Gallatin TA packs 'em in for good cause
By Paul Tash, Montana Tavern Times
The planners of the annual dinner for the Gallatin County Licensed Beverage Association know how to pick a date for their fundraising extravaganza.
The mid-winter affair last year enjoyed a balmy day in the mid-40s. And this year it landed on another gorgeous mid-40s day that allowed folks from far and wide to attend the event.
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| Among the hundreds who enjoyed themselves at the recent Gallatin County LBA dinner were Jake and Kristi Hewuse. |
About 400 took advantage of good weather and clear roads to attend this year's dinner and fundraiser Jan. 25 at the GranTree.
The affair began with a hosted cocktail party packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people enjoying a drink from one of two open bars. Appetizers of meatballs and shrimp appetizers were plentiful and delicious.
When the dinner bell rang at about 8 p.m., folks were primed for more food and fun. Party-goers then dined on prime rib, scalloped potatoes and green beans. Also on the table were buckets of clams, and the little sliders seemed to go down quite well.
Ralph Ferraro stepped to the microphone as dinner was consumed to serve another year as emcee. Did somebody say this was Ralph Ferraro's 36th year of emceeing this event? Did I hear that correctly? 36 years? If that's true, then Ralph started awfully young because someone said he had just celebrated his 39th birthday. Hmm.
Ferraro, as usual, handled his duties impeccably.
The Gallatin County tavern dinner may be the most efficiently run dinner in the state. It gets rolling along on time, gets its business done, and finishes with plenty of time to visit with old and new friends. Much of the credit for that goes to Ralph, and the 2011 edition was no different.
Dean Folkvord, CEO of Wheat Montana, again displayed his auctioneering skills for the five-item live auction. Up for bid were five impressive packages:
• A Chico Hot Springs getaway featuring two nights lodging and dinners for four people (won by Shar Caraway);
• An ultimate sportsman's package that included a Sage fly rod and a float trip(won by Brett Walker);
• A NASCAR Crown Royal race car package that featured two VIP passes and two grandstand tickets to a race in September at Chicago Land Raceway (won by Derek Bronken);
• A 50” flat screen HDTV and oak TV cabinet (won by Kathy Bushnell);
• And the Perfect Patio Prize, featuring a 26” flat screen HDTV and an outdoor electric patio heater (won by Bob Fletcher).
The Calcutta drawing, as usual, attracted much attention.
Jeff Flatness of the Squire Lounge in Billings won the grand prize 0f $2,000, while Brett Walker won the $800. Locati Architects, Katie Malone, and Tom Hougen collected $500.The rest of the eight selected to participate won $200.
After the 6th out, Joe Domanski from the Pourhouse was bought out by Hougen, from the Cat's Paw for $700. The deal went bad immediately, however, as Hougen was the very next to go down.
Money raised is used to fund dozens of charities chosen by the Gallatin County LBA.