Page 25 - Flathead Beacon // 3.25.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS MARCH 25, 2015 | 25 Off the Blogs
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MAIN STREET WIRE
COMMUNITY SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR CRESTON AUCTION
Volunteers are needed for the 49th annual Creston Auction and Country Fair and the accompanying Auto, Marine, RV and Equipment Sale.
The 2015 auction will be held the weekend of April 10-12 in Creston, 12 miles east of Kalispell on Montana Highway 35. The three-day event is run entirely by volunteers and raises money for the rural Creston Fire Department.
People interested in volunteering are invited to attend a meeting Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Creston Fire Station, 4498 Hwy 35, Kalispell, to learn more about how they can participate.
During auction weekend, help is needed Friday, April 10, to unload trucks and trailers as items are dropped off at the sale site. Intake on Consignment Day runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., so community members can help for the morning, afternoon or even just a couple of hours after work.
On Saturday, organizers need those people who are able to hold auction items up so they can be readily seen by the bidders. The event also needs additional people available to help with the cleanup on both Saturday and Sunday.
Volunteers are also sought for every aspect of the auction, which starts Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday at noon. Community members make this fundraiser happen, and the Creston Fire Department encourages auction attendees to volunteer for part of the event. With multiple food stations, the indoor rummage sale and the outdoor auction, there are areas suited for everyone to help out.
Food and drink will be available to all volunteers throughout each day. Volunteers are reminded to dress warmly and for the weather; work gloves are also advisable, particularly Friday.
The Creston Auction & Country Fair is the Creston Fire Department’s annual fundraiser. The money raised at the auction goes towards the purchase of additional training programs and firefighting equipment without using tax dollars.
For more information, visit the website and auction FAQs page at www. crestonfire.org, or on Facebook under “Creston Auction,” or call the auction hotline at 406-250-7396.
NEW GROUP FORMED TO REMEMBER SLAIN TODDLER
Friends and family of Forrest Groshelle, the 2-year-old boy who was allegedly murdered last month in Evergreen, have formed a non-
profit group to help impoverished and neglected children in the Flathead Valley. The group, Voices for Forrest, is kicking off its efforts with an Easter basket drive to give 400 local kids a brighter holiday.
The newly formed group, which is currently seeking non-profit status, has teamedupwiththeSalvationArmyand Family Friendly Flathead to gather pre- made Easter baskets. People can bring baskets to Raj Salon, the Aquarium Shop and Norby’s Car Care. The deadline to donate is March 31. The baskets will be distributed at the Family Friendly Easter Egg Hunt at the Kalispell Center Mall and Red Lion Hotel on April 4 from 11 to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit the Voices for Forrest Facebook page.
INFORMATIONALMEETINGON HASKILL BASIN PLANNED FOR MARCH 26
Whitefish residents and business owners are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on the Haskill Basin project on Thursday, March 26, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. The one-hour meeting will include a presentation from Mayor John Muhlfeld, Q & A, and refreshments. The event is sponsored by Vote Yes for Water, Protect Haskill Basin, Treasurer Fred Jones.
The Whitefish City Council has referred a measure to voters that will allow the City of Whitefish to protect 3,000 acres in Haskill Basin that have provided 75 percent of Whitefish’s drinking water for over a century, by purchasing a 3,000-acre easement.
Approximately $7.7 million in funds raised by the proposed increase in the City’s resort tax from 2 percent to 3 percent would be used to leverage $9 million in federal grants that pay more than half the cost of the easement to protect Haskill Basin, continue sustainable timber harvest to maintain local jobs and provide wild fire mitigation, as well as preserve wildlife habitat and permanent recreational access.
Currently owned by F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company, the value of the easement is estimated at $20.6 million, but Stoltze has agreed to a price of $17 million. While 70 percent of resort tax funds would go toward the easement purchase for protection of Haskill Basin, 25 percent would provide additional property tax relief for Whitefish homeowners and businesses, and 5 percent would be devoted toward merchants’ cost of administration.
For more information go to www. protectwhitefishwater.org
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