LUSK – The sounds of country music filled the air and the dance floor was filled as people dressed in everything from basic blue jeans to formal gowns danced to Justin Peasley and the After the Rodeo Band. 

The Niobrara County Fairgrounds Foundation held its first annual Boots’n’Bling evening of fun and fundraising on Saturday, Nov. 13. The Fairgrounds Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a five member board of community members that supports the capital improvements and maintenance projects for the Niobrara County Fair Grounds. It is not a governance group and supports the existing Fair Board. 

Dinner of barbecue beef, potatoes, green beans, salad, coleslaw and dessert was donated by Clark & Associates Realty, Angry Irishman BBQ, LLC and Hickory Creek Catering. The meal was free and there was no admission fee to attend the event. 

As attendees began to gather they could walk through and bid on the forty silent auction items and get a drink from the cash bar. A 50/50 card raffle was available for purchase along with thirty live auction options which included chances for a half of hog, a metal rocking chair donated by the Rawhide FFA, one of Stan Aamodt’s windmills, spurs by Pat Wade, a gift basket of various items from the Rollicking Ranchers 4-H club and numerous other big-ticket items. Over three dozen individual and business donors came together to provide prizes and cash support for the foundation’s big evening.

As a first time event, the organizers had no idea what to expect; but the some 250 attendees did not disappoint in their support of the new foundation. With Matney Auction Service for the live auction and numerous volunteers the evening was a success by any standard. The event is just the beginning for what the foundation hopes to make an annual event, along with other fundraisers throughout the year that will support many worthy projects at the fair grounds in years to come. For more information or to donate please contact the Niobrara County Fairgrounds Foundation (NCFF) Treasurer, Teri Stephens or go to the fairgrounds website at https://www.loc8nearme.com/wyoming/lusk/niobrara-county-fairgrounds/6399482/