Big Cascade fundraiser blows off the doors
Pub Date: 9/1/2005
A Great Falls fundraiser this past spring aimed at helping keep the Montana Air National Guard fighter squadron in town provided strong evidence once again of the generosity and concern for their community exhibited by area tavern owners.
Sponsored by the Cascade County Tavern Association (CCTA), the event drew some 700 people to the Great Falls Civic Center for an evening of good food, good music, a silent auction and more. Some $38,000 was raised that evening, money that was given to a group that is traveling the country trying to prevent certain military base closures, said John Hayes, CCTA executive director.
The Base Reallignment and Closure Commission, a government group that reviewed and recommended potential base closures, spared nearby Malstrom Air Force Base, but determined that the F-16 fighters utilized by the National Guard are obsolete thus the squadron has been slated for closure.
Subsequently, the committee's recommendations have come under fire and faced legal challenges, Hayes noted.
"There are interests around the country that believe BRAC overstepped their legal authority," he said.
The fighter squadron and related support facilities and staff pump an estimated $38 million dollars into the Great Falls area, Hayes said, and that doesn't even take into account the "multiplier effect" of those dollars or the 200-plus jobs it creates.
The March fundraiser not only drew a large and diverse crowd people who paid a significant price for their tickets it also demonstrated tavern owners' ability to raise funds for the community, Hayes said. Some $5,000 worth of auction items were donated by area businesses to benefit the cause, he added.
Regaling the crowd that evening were the Clumsy Lovers of Vancouver, B.C., a Celtic-bluegrass fusion quintet that has dazzled music lovers across the country and visited Montana numerous times.
The band lent plenty of liveliness to the affair and no doubt helped put folks in the mood for the evening, said Hayes. In particular the band's talented and lively fiddle player, Andrea Lewis who is married to bass player Chris Jonat dazzled the crowd with her energetic licks and dynamic presence.
Lewis, at most gigs, gets up on the bar or a table at some point to wow the crowd with her fiddle and dancing. At one point, she jumped up and began playing on the table in front of MTA members Jupe Compton and Russ Devries.
"Oh man, she jumped up on that table and started playing that fiddle, and their chins hit the floor and their eyes fell on their cheeks," Hayes said with a chuckle.
"Nobody left," he added. "They stayed and watched those kids play all night long."
Other special guests that evening included Montana Sen. Max Baucus, who spoke to the crowd, Great Falls Mayor Randy Gray, county commissioners, military personnel and a lot of other people interested in seeing the National Guard fighter squadron "stay put," Hayes said.
While the CCTA enjoys a particularly strong reputation for successful fundraising and community involvement, Hayes brushed off the praise and instead emphasized that tavern owners statewide even nationwide regularly contribute to diverse charitable causes.
"It's just one of the things the industry does, being good neighbors and we are good neighbors," he said.
The highly successful fundraiser helped underscore that point, demonstrating that tavern owners are vitally concerned about the economic health and well-being of their communities, said Hayes.
He added that the event was also a lot of fun for everyone.
"It was good stuff," he said.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, August, 2005, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.