New this year for Farmer’s Day in China Grove is the grand prize of a 2016 Ford Escape SUV. Prior year’s grand prizes have been various trucks and Ford Mustangs, all new and all provided by Cloninger Ford-Toyota in Salisbury. The Farmer’s Day raffle is now in its 27th year. All proceeds from the raffle will continue to support many worthwhile needs of the South Rowan YMCA and the community. Farmer’s Day is July 19.

A total of 225 tickets will be sold at $150 each, payable to the South Rowan Y Service Club. All sold tickets are placed in a tumbler and mixed before each individual ticket is drawn out and posted on a viewing board during Farmer’s Day afternoon. Those tickets that are posted as finalists include tickets drawn out in positions 1, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 and 225.

Those ten finalist tickets will then be returned to the tumbler and drawn out one at a time later that afternoon at the Farmer’s Day street dance. The last remaining ticket in the tumbler is the winner and will have the choice of the 2016 Ford Escape or $15,000 in cash. Winners may use the cash value of the Ford Escape to negotiate purchase of another vehicle should they desire.

Funds from prior Farmer’s Day raffles have provided the South Rowan YMCA with such items as a new bus, a passenger van, various capital projects and community support. Y Service Club members have raffle tickets for sale and they will be available until sold out. Interested parties may contact Aaron Crowe at the South YMCA by calling 704-857-7011 or Gay Roberts at 704-796-6966 for additional information or ticket availability.