Scanlon business gives back to the community with a gas giveaway

With gas prices still high, there was some relief in Cloquet Saturday morning.

Pumps at the Holiday gas station in Cloquet were busy filling up gas tanks of raffle winners of “The Great Gas Giveaway” sponsored by the Rendezvous Sports Bar and Grill. There was no purchase necessary to enter the raffle.

“We just wanted to give back to the community, and we felt that gas is always a good thing because we are always driving to work or driving around. We just thought it was a great idea like that,” says Rendezvous Sports Bar and Grill owner Ross Swanstrom.

Swanstrom and his business have done events before, but this one is different from the others. Some of their events have included golf tournaments and races from the rendezvous.

“The events raise money to help the people that protect us and work for us. The law enforcement community” says Swanstrom.

“We will do three or four events a year, and we keep raising money as much as we can and donate it to them. We have raised $25,000 in the last two years for the Back to Blue and Duluth K-9. We just want to give back and we just thought now that gas is so expensive, we just wanted to give gas and help the community out.”

In keeping with community ties, products purchased for Rendezvous Sports Bar and Grill are local. What goes into the community; comes from the community!

“We are all about taking care of each other, especially in these times, and Ross has really done a great job doing that. We are very happy to have him as a customer and a friend, stated Distributor Sales Rep at Upper Lakes Foods, Lynn Christman.

Raffle winner Greg Oakes decided to do something extra special with his ticket.

“My daughter was up here for a wedding, and you know, she is still trying to make it in her line of business. A full tank of gas is more important to her than it will be to me, and besides, she and her husband just had their third anniversary. She had her birthday on August 2nd, so it was my way of saying happy birthday; Dad is going to help you get your car full with gas.”