Among Linda Stowell’s winnings are a bracelet and a grill. Submitted photos

Linda Stowell File photo

WOODSTOCK—Linda Stowell of Woodstock has a knack for winning things.

To be fair, it must be pointed out that she’s willing to invest more money in raffle tickets than perhaps the average person.  Still, the retired SAD 44 music teacher’s haul of winnings is impressive.

“It really started becoming a thing when I used to attend the annual Wellness Conference at Sugarloaf with the SAD# 44 Wellness Team.  They had a raffle every year (with items donated by various teams), which was a good fundraiser,” she said. “I always bought $20 worth of tickets.”

“The first year I won a case of Chinet plates.  It was a challenge to fit them in on our trip home.  Those lasted a long time, and I always offered to bring plates for any gathering,” said Stowell.

In the following years she continued to win at the conference, collecting a variety of items.

“Some of those I can recall are an arrangement of silk flowers, a small handmade barrel with cover, a gift basket of bath salts and lotion, a small LL Bean bag ( this one had the initials C.A.W., clearly a return, but the donor said it stood for ‘Courage and Wellness’), a gift basket of blueberry items, a lighthouse humming bird feeder, a hand-carved walking stick, Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, and T-shirts from the Gray/New Gloucester school district as well as St. Joe’s College,” she said. “On a few occasions I won multiple times.  I also won a grand prize—a golfing weekend at Sugarloaf.  I didn’t take that one, since I don’t golf ( and also had already won three other prizes). It became a running joke that I would win nearly every year.”

Stowell’s good luck with raffles extends beyond just the Wellness Conference.

“One of my favorite winnings is a large framed photo by (local photographer) Dirk McKnight, which hangs in my living room,” she said.

In July Stowell went on a cruise with family members and won jewelry during a promotion of Effy jewelry. And as recently as a couple of weeks ago, when she attended an informational night at AAA in Auburn, she won a door prize.  “My name was pulled first, so I chose a travel blanket,” she said.

She has also won numerous items from the Woodstock School Craft Fair through the years, as well as tickets to The Gem theater.

Other winnings from various sources include drawings on Facebook, an Alex and Ani Red Sox bracelet, jewelry bead kits and a gift card.

While she has won all kinds of contests, her approach to raffles is very consistent.

“My standard donation is $20. Sometimes that buys a lot of tickets!” she said.