The Big Sandy Rotary held its annual Spring fundraiser on Saturday night, the Jurassic Park Benefit and Banquet. The first thing you noticed was the incredible stage that Shon Tester built. Carla Courtnage says, "Shon spent hours and hours building it." It was a very tall stage, clearly representing the tall gate going into Jurassic Park. The jungle's vines fall from the ceiling over the entire stage. Four dinosaurs roamed across the room. Three dinosaurs were in costumes, and one, the smallest one, was a remote-controlled dinosaur.
The food was as good as always, and there was plenty of it to eat! My favorite was the mushrooms, and I saw piles of mushrooms on others' plates, too. I also loved the lemon dessert.
This was the 75th anniversary of the Big Sandy Rotary Club and the 40th year of the annual Benefit and Banquet. In the last 39 years, the Club, with the generous support of our community, has raised and donated an impressive $770,000 to the Big Sandy community.
The evening was filled with excitement as we held numerous silent auctions and three live auctions. The generosity of our community was on full display, with items like a cedar chest donated by Gary Gullickson, a Fire Pit crafted by Central Machine and Ag Repair, and Range Wagyu Beef all up for auction. The $1,000 grand door prize, sponsored by Tilleman Motor Company, was won by Hill County Electric, adding to the evening's success.
Let's give a round of applause to our lucky winners! Chase Gasvoda took home the two camp chairs, a 42 Qt cooler, and a Patio Heater. Cora and Gene Welty were winners, scoring the Solo Stove. Connor Freedman won the Milwaukee Tool Box. Clete Ophus is in for a treat with the Wellness package, which includes $100 from the Sagebrush, $100 from Hair I Am, $100 from Blushing Willow, $100 from Addie Dion Massage, and $100 from Bakery. IND Hemp is now the proud owner of a 65-inch television. Weston and JQ Birkland can now enjoy their very own Coffee Bar. CJ and Katie Hanson have a $1,000 gift certificate from The Grocery Store to spend. Keith Tokerud is the lucky winner of three $500 gift certificates: one from The Mint, one from Pep's, and one from the Club. And finally, a big congratulations to Shawn Webster and Monica Collins, who won the grand Prize of $3,000 from the Big Sandy Rotary Club.
