This ‘Santa’ raised $2k for rec program
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The Putnam Park and Recreation Department’s After School Program got an early Christmas gift Nov. 29 during the long-time tradition, Santa Lights Up Putnam.
Santa, with the help of Deputy Mayor Roy Simmons, set the town’s holiday lights aglow and then got down to business — asking 100-plus kids what they wanted for Christmas.
Meanwhile, looking a bit like Santa himself, John Ramonas, drew the winning ticket for a guitar he built. It’s a replica of a Neil Young guitar called Old Black, based on a1953 Les Paul guitar.
Recreation Director Willie Bousquet said Ramonas offered the department the guitar as a fund-raiser and most of the tickets were sold during the Great Pumpkin Festival. 
The drawing pulled in $2,000-plus, Bousquet said. When Bousquet announced that the money would go toward the department’s After School Program, Ramonas was thrilled. 
“That’s wonderful,” he said. 
About 400 tickets were sold. The winner was Tyler Parkin.
This is the first time this fund-raiser was done and Ramonas said it definitely won’t be the last. There are several choices for the department to pick from for the next drawing, he said: A Keith Richards guitar, one from one of the Beatles, Tom Petty and more.
Ramonas, a veteran, is part of the Highway Hippies band which played for the town a couple times. 

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