The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Members of the North Central Montana Shrine Club are preparing to receive their usual shipment of three tons of Vidalia onions. The annual sale of the delectable Georgia onion, according to Shrine officials, is their best fundraiser of the year. Onion sale proceeds provide money to help kids, and their families, with travel expenses to the Shriners' Hospital in Spokane.

Henry Tweeten, a Shriner from Havre, has been heading up the regional onion sale since it started about a decade ago. Tweeten said, "We started selling Vidalia onions when some members from Billings, who worked for the railroad, transferred to the Hi-Line. One of them told us about the onion sales and our club decided to give it a try. The onion sale and the fall beef sale are the two major sources for our club funds."

The trademarked onions coming to this part of Montana are produced by the Onionman Company in Glennville, Georgia, in the heart of the Vidalia Sweet Onion production belt. Tweeten explained about the supplier, "There are other Vidalia onion growers who sell to civic groups but the Glennville farm has a special passion for Shriners. It's a three generation farm and the owners are Shriners."

Onion seeds are planted in September and the 'sets' are transplanted after about eight weeks. The 15,000 acres of onions certified as Vidalia Sweet Onions, with about 80,000 sets per acre, will be harvested in May and June. Readers can do the math, but that's a lot of Vidalia onions that will be available across the country in time for outdoor barbeques and family gatherings.

The 10-pound bags of onions sell for $13. One challenge, per the local Shriners, is that the Vidalia onions "get here when they get here." Shriner Larry Surber, of Chinook, explained, "We never have an exact date as to when the onions will be delivered but should be before the end of May this year." Shriners work to make sure everyone gets a chance at onions each season. Various club members will deliver bags to customers or pre-ordered bags will be available at an announced location in each community.

In the Big Sandy area local members of the Shrine Club are taking phone orders for onions. To order onions, call Terry Grant, cell phone at 390-2922, Marvin Works, home phone at 378-3253 or Alvin Bitz, home phone at 265-0626.