SWING into SPRING with WINGS: YAAK’S
Tradition of Giving Continuous…Continued from Page 1
The Yaak WINGS event started in 1997 when Suzanne and Keith Hagerty, owners of the Yaak River Mercantile and Tavern, hosted the first WINGS live auction and Cinco De Mayo dinner as close to May 5th as possible.
They wanted to extend the fund raising for WINGS to the Yaak. The Tavern was decorated in a Mexican theme complete with piñatas, and a live auction followed the dinner.
The event has grown and changed over the years to include raffles, a silent auction, live music, and the live auction. WINGS is a zero-overhead organization, so all monies raised go to those in need.
The 2022 event brought in $54,120. This was the most money raised in the history of the Yaak WINGS event and almost 46% of the total amount raised in Lincoln County.
These funds helped 110 Lincoln County cancer patients. The need for funds is greater than ever as there was a 24% increase in grants awarded from 2021 to 2022. The average grant award was $1078. Cancer does not discriminate by age, as WINGS recipients are as young as 16 and as old as 88.
Now in its 26th year, the 2023 Yaak event is called “SWING into SPRING with WINGS” and will be held at the Yaak River Tavern and Mercantile on Saturday, May 13th.
The Yaak River Tavern and Mercantile continues to be the sponsor and host of this event.
The gate opens at noon and includes live music, a beer and wine pull, silent action, bucket raffle, 50/50 raffle, and a spaghetti dinner for a $15 donation beginning at 4:30 pm.
The unpredictable wild and rowdy live auction begins at 7 pm. Last year a bison scrotum beer koozie created by Mountain Man Tom Oar sold for $3300!
For more information about the event or to donate items for the auction, please call the event chairperson, Kristy Hensel, at 295-7710. Checkout the Facebook page www.facebook/yaakwings for updates on the event and to preview auction items.
Submitted by Sandra Beder-Miller
Upcoming Workshops to Discuss Succession Planning for Forestlands
Forest landowners and agricultural producers are invited to attend two upcoming workshops on succession planning.
The “Ties to the Land” workshops, sponsored by the Montana Forest Stewardship Foundation, are scheduled separately for May 6 in Helena and May 13 in Kalispell. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is co-sponsoring the Kalispell workshop.
Forest landowners, farmers, and ranchers are invited to participate in the workshops. Cost is $50 for the first family member and $10 for each additional family member. Seating is limited to 25 people per workshop.
The full-day workshops will focus on assisting families with understanding succession planning. Millions of acres of family-owned forest land in the U.S. and thousands of Montana family-owned forestlands will change hands in the coming years. Some forests and other rural lands may be converted to different uses because owners didn’t take charge of the succession process in time.
The workshop is Helena is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Delta Hotels Helena Colonial, 2301 Colonial Drive. The workshop in Kalispell is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Montana FWP Region 1 office, 490 N. Meridian.
For more information or to register, visit https://www.foreststewardshipfoundation.org/events.
Submitted y Montana FWP