Minnesota City Bans Meat Raffles
Minnesota City Bans Meat Raffles
Fergus Falls Prioritizes Inclusion, Equity, and Meatless Diets
In the northern Minnesota city of Fergus Falls, the City Council held a public hearing last April to hear residents present social justice concerns impacting the community. A teacher at the local elementary school, Ophelia Trimble, 25, shared her opinion that meat raffles marginalize vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, and vegans. In response to Trimble’s concern, Fergus Falls promised to investigate the situation and has temporarily banned all meat raffles within city limits. The city’s response aims to highlight the local government’s pursuit of equity and inclusion and avoids further conflict with the teacher union.
Meat raffles are common evening events, often hosted by fraternal organizations and drinking establishments throughout Minnesota and other midwestern states. During World War II, with the rationing of the American meat supply, communities would pool resources and raffle large portions of meat so that raffle winners could treat their families to the luxury of a full meal. Such raffles empowered neighbors to unite, raise money for charitable causes, and enjoy a friendly game of chance. The practice has continued since 1942.
Karl Pedersen, 47, has lived in Fergus Falls all his life. He has worked at Otter Tail Power Company, one of the area’s largest employers, for 25 years. Pedersen likes to keep his finger on the pulse of the local nightlife. One of Pedersen’s colleagues, Helga Eriksson, described Pedersen as the glue that holds the community together. “Karl always knows what’s going on,” she said. “If you are looking for a fun time on a Tuesday night, Karl’s the guy you want to call.”
After the city government announced the prohibition of meat raffles, Karl finds himself unofficially crowned with an entirely new role: community activist. “I have always supported our local government,” he explained. “But now they are threatening to disrupt a long-standing way of life up here and it is time for me to take a stand against government overreach. This is a hill I’m willing to die on.”
Proceeds from meat raffles generally benefit community organizations. “The VFW was able to support last year’s renovation of the high school gymnasium and the American Legion sponsored the installation of a sculpture near the Town Square gazebo depicting Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox,” Pedersen said. “It’s not all about the meat. It’s about getting together with friends, supporting local establishments, and contributing to a cause that makes Fergus Falls a better place to raise a wholesome family.”
However, meat raffles aren’t popular with younger folks who prefer prepared meatless meals delivered to their front door. “Look, I get it. Nobody under thirty knows how to grill a steak,” Pedersen said. “These hippies have been coming up from the Twin Cities to escape violent crime and the high cost of living. They have brought some interesting perspectives along with different expectations,” he said. “A few years ago, we were an older community set in our ways, but the pandemic popped the old timers right in the kisser. Culled the herd, so to speak. A lot of our watering holes have lost regulars who have moved on to the glorious golden barstool up above.”
Trimble, however, has been basking in her newfound fame and has become a veritable celebrity within the local public school system. Unsurprisingly, most of her students have come out as vegetarian or vegan in recent weeks. “Since I started showing my students YouTube videos of chickens, hogs, and cattle being ruthlessly slaughtered and processed, I have achieved a 90% conversion rate,” she said. She believes that meat will become a thing of the past over the coming decade as her students become adults. “The local government needs to force Fergus Falls to eliminate the meat from their raffles right now so that these pitiful old people have the next few years to think about what they will raffle when meat no longer exists. It’s the responsible thing to do.”
Trimble, who has never participated in a meat raffle, says she would consider attending if the raffle supported a cause aligned with her values. However, she specified that the meat options would have to be plant-based substitutes. “Meat isn’t healthy. I went to college at St. Cloud State and I know what I’m talking about. Ignorant residents need to follow the science,” she said. “Also, each of these establishments must publish a transparent set of core values to serve as a framework guiding how raffle proceeds are disbursed. We can’t have another Paul Bunyan fiasco.”
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are well-known legends of Minnesotan folklore. However, Trimple objects to how raffle funds constructed the recent Paul Bunyan display in the Town Square. She notes that the city’s obsession with Paul Bunyan is ironically symbolic of the war she is waging against the community’s systemic oppression of marginalized voices. “Look at Paul. He’s a white lumberjack who exemplifies toxic masculinity. His unkempt beard, his exaggerated stature, and his passion for deforestation really sets the tone. You can imagine him wearing a red MAGA cap while using his axe to breach the United States Capitol. The whole display is horrific and traumatizing,” she said. “Now consider the androgynous Babe the Blue Ox. A castrated bull. A bovine of color. A gentle creature enslaved by an axe wielding man-beast.”
Trimble has now incorporated Minnesota folklore into her third-grade curriculum and teaches her students that Babe was likely a closeted member of the LGBTQIA+ community who was never truly accepted. She makes a point of using they/them pronouns when referring to the ox. “Clearly Babe had surgically transitioned. They did not have the opportunity to live authentically,” Trimble explained. “The legend says that Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes were originally Babe’s footprints. Well, if that’s the case, it’s safe to say the lakes took shape when Babe filled the footprints with tears.”
Pedersen hopes to maintain tradition and wants to bring meat raffles back to their former glory. However, he recognizes he is likely fighting a losing battle. “Without the meat, we’d just have boring regular raffles. We might as well play bingo,” he said. “Where do we draw the line? At this rate we will be holding organic mashed potato raffles, and every ticket sold will be a guaranteed winner. But social media doesn’t really give a darn about anything I have to say.”