Event raises money for worthy causes

TROUT CREEK - People let their redneck flag fly Saturday night at the Lakeside Resort and Convention Center to raise funds for the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association, which helps maintain the Trout Creek boat launch, hosts a haunted house during Halloween, works in partnership with the school and hosts many other holiday celebrations.

The event was titled, “The Trout Creek Cabin Fever Redneck Ball.”

The doors opened to the public at 5 p.m. With entry, each person was given a ticket with a number, which they were told to hold onto tightly for the door prizes that were called later in the night. The kitchen served up pigs-in-a-blanket and pulled pork sandwiches.

The atmosphere was laid back and people wore their best redneck outfits. Some people dressed the part more than others. Overalls were stuffed with hay, and people’s best torn hats were adorned with ribbons and belts. One person who was dressed the part that got a lot of attention was Cheryll Strange, who dressed, as she put it, as “The Best Darn Waitress.” She had had a high wig with a waitress outfit on and over-the-top makeup.

At 7pm the main show commenced. People took their seats or stood at the back near the bar. The show consisted of a live auction run by Colonel Kevin Hill, different musical skits and comedy routines.

The Olivers, Dave and Deb, along with others, played as different types of musical groups, including, the “D and D,” “Sons of Biscuits,” “The Famous Knapweeds,” “Jolly Oompah Meisters,” and the “The Rockin’ Hot Rods and Cowboy Crooner Ray.” The, “Sons of Biscuits,” Ken Bickerstaff, Bill Eckloff and Dave Oliver, played cowboy comedy songs and recited comedic cowboy poetry. “The Famous Knapweeds,” was a group of rednecks who were simple minded, told jokes and played fiddle music, washtubs and the guitar. “D and D,” Dave and Deb Oliver, played country songs and were also part of “The Rockin’ Hot Rods and Cowboy Crooner Kenny Ray,” which played music at the end of the night for people to dance to.

One skit that had people rolling over with laughter was “Milo and the Village People,” which was a musical piece that included Milo, a dog dressed as a person with human arms, singing “YMCA”.  Games were also played throughout the night. One in particular that got a lot of people involved was a game of heads or tails. Before each time a coin was flipped by announcer Don Manning, people either had to put their hands on their heads or butts, depending on what they thought the outcome would be. If a person was wrong, they had to sit down until only one person was left standing. They received a small prize at the end of the night. The price to play was $10.

Along with the live auction, which included a raft with a fly rod, a TV, hats, a diamond necklace and a .22 caliber rifle, there were tables set with bucket raffle prizes. For $5 dollars per ticket, or $20 dollars for five tickets, a person could drop tickets into covered buckets in front of a prize they hoped to win in a drawing. Some of the prizes included a Keurig, an elk ivory necklace, a family package of yard toys and a grill, a chainsaw, and hunting gear.

One lucky person also won a .40 caliber Taurus Handgun. For a price, balloons were passed out with a ticket inside. The balloons were all popped at once. A number was called and the matching number from the balloon was the winner.

When the night ended, chairs were moved and people danced to classic rock songs, bluegrass music and oldies. People who just met danced together, and the dancing continued well past 11pm.

“I thought it was great fun, Milo was my favorite,” said Susy Mott of Thompson Falls, who sat in the front row of the show and then got up and danced when the chairs were moved. Other people were amazed at how well the show went since it was the first ever “Redneck Ball.” Debbie Andrews said, “I thought they did a great job.” She then said, “Dave and Deb (Oliver) did such a great job and Milo was cute.” Andrews then said that she was glad to help raise money for Trout Creek, which she said was a great community.