The Lincoln County Veterans Memorial Committee raised several thousand dollars from a gun raffle last month, pushing their fundraising total to $61,000.

 The winner of the raffle, Adam Carr, was presented with a Weatherby Vanguard .30-06 last week at the site of the veterans memorial at Riverfront Park. Several members of the veterans committee were on hand to congratulate Carr and to provide an update on the fundraising effort.

 Last year, the group set out to raise $110,000 to construct a world-class veterans memorial in Libby. The goal was to raise the money through donations from individuals and sponsorships from local businesses, then erect a bronze monument at the park in time to dedicate it on Veterans Day 2014.  

 With the fundraising effort past the halfway point, veterans committee members wanted to show their appreciation to the community. “We sincerely thank all those businesses, organizations and individuals who have so generously donated to the memorial, and we encourage others to do the same if they so desire,” according to a statement from the veterans committee.

Libby Sports donated the Weatherby Vanguard .30-06 to the veterans committee. Other businesses in town have contributed as bronze ($250 donation), silver ($500 donation), gold ($1,000 donation) or platinum ($5,000) sponsors.

 Individuals also have contributed by purchasing bricks for $100 each to honor members of the military; so far, 260 bricks have been sold. Each brick will be engraved with a military member’s name, rank, branch of military and years of service. They will be placed in the ground surrounding a bronze life-sized monument depicting a World War II-era veteran helping a modern-era warrior to safety.

“This is not just a weekend celebration, but a physical memorial that will be with us for a lifetime and a place where we can celebrate on special occasions,” the committee stated. “It’s also a place we can go to in those moments - to remember, reflect and honor all of our past and current veterans of the United States military.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so at Timberline Auto Center, The Kootenai Cobbler, or by mail to LCVMFF at P.O. Box 1638 Libby, Mont. 59923.