Branford Braffle Winners Went From Baffled To Bowled Over

Submitted by the Branford Rotary:

BRANFORD, CT - As Wendy Bluemling and her husband Mark were cycling along Route 146 in Branford a few weeks ago, they couldn’t help but notice the unusual word that kept popping up on yard signs along the way.

“We noticed all the placards saying ‘Braffle,’ and we thought, ‘What the heck is that?’ It was such a strange name, it caught our attention,” she recalled. “When we got home, we looked it up, and once we learned what it was about, we decided to get tickets.”

One of them happened to be ticket #1079, which turned Bluemling from baffled entrant into the first-ever winner of the Absurd Grand Prize in ‘Braffle – Branford Rotary’s Outrageous Restaurant Raffle.’

Bluemling won $100 gift cards to each 34 different Branford restaurants – $3,400 in all - an award she said left her speechless and a little intimidated.

“We look forward to trying some of the restaurants we haven’t before, but with 34 restaurants, where do you start?” she asked. “The Absurd Grand Prize is absurd. Truly, it is absurd.”

Like many of the 920 entrants who snapped up the 2,000 Braffle tickets, Bluemling said she was more motivated by the cause than by the chance of winning.

“We really liked that Rotary was supporting both restaurants and people in need,” she said. “That’s just such a great thing to do.”

Proceeds from Braffle went to Branford Rotary’s HELP OUT – TAKE OUT program, a partnership with Branford Counseling & Community Services that buys gift cards from local restaurants and distributes them to struggling families, particularly those who’ve lost work during the pandemic.

Raising $73,000 since starting in late spring, the program is a win-win that helps restaurants stay viable while supporting those who need it most.

Another winner from the Braffle drawing, held at the Owenego Inn last week with First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove pulling the numbers, was Branford resident Sarah McTavish, who took home the Ridiculous Second Prize: $50 gift cards to 34 Branford restaurants.

“I can’t believe it! Thank you everyone at the Rotary Club who has made this Braffle happen - a brilliant idea, and I am so excited to have won,” said McTavish. “I can’t believe how many great restaurants we’ve got in Branford - Braffle has been a timely reminder and I can’t wait to get out there and try them.”

In all, 10 prizes were handed out, as 3rd-10th place winners got $100 gift cards to be used at the restaurant of their choice.

Those winners were:

3rd - David Brown

4th – Lindsay Rodriguez

5th – Jane Farrington

6th – Natalie Forbes

7th – Linda Dirienzo

8th – Brittany Turkaj

9th – Larissa Foster1

0th – Gene Burban

As for the Absurd Grand Prize winner, Bluemling said she and her husband will share some of the gift cards with family and friends, and plan to give some of the prizes to people they want to thank, like workers cleaning up after the recent storms. In that way, she said, they’ll be continuing the spirit of Braffle itself.

“Braffle is like a win-win that just keeps on winning,” she said.