Hay auction helps fund tractor
Linda Sappington
Layton Tallwhiteman, left, helps John Weber unload a ton of hay from Westland Seed just before the bidding began Saturday at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
Linda Sappington
Auctioneer Travis Jeppesen keeps an eye on the subtle head nods of bidders.
Linda Sappington
Auctioneer Travis Jeppesen keeps the prices up as he brings in $150 for 10 square bales donated from the Symington’s ranch.
Linda Sappington
Lisa Houle and her son Gabriel Brown consider the prices as the auction continues. Brown, self-proclaimed math whiz, was along to help his mom with the figures.
Linda Sappington
More than 10 tons of hay brought in $3,000 during the fundraising event.
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
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It may not be the biggest fairground in Western Montana, but the Lake County Fairgrounds is growing into a charming venue able to host a variety of events.
“We figure if we can’t go for big, we can go for cute,” Friends of the Fairgrounds member Cynthie Preston said.
With recent additions of land, fencing, a warm-up arena and a park-like setting, the fair board and Friends of the Fairgrounds members are beginning to see an increase in use of the grounds.
“That’s our idea,” Preston said — to bring people, events and ultimately more revenue to the area.
Yet with all the improvements, they still don’t have a tractor of their own. Saturday’s hay auction and
barbecue was organized to raise enough cash to purchase one.
Volunteer Ken Snyder, who often uses his own tractor around the arena, found a great used one at Post Creek Supply and owner John Weber knocked $2,000 off the price. Both men were on hand Saturday to offload about 10 tons of hay for the auction.
For some ranchers, drought conditions and heat have made it a tough year for hay. The going rate to purchase the feed is up to $200 per ton, and bidders exceeded that in some cases as auctioneer Travis Jeppesen did his best to keep the bids going.
People came to purchase bales for several reasons.
Lisa Houle and her son Gabriel Brown came primarily to support the fairgrounds.
“My husband does a lot rodeo, and want to see it thrive and stick around,” she said.
Gwen Nelda Bones said she had a mare that cut her leg and another that was close to floundering, so both had to be kept inside rather than grazing in the pasture. That depleted her some of her hay supply early in the season.
“We need an additional ton for get through the winter,” she said.
Friends of the Fairgrounds, who affectionately refer to themselves as “FOG,” barbecued burgers and hot dogs and serve up with fresh-picked corn to help add to the coffers.
Although the turnout was perhaps less than hoped for, volunteers stayed positive.
“It’s money we didn’t have,” Snyder said.
Fair Board president Sjaan Vincent praised Snyder’s dedication for all the time he spends working around the fairgrounds.
“I just help out. They are my neighbors,” Snyder said. “It’s a good project. I wish more people would get involved.”
