Hi-Line event conducted Feb. 9
By Cole Boehler
In covering the charity functions of the local chapters of the Montana Tavern Association, I'm often prompted to think of the late Roger Porter, the Montana Tavern Times' 12-year sales manager and "society editor" who filed the reports on most of these events.
Roger was a man who liked a good drive through good country, a good drink, good food, good people, good friendships and good fun. In short, he was ideally suited for the "tavern dinner beat."
But of all the eight or nine of these events he covered every year, he always relished most the party conducted up in Havre – the Hi-Line Tavern Association Annual Charity Dinner.
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| Sid Largenhough won the heads-and-tails game. |
I can see why: it is a relatively short drive from Roger's home in Great Falls; the country up that way is magnificent and provides a scale by which to measure our individual importance in terms of the universe; the roads are good and straight and the traffic light (though in February that country will kill the unprepared or stupid motorist); the people, especially tavern owners, in that region are as warm as the winters are cold ... and the food is simply unsurpassed, though the Great Falls clan keeps trying (good luck!).
Then there is the Great Northern Best Western hotel, just across from the Duck Inn where the soiree is conducted. This place is modern, clean, very comfortable, priced nicely and has unsurpassed customer service.
As an added treat for me, I had spouse Marilyn along on this trip. Back in January she was reading the Tavern Times and said, rather dryly, "I see the Hi-Line Tavern Association is having its annual dinner February 9th. I suppose you will be going."
I replied that, yes, I would, and she said, "Well, I'm going with."
I said, are you sure? That's a long way and who knows what the weather will be like and it's a Tuesday night so you would have to miss work and...
She said, "Cole, that's our 25th wedding anniversary and I refuse to spend it alone."
End of discussion.
Of course, I was delighted to be able to share the nine-hours round trip with her, not to mention a fun evening, a fine banquet and ... the Great Northern's comfortable accoutrements. Besides, Valentines was only a few days away and the Hi-Line event always incorporates a fitting "sweetheart" theme.
After some minor gussying, we walked over to the Duck Inn and headed upstairs to the Olympic Room, the largest space in town for this kind of function. And it's barely large enough as the folks really turn out for this annual gala.
One wall and a portion of another were lined with cool merchandise that would be sold to the highest bidder. A big and well staffed bar spanned the opposite end of the hall. On one side was a small riser and podium from where perennial emcee Tom Farnham would preside and where qualifiers to the main calcutta drawing would later assemble.
Tuxedoed waiters bearing big trays of appetizers circulated the room, offering smoked salmon canape and chipotle chicken bites as guests mingled, traded quips and shook hands or even hugged.
And the Hi-Line association is one of the major forces for community improvement and for helping the less fortunate. They have contributed to the Sletten Cancer Center, all local college and high school sports plus youth hockey, baseball and swim teams, Gift of Life Foundation, DUI Task Force, Havre Shrine Club, Great Northern Rodeo, designated driver program, wildlife groups, sheriff's reserves, Special Olympics, Rocky Boy Pow Wow, Community Pavilion Project and just on and on. Worthy cause? This group will support it.
As folks settled in at their tables, the drawings for cash prizes and other goodies commenced. The crowd was well entertained with games of heads-and-tails which cost $5 to enter and netted the first winner $258, half the total pot. For $20, one could play some poker or enter a horse race to win a "last chance" ticket for the main drawing, or simply buy a raffle ticket for $5.
Little fur bears were for sale at $20 each which had drawing numbers attached. Lucky bear buyers won four $50 prizes or $100 or $200. Six or seven valuable items were sold at live auction including: a "Sweetheart Package" with lodging, dinners and a beautiful necklace; a fancy barbecue grill that brought $375; a signed UM Grizzlies football, courtesy of the Mariani family of Havre, that netted $550; a dandy snow blower that went for $375; a Henry lever-action .22 rifle that sold for $475; a brass sculpture, a Bud Light neon sign and more.
Yes, the fun and games were excellent, but many were anticipating the legendary Hi-Line/Duck Inn spread of food. Do they really try to exceed the previous year every year? Or is it only our imaginations? All we know is the food is extraordinary and, of course, there is plenty of it.
The 12 dinner entrees were marvelous: slow roasted herb and garlic encrusted Angus prime rib, scallop and lobster linguini with lemon butter wine sauce, crab-stuffed shells in smoked gouda cream sauce, roasted chicken in garlic-sherry glaze, shrimp in garlic sauce, coconut shrimp, salmon with gravlax sauce, parmesan Italian roasted potatoes, multi-grain rice pilaf, baby carrots with a taste of Marsala wine, green beans with roasted peppers, mushroom and onions, and fresh baked multi-grain bread.
Whew! Oh yeah, and Black Forrest cheese cake for desert. Good grief! That's what we call a button buster!
The program was as deep and diverse as the menu. All during the meal some game was being played, some drawing conducted, some prize or money given away.
Butte's Pair-A-Dice Bar was first drawn for the main culcutta raffle followed by Galusha Higgins and Galusha Accountants, Havre Distributors, Inverness Bar, Erickson-Baldwin Insurance, Dusty Kinsella, Korner Klub, Kennedy's Bar, Gusto Distributing and Town Pump.
Shawn Holman was drawn for the 11th seat from among the Last Chance tickets and the 12th seat was auctioned to the Mint Bar for $375. Even though the Mint was first down, they still pocketed $150, as did all of the fist nine disqualified.
The rest went to the wayside one-by-one until only Kennedy's Bar, Erickson-Baldwin Insurance and the Korner Klub remained in contention, each with a shot at winning $800, $1,200 or $2,000.
Kennedy's claimed the $800 third prize and Erickson-Bladwin settled for $1,200 while the crew from the Korner Klub, all the way from Bozeman, took home the $2,000 grand prize.
As the festivities wound down, Marilyn and I slid out as unobtrusively as possible, found a quiet place for a single after-dinner drink, then made our way back to our room at the Great Northern. And if readers think I'm going to tell them how this evening finally ended, they're crazy.