporting sustainable International projects, Laconia Rotary uses the funds raised through the Motorcycle Raffle and other fundraisers to provide about $25,000 to support scholarships for Laconia students and grants to several Laconia charities. They also give back through volunteerism.

Laconia Rotary is part of an international network that values service above self, provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Laconia Rotary typically meets every Thursday at noon at the Belknap Mill in Laconia. All are welcome; write to LaconiaRotary@gmail.com to let the club know you’ll be attending. Visit www.LaconiaRotary.org for more information about the club.