While lightning storms might have washed out most of the Heritage Days festivities this fall, the Friday night banquet at the South Street gym was another rousing success.
The sold-out event attracted more than 200 people to the popular brisket supper, which has clearly become a community gathering highlight each autumn. Local musicians Agave opened the entertainment before turning over the stage to the Bar D Wranglers, who have become mainstays at the annual banquet with their cowboy music and humor.
"The valley bakers outdid themselves this year, and I was in awe at how many dozens of cookies filled our tables!" said Anne Schrier, one of the many members of the Pine River Valley Heritage Society who volunteers as a banquet host.
The extra cookies attracted $40 in donations, with the surplus given to J. Paul Brown's hard-working herders, local firefighters and the Bar D Wranglers for an upcoming road trip..
The all-volunteer Heritage Society has so many people to thanks for pulling off another great night, including tireless coordinators Tony and Anne Schrier, volunteer caterer Melanie Semler, ace servers Ron and Janice Dunavant, plus Jim Tencza, Cecelia Smith, Dan Dvojak, Carole McWlliams, Joanne McCoy, Edith Balceris, Dennis Hillyer, the La Plata County Fair Royalty, Shirlene Hendrix, Brenda's Old West Cafe and the Grocery Store.
The evening's success is further proof that the Pine River Valley Heritage Society is a vital community connector in addition to its role as the preserver of the valley's past.
