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SOWHATAYADO?
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CLAUDIOPIA THE STEER was donated to the Las Vegas, New Mexico corps by the winner of a local raffle.
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While it wasn’t a typical donation, the gift of a steer to the Las Vegas, New Mexico, corps has been a blessing “on the hoof.”
According to Envoys Stan and Peggy Sons, in-charge, the steer was donated by Charles Hinkle, who won it in a raffle at the small local Catholic church in a village outside of town. Frank Gonzales, a local rancher, donated the steer for the raffle.
The challenge arose, says Sons, when they went to pick up the animal from Hinkle.
“Mack and Dolly Crow, owners of Century 21 Realty, and members of the Las Vegas Advisory Board, are also ranchers,” said Sons. “They had the equipment and location to move and keep our newest donation. They contacted Gonzales and made arrangements to pick up the steer.”
By then, the true identity of the beast was known. “It took four trips to get this guy loaded up. He kept getting loose and running off,” explained Mack Crow. “We didn’t have a loading pen or a horse, so we were pretty much at the mercy of the critter,” Dolly added. “I wasn’t much help. All I could do was laugh. It was a real comedy show out there.”
The steer was finally caught and taken to the livestock auction. It weighed in at 780 pounds and netted $601 for the corps.
While the animal is gone, it’s clearly not forgotten. Sons reports the teens in the corps, who never saw it, had nonetheless named it. “Claudopia was like a brother to me,” said Billy Evans. “A real member of the family.”
