The Williams Lake Stampede Association is hoping for another packed house at this year’s 23rd Annual Williams Lake Stampede Dinner, Dance and Auction.
The event, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Elks Hall, will feature a cocktail hour, a dinner, both a silent and live auction and live entertainment.
Auctioneers Wilf and Al Smith will be on hand once again to keep the action flowing, while several other fun games are planned for throughout the evening.
Those include a loonie toss — where participants attempt to throw loonies into a hat — and the wild heads and tails game.
Fred Thomas, Williams Lake Stampede Association president, said the game, added to the auction by Stampede association director Liz Crosina a couple of years ago, has added a lot of fun to the event.
“Basically it’s done with hats,” Thomas said. “Once everyone decides in the position they want their hat to be in — either on their head or on their backside — they flip a coin and depending where you’ve got your hat you’re either eliminated or you stay in the game.”
The winner of the heads and tails game will receive a Coors Light beer fridge, filled with Coors Light.
At 9 p.m. the dancing is set to begin when local artist Clancy Wright and the Silverados will take the stage.
The dinner, set to begin at 6 p.m., is being catered by the Ladies of the Royal Purple.
The emcee for the evening will be longtime Stampede director Willie Crosina.
Additionally, the Stampede royalty will be on hand, as will City councillor Surinderpal Rathor, to help out with the auction and other games.
Thomas said the Stampede association is currently fundraising for a number of upgrades and additions to the Stampede Grounds.
“We’ve got a number of projects on the go,” Thomas said. “Right now we’re in the process of putting an addition on our caretaker’s mobile home in the infield, and that’s about three quarters finished. We also have a project on the go where we want to put vinyl seating on all the wooden seating in the grandstand.
“And, we have a project that’s in the architectural stage right now where we’re looking at putting a covered log area on the back of the grandstand to cover the ticket area, to kind of follow the theme of log work we’ve got going.”
Tickets are $25 and are available at Margetts Meats, Cariboo Saddlery, Caribou Spurs Apparel and Tack or from Williams Lake Stampede Association directors.
