The 21-and-up event will take place at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 8, from 6 p.m. to midnight. Vanishing Breed and Donny Johnson will perform classic country songs and dance numbers. A barbecue dinner is being catered by J.Fargo’s and Pepperhead restaurants, and there will be local brews and wine.
Tickets are $30 per person, which includes two drink tickets, a dinner, dance and live music. They can be bought at the door, or at J.Fargos, Pepperhead or the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce.
The 100 Club hopes to provide immediate cash support to the families of a loved one who died in an emergency situation. The club aims to provide a $5,000 lump sum per fatality. The fund covers first responders in Montezuma and Dolores counties and includes law enforcement, fire crew, medical, park, and search and rescue personnel.
“These funds are like a first responder to first responders. They can be used for anything whether groceries, bills or funeral costs,” said Pete Montaño, a 100 Club board member.
The club was recently revived after a hiatus in which its bank account funds were turned over to the Colorado treasurer.
While looking through state records, Chuck Forth, of the Onward Foundation, discovered the transfer of $5,500 to the treasurer 12 years ago because the two signators of the accounts had passed away.
Montaño and Forth petitioned the state to have the money returned, and after a maze of paperwork, the club reacquired the funds last year, and a new 100 Club board was formed. The first-responder assistance fund formed after Cortez policeman Dale Claxton was killed in the line of duty in 1998. Such funds exist across the state and country to provide support during disasters. “You hope a tragedy never happens, but communities need to prepare for the worst and be ready to help out,” Montaño said.
The club is looking for more members and volunteers. For more information, go to www.100clubofmontezumacounty.com or call board president Pete Montaño at 970-560-2971. Donations and memberships can be made through the Onward Foundation as well.
“Come out and support the men and women who put their lives at risk in the line of duty,” said event organizer Shawn Bittle, who is assistant chief for the Cortez Fire Protection District and is a 100 Club board member. “They need to know that the community has their back.”
