The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

This year's theme of the Rotary Banquet is Rhinestone Cowboy Rotary. The question would be, what do you wear to that? Shon Tester said, "I found his old Rhinestone Cowboy attire from back in the day" from his Grandfather's closet. And I thought, man, wouldn't it be great to have an event where we could wear this kind of stuff? Because I know I'm not the only one with a closet full of this attire. And so many people come up to me, saying, we don't know what to do. And so here it is in black, and white Rhinestone Cowboy is essentially formal wear for cowboys. So make it yours. Go big! Bust out the Stetson and great grandpa's silver spurs and have a night because here's your opportunity." I don't have a full closet, but I bought some rhinestone shoes. Does that count?

"The set will be designed from the Grand Ole Opry Red Barn facade from the 60s and 70s. We've had a lot of fun planning this, and it also coincides with a lot of prizes that we have coming up. Sarah Sura has made a custom hat on display at the bank. It's incredible. And there will be a surprise at the banquet, made by the hands of Sarah Sura."

"The donations are coming in, and the ticket sales are fantastic. And if anyone wants to purchase a ticket, you can go to the bank in town. Our auction items and prizes will also be on display at the bank. It's going to be a fun evening. I'm really looking forward to it. We worked hard to build up this big moneymaker. We bring in around $20,00 to $25,000, which is a significant number, but it would be better if it were bigger because some huge projects in this community are multi-million dollar projects. Yes. So we need people to show up. We need people not just to buy a ticket and show up, but we need you to show up and play the games. Play Plinko and go to the horse races! There are going to be some new games this year. Hilarity will ensue. "

They are going to a trivia contest concerning the history of Big Sandy, where people can win money.

"One of the projects we're working on is the new Big Sandy pool. A million dollar plus project." Then, Ron Weems, CEO of the Big Sandy Medical Center and a fellow Rotarian, joined the interview. Ron said, "I bought a special shirt for that. I'm so excited. I want to show everyone, but it has to be a surprise. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Ron and Shon visited about the other Rotarian projects they have been considering. "There's the fishing hole we're looking into, which will be Bob Nelson's idea (of course)." Shon said, "I think a fishing hole in Big Sandy is just absolutely wonderful. The Rotary is also looking at a walking pathway around town. They are putting in dugouts at the baseball field. Rotary is also visiting about a new watering system at the baseball field-another project they might do is more for our cemetery. There are no park benches or park lights at the cemetery. Not to mention the scholarships they give out."

The district governor was here recently, and it was a wonderful event. Shon said the district governor praised Big Sandy. "We're pretty oblivious to the reality of how strong our community Rotary is. He said small towns of 600 people have maybe five Rotarians. We had a room full of 22 of us. And his mind was further blown when he realized that the youngest member of Rotary in the entire state of Montana is in our hometown. Mia Edwards at the age of 18. She is the youngest one in the state." The Governor asked,"' Why did you want to join Rotary? And her answer was simple. I like helping people!" And that is exactly what Rotary is.