Harley 'Rocker' raffle nets $26.7K for Loon Preservation Society

Laconia Harley-Davidson’s donation of a 2009 H-D Softail 'Rocker' to the Loon Preservation Committee for a raffle to raise money for the guardians of the endangered species netted a whopping $26,700. According to former State Senator and preservation committee chairman Carl Johnson, that amount may be the single largest donation ever received in the group’s 35 year history.

The dealership's General Manager Kyle Jones presented a symbolic check to the Johnson and Harry Vogel, senior biologist and preservation committee director, at a special ceremony on Saturday.

The winning raffle ticket and two runners-up stubs were drawn by Johnson and Vogel. The ‘Rocker’ and gift certificates in the amounts o $500 and $100 all went to visitors from Massachusetts. The ticket holders were not present for the drawing.

Anne and Steve Deli, co-owners American Road Group which, in turn, owns Laconia Harley-Davidson, were applauded for their decision to turn a motorcycle from their inventory into an extremely productive and cooperative ticket selling effort by the dealership’s staff and the loon committee’s members.

According to Karl Stober, the voice who says ‘Laconia Harley-Davidson’ when the dealership phone rings, Anne Deli was more than just the person with an idea. “She was the sparkplug behind the dealership’s effort to sell as many of the 3,000 tickets printed for the raffle as possible. When she was here at the store during Motorcycle Week and at other times during the summer, Anne constantly set goals for daily ticket sales. If we met the goal for a given day before closing time, she never failed to get us to commit to a higher number. She even checked in to see how we were doing when she was on the road,” Stober commented just before Saturday’s check presentation.

Johnson related that he and the preservation committee members approached Laconia Harley for a contribution, hoping for something like $1,000.

“We could not have been more surprised by the events that followed. Before we knew it, we had a booth outside the dealership for Bike Week and we were selling tickets on the ‘Rocker’. The response from Harley riders from everywhere was absolutely terrific."

Stober and fellow dealer employees were hawking the tickets inside the store.”

Johnson and Stober agreed that at least 2,000 of the $10 raffle tickets were sold during Motorcycle Week.

The remaining tickets were sold at the dealership and by the Loon committee’s members. Johnson recalled, for example, that a brief lunch stop at ‘The Mug” restaurant on Rt. 25 resulted in the sale of more than $100 worth of raffle tickets.

The Loon Preservation Committee works to preserve the birds and their habitats in New Hampshire through programs of monitoring, research, management, and public education. All of its programs are fostered by an extensive grassroots network of dedicated members and volunteers. More information about the committee and its work can be found on its web site – www.loon.org. The phone number is 603-476-5666.

American Road Group owns and operates two Harley-Davidson dealerships in New Hampshire – the Laconia location and White Mountain H-D in North Conway. The group also owns Orlando Harley-Davidson. With several locations throughout central Florida, it is one of the largest Harley dealerships in the world. American Road also owns Harley merchandise stores in Walt Disney World and at major airports throughout the country.