Fireman's Ball exceeds expectation for sucessful evening
<p>Kyle Johnson of the Plains Volunteer Fire Department holding one of the items up for auction during the Fireman's Ball at the Plains VFW on March 31.</p>
<p>A member of the Plains Volunteer Fire Department looking for more guests to serve at the Fireman's Ball on March 31 at the Plains VFW.</p>
On March 31 the Plains VFW dining hall was packed to capacity for the annual Fireman’s Ball. Firemen from the Plains Volunteer Fire Department served up around 250 people who were looking for a fun night out.
According to Fire Chief Larry Ballantyne, this year’s Fireman’s Ball was the most successful ever. The ball brought in around $10,000. It’s the largest amount the Fireman’s Ball has ever raised.
The money will be used to make improvements on the equipment where needed. One such upgrade that will be addressed are the pagers and radios the department uses. They don’t have the capacity to broadcast narrowband channels.
“Some of our radios and pagers are capable of that and some aren’t,” said Ballantyne. “What we’re looking at is getting our communications updated.”
The night began with dinner based on a Hawaiian theme. The main dish was teriyaki beef kabobs and the firefighters served dinner while dressed in Hawaiian shirts. The walls were also decorated to look like there were tropical trees.
Dinner was followed by a live auction with items such as local art, food and gift baskets, and hunting accessories. The auction was headed by Plains local Gene Johnson, who stepped up and was a well-received auctioneer.
“He’s the best auctioneer we’ve ever had, said Ballantyne. “He did an incredible job.”
The biggest item up for auction was the old Pierce fire engine. It ended up selling for $1,700.
Some of the items up for auction were created by the firefighters themselves. A print of a painting Firefighter Joe Sheppard made of a B-17 Bomber sold for $275.
Sheppard also used his artistic talent to have a little fun with Fire Chief Larry Ballantyne. After all the items were auctioned off, Sheppard unveiled a painting he had made of Ballantyne and had people in the audience make false bids.
“I thought it would be fun to pull a joke on the fire chief,” said Sheppard. “He had no idea that was coming up.”
“I kind of liked the picture myself,” said Ballantyne. “I think it depicts a lot.”
After the auction, Eric “Fingers” Ray set up on stage and played for the remainder of the night. Ray played for those who stayed as the Fireman’s Ball went all the way until 1:00 a.m.
It was a historic evening for the Plains Volunteer Fire Department and the members were pleased with the outcome.
“It’s the best we’ve ever had and I’m really happy with the result,” said Ballantyne.