By Cole Boehler
Tavern Times Editor Montana Tavern Times "society editor" Roger Porter has been experiencing some limited mobility and regular medical appointments (slowly healing broken foot), it has fallen upon me to cover a few of the local tavern chapter charity events.
So I used the occasion of the Lake County Tavern Association charity dinner conducted in Polson June 24 to tie-in a motorcycle outing with my wife, a social call on old friends in Seeley Lake, and a visit with my ailing mother who has retired to Polson.
I also had the pleasure of attending the dinner in the company of my sister, Lisa, and her husband, Todd. Lisa was officially representing her employer, First Citizens Bank of Polson, but she also likes a good party.
The dinner kicked off with cocktails at 6 p.m. and a prime rib dinner with all the fixin's prepared expertly by the kitchen crew at the host Polson Elks Lodge. The dinner plate was graced by a potato (courtesy Starkel Farms) the likes of which can only be found in the fertile Mission valley, home of a substantial seed potato industry. By my estimation, the baked spud was about the size of nice trout--in the 2-3-pound range. Magnificent!
Speaking of magnificent, the weather had been perfect: clear blue skies, no wind, temperatures around 80 degrees. It was the first nice weather in weeks and many may have opted to partake of outdoor recreational activities, perhaps on extraordinarily beautiful adjacent Flathead Lake, as banquet attendance was down somewhat. But that didn't stop those who did come from making merry, feasting and splitting the booty.
There was an excellent selection of door prizes and other premiums awarded in drawings and auctions.
There were the usual caps and T-shirts, but also amazing liquor baskets (one was an inflatable swimming pool complete with beach umbrella and flip flops, which was appropriate for a luau-themed soiree).
One of the most sought-after prizes was a retro-styled Corona picnic cooler and "booze box," and a Sony home theatre system donated by Town Pumps was auctioned for just $180.
Emcee Jim Shea of Big Sky Music Games out of Missoula kept the tempo moving, running through the 50/50 drawing, raffles, door prizes and the main drawing.
The usual bingo-ball technique was employed, with 10 attendees' numbers being drawn, then one from that lot to take a seat at the head table. Ten seats were thus drawn, then the eleventh was filled by a raffle ticket drawing.
In what may have been a first, Tillie Denhauer, former proprietor of the Georgetown Lake Lodge not far from Anaconda, was drawn for both seat number 5 and for seat 11.
In order, ticket holders took their seats: Polson's Regatta Pizza, Palace Bar (Jupe Compton, visiting Montana Tavern Association president from Havre), Hill County Tavern Association, Ronan's Second Chance (later traded to Donnita Snyder of Ronan's Valley Club and MTA state director from Lake County for the Corona cooler), Denhauer, Stockman Bar of Arlee, Summit Beverage of Missoula and Butte, Krisco, Inc. of Missoula, Jorgenson's of Helena, Bob's Auto Mart of Pablo and, again, Denhauer.
Summit was the first down followed by Denhauer's seat number five, Stockman's, Regatta, Jorgenson's, Valley Club, Hill County TA, and Compton's Palace Bar.
Denhauer's 11th seat hung on for third place and $250, followed by second place Krisco with $350. Bob's Auto Mart was the last down so took home first place money of $1,000 in cool cash.
As the fun evening wound up, we and others visited a few of Polson's many excellent licensed venues.
And yes, even as she did when I was a teenager, Mom was waiting up for me when I came in that night. Some things just never change.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, August, 2006, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.