Annual fire fundraiser held this Friday
The Friends of Bigfork Fire Department will host its fourth annual Brats, Burgers and Band fundraising event at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, at the Harbor Village Pavilion.
The event raises money each year to support the local volunteer fire department.
"It's our only yearly fundraiser," Chief Wayne Loeffler said. "People have been very supportive. It allows us to improve our training facility and to train our volunteers."
The goal of this year's fundraiser is to raise the remaining roughly $35,000 needed to complete the final phase of the department's new live fire training building adjacent to the Echo Lake fire hall. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building took place in June, but some work still remains to complete the facility. A live fire building gives Bigfork firefighters, as well as those from Ferndale and Creston, a place to conduct live burns, experience high-angle rescue techniques, learn to rappel down the side of buildings and participate in numerous other training scenarios.
"What it means is at any given time we can go out and do live fire training," Loeffler said. "That's huge for us."
Raising money for this three-story building has been the focus of the Brats, Burgers and Band fundraiser over the course of its three-year history with more than $120,000 gathered so far. The remaining work on the building includes exterior stairwells and a roof railing.
At Friday's event, music will be provided by The Smokin' Joes. Tickets for the evening event are $9 for adults and $5 for children under 12.
"I think it's a great opportunity for the general public to get to meet the volunteers and see the equipment used," FOBF President Jim Sticka said. "It's a very fun event with live music. It's a very festive atmosphere. The food is awfully good. It's hard to pass up."
This year's fun also includes the "Niner-Niner" golf tournament Friday at noon. The entry fee is $129. Glacier Bank is sponsoring a $50,000 hole-in-one contest on the No. 2 hole of Eagle Bend Golf Club's Lake Nine course. Those interested in participating are urged to register soon at the Eagle Bend golf shop by calling 837-7310 as the roster tends to fill quickly.
There will also be a tennis tournament hosted by Rocky Mountain Bank for mixed doubles and women's doubles Thursday afternoon, Sept. 9, and Friday, Sept. 10, with an entry fee of $59. Susan Kratt is chairing this event and can be reached at 250-7072.
FOBF is trying to get a committee together to work on a new spring fundraising event. Bigfork Fire took on the responsibilities of what was Bigfork Ambulance this summer and as a result FOBF is now expanding to support both fire and medical emergency services for the Village.
A goal for medical services may be to raise funds to purchase a new ambulance in the near future as one of the department's two ambulances is becoming less reliable each year, Sticka said.
Those who want to get involved are encouraged to contact Sticka at 837-2294.
"We can definitely use more people with creativity and energy to help us out," he said.
Tax-deductible donations to the department through FOBF can be made year round by mailing checks to PO Box 2333, Bigfork, MT 59911.