Trisha Shanks
Arrow Lakes News
Santa’s parade begins 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 13, finishing at Burton Community Hall. Guests can step inside to warm up and enjoy the special occasion bar and silent auction which is being done a little differently this year. Instead of signing their name, each bidder will place a number on their desired item’s bid sheet, to preserve anonymity.
“People told us that sometimes knowing who they were bidding against made it harder to put down a competing bid,” said organizer and volunteer fire chief Brian Harrop.
Items to be won include a logging truck of wood, car repairs and hotel stays.
A pork dinner with all the trimmings begins at 5:30 p.m., with live entertainment to follow.
“We got great feedback on the live musicians instead of karaoke so that’s what we’re going with this year. Acoustic improvements are already underway to make the sound better,” Harrop added.
This is the sixth annual fundraiser for the Burton Volunteer Fire Department’s Christmas party and is one of the only methods through which the organization receives funds. The Volunteer Fire Department is not on the tax base and does not receive public funds. Of their $18,000 per year operating budget, all of it has to come from fundraising, grants and private donations.
One of the biggest attractions of the evening is the Cash Raffle. For just $5, raffle ticket buyers will have a one in 1,500 chance to win three cash prizes of $1000, $500 and $250.
“The dinner sold out last year, so act quickly if you plan to attend. For dinner tickets, contact Linda at (250) 265-3492. Raffle tickets can be purchased at many locations around town,” Harrop said.
Activities begin at 4 p.m. on December 13 and go until 1 a.m..