“The donation centers have helped us raise our numbers back again, but cigar retailers and volunteers creating their own events has helped us the most,” Boen explains. “For example, someone might host a pool tournament, and the entry fee could be $5 or five cigars. We really try to have events that give our volunteers ownership of the charity. Then those events get better, and it helps spread our name across the U.S.”
A Celebration for Heroes
For six years, Operation: Cigars for Warriors has hosted Catsfest, an almost nonstop three-day party that raises funds supporting the charity. Held over Memorial Day weekend every year, this year’s Catsfest was held in Granbury, Texas, outside of Dallas-Fort Worth. The event included a pre-party; a Denim and Lace VIP dinner; a craft beer experience and competition; a sanctioned beard and moustache competition; a cigar round-up at which attendees could purchase highly discounted premium cigars; a bevy of chili competitions—including the Texas Men’s State Championship and Junior Texas State Championship—a golf tournament; the Cigar Olympics, a series of cigar-oriented competitions, such as the longest ash contest, sponsored by Asylum Cigars and Cigar Press magazine; the Granburyradio.com Scavenger Crawl in which competitors scoured Granbury’s historic town square and visited businesses on the square and sought clues while learning about the city; and a signature drink competition hosted by the city of Granbury.
“Catsfest is three days of fun, and it’s our major fundraiser of the year,” Boen explains. “Catsfest is an umbrella event containing multiple events. We host the third-largest chili competition in the U.S., the Texas Men’s State Championship. We also host the Texas Junior State Championship as well as three other chili competitions. The military presence is amazing at Catsfest, which is a true social event all about supporting the troops.”
Operation: Cigars for Warriors opens Catsfest to other military charities as well—organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Build a Flag, the Military Officers Association of America and many others.
“Catsfest is open to any military charity that wants to participate and raise funds for their own charities,” Boen continues. “As long as the charity takes care of service men and women, it fits in with Catsfest.”
While Catsfest has grown to be one of the largest annual cigar festivals in the United States, Boen is most proud that the event has maintained a strong family atmosphere. More than 35 percent of Catsfest attendees are women, and Boen says that the festival’s family-friendly atmosphere welcomes cigar smokers of all stripes.
To become an Operation: Cigars for Warriors donation center or to find out ways that your store can hold a fundraiser for the charity, visit cigarsforwarriors.org.
This story first appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
– By Stephen A. Ross, senior editor of Tobacco Business Magazine.
