BONNYVILLE – St. John’s United Church hosted a Country Hoedown Dine and Dance fundraiser. The Beaver River Fish and Game building was transformed into a western themed dance hall, with live music from the Bonnyville based band Buckhorn Steel.
The event took place on May 3, and organizer Jacki Kunec said this annual event is usually Luau-themed, but with the band playing country-rock music, they decided to switch it up with a country western theme.
“We’ve always had to raise money for the church, just to keep the lights on and things like that. We always have projects for the church – we needed a new furnace, and this year it was our stained-glass window that had a crack in it that needs repairs. So, we have to do these fundraisers, but it’s always a ton of fun,” said Kunec.
Kunec spoke of how special it was to be one of few churches with stained glass and explained the historical significance of the piece.
“A United Church was built by Father Duclos when he came here around 100 years ago – he rebuilt the school, the church, and the hospital. [A] family donated that stained glass to the church. We built a new church, and the stained glass was installed. So, it’s part of the history, and it’s so beautiful. When the sun comes in it just lights up and oh, it’s just lovely,” said Kunec.
The event had a silent and live auction, and Kunec said they had been selling raffle tickets for this event for the past three months, with $1,000 cash prize, $500 worth of beef, and $500 worth of gift cards for groceries.
The event featured a mock jail cell, where guests were thrown into throughout the evening, and emcee Les Parsons auctioned for their bail money - all proceeds going towards the fundraiser. Town of Bonnyville Coun. Byron Johnson was in attendance and had to be sprung from the fundraiser's slammer.
“We came up with all these crazy ideas, and we figured we needed a jail and a Sherif as part of the fundraising...It’s just so fun,” said Kunec.
The event included a catered dinner, and many volunteer hours to pull the event off, and Kunec expressed her gratitude for everyone's hard work.
