Plains fundraiser nets $15k for community projects
Plains Park and Recreation committee Chair Rebecca Fields, right, makes final preparations for the Splash N Bash event with Suzy Von Heeder. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
The Reyna family, Atalya, Chris, Zen, Zhaya and Amaeus (Ahava not pictured) at the auction. (Charles W Bickenheuser photo)
Plains Community Ambulance at the Splash n Bash. (Charles W Bickenheuser photo)
Plains Volunteer Fire Department raises the American flag. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Studs Building and Home owner Joel Collett conducts the auction during the Splash N Bash event to raise money for playground equipment. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Volunteer Suzy Von Heeder shows off the apple pie donated by Paula Dimond that received a winning bid of $150 during the Splash n Bash live auction. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Last Friday, the Plains Parks and Recreation Committee (PRC) held the inaugural Splash-n-Bash! Fundraiser.
The late afternoon event on the east side of the large swimming pool at the Greg Welty Memorial Park, was a tremendous success, said Becky Fields, the Chair of the committee.
The committee's goal includes raising $60,000 for a children's outdoor gym and additional funds for sidewalks to the three small pergolas at Welty Park. Fields said the auction collected, pending a final count, about $15,000.
The PRC also plans to fund a new series of metal horses along the strip that parallels Main Street and a "Mommy and Me" swing for Welty Park.
In Welty Park, where at least once a week 15 or more people try to huddle under one of the smaller pergolas, the PRC would fund a large pergola with a built-in stone wall and fireplace to block the wind and warm people in early spring or late fall.
About three hundred people attended the event, participating in both the silent and live auctions. All donated auction items for the event were purchased. Adding to the evening, both the wading and large swimming pools were open.
Five vendors offered food and summer drinks: Aloha Eats, Big Al's, Btchn Ktchn BBQ, Ace's Coffee, and KooKoosint Coffee. Two of the food vendors sold out, said Fields.
The live auctioneer, Joel Colette from Stud's Building and Home, also sang the national anthem. Many people commented on Joel's good singing voice.
Cathy Emmett and Jonalie Comeau, who maintain the town's business office, served as clerk and cashier for the auctions. The runners for the live auction included Liza Stutzman from LS Real Estate, Cori Kerner from the Town (responsible for, among many other tasks, the summer care of Plains' two parks), and Natalie Frankhauser and Jessica Kirchner, who managed the kids' games.
In support of the PRC, several local businesses donated items. At the start of the live auction, 39 "lots" were listed, and the list grew as the live auction continued. A sample of the lots included a custom Adirondack chair, a Pendleton queen-size blanket, one truckload of crushed gravel, a one-person EMT scholarship, and a pallet of thick patio bronze rock.
To support the PRC's projects, the next annual Splash & Bash Fundraiser will be held in August 2026. Local businesses and artists have begun pledging donations. Next year, the Plains Pie Throwing contest and a Dunk Tank featuring our local personalities and elected leaders will add to the schedule of events.
The Reyna family, Atalya, Chris, Zen, Zhaya and Amaeus (Ahava not pictured) at the auction. (Charles W Bickenheuser photo)
Plains Community Ambulance at the Splash n Bash. (Charles W Bickenheuser photo)
Plains Volunteer Fire Department raises the American flag. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Studs Building and Home owner Joel Collett conducts the auction during the Splash N Bash event to raise money for playground equipment. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Volunteer Suzy Von Heeder shows off the apple pie donated by Paula Dimond that received a winning bid of $150 during the Splash n Bash live auction. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)