The next "Sit & Stew will be held in March 2011
Geyser Fundraiser
Showcases
a Variety of Talents
By Vicky McCray
Judith Basin Press News-Editor
The newly furbished Geyser Community Hall was a welcoming venue for the Geyser FCE’s second annual Sit and Stew fundraiser last Saturday night. For some the event was their first chance to see the hall arrayed in its new attire, the elegant sconce lighting, new paint job, beautifully refinished floor and revitalized wood window frames giving the “old place” a major facelift. Everyone in attendance Saturday night had nothing but compliments for those involved in the hard work that has made the hall a great place for community occasions.
This year’s Sit and Stew proved a great success for its organizers, a wide variety of Geyserites, as well as folks from Stanford, Belt and Great Falls, taking in the fun. Everyone who walked in the door was given two tickets for a small donation, the tickets allowing the holder two very important votes.
The evening got underway as 10 people put their cooking talents on the line, vying for favorite soup, stew or chili honors. People were given the chance to taste each of the 10 pottages and then gave up one of their tickets to their favorite. Rolls, dessert, coffee and lemonade added to a bowl of a person’s voted favorite made a light dinner before the rest of the evening got started.
Those brave souls who cooked for the occasion were as follows: LeeAnn Budeski of Great Falls, wheat chili; Kelsey Croston of Geyser, cabbage soup; Drew Shirey of Geyser, three-bean chili; Joe Olson of Geyser, jambalaya; Sandy Johnson of Geyser, white chili; Cliff Nottingham of Geyser, chili; Bret Vaskey of Geyser, gumbo; Janet Zimmerman of Geyser, chili; Kris Hill of Geyser, minestrone soup; and Doreen Caquelin of Stanford, chili.
The people’s choice winner was the gumbo, and Bret Vaskey has graciously agreed to share his award-winning recipe with Press readers. Please check it out at the end of this article.
While the taste testing was in full swing, 16 stools were placed on view for people to look over, their second ticket declaring their choice for favorite stool. Stool artisans for this year’s fundraiser were Sheryl McCray, Keri Olson, Sue Evans, Joe Olson, Holly Croff, Zee Knutson, Andrea Harlow, Norma Cripps, Kimberly Smith, Ken Mapston Peggy Hill and Kaylee Smith, all of Geyser; Dixie Youderian and Steve Lillegard, both of Stanford; and Darcy Mapston and Marilyn Pimperton, both of Belt.
The people’s choice winner was Zee Knutson, whose stool had a Geyser Wrangler theme with an added bonus: the seat of the stool, which was “sittable,” was also a cribbage board. The center of the seat could be lifted off to reveal a space for storing the cards and the pegs for the board, the pegs fashioned by Dutch Knutson.
The stools were sold at auction, amassing over $2,300 for the FCE coffers. They were proof of the huge amount of talent in the area. Auctioneer Dutch Knutson also revealed his talent by getting folks to let loose of their hard-earned cash and taking home a one-of-a-kind stool. The money generated by the Sit and Stew is given back to the Geyser community.
After the auction the evening continued with musical talent, many people just enjoying the sounds of Geyser’s trio of musicians, John Antonich on guitar, Misty Annala on keyboard and Dutch Knutson on tuba, joined by Storm Norick of Belgrade on fiddle and Billy of Belt on drums. Other folks kicked up their heels on the dance floor.
All in all, it was a great outing for someone looking for a unique way to spend a Saturday evening and a lucrative fundraiser for the Geyser FCE.
