The Anarchist Mountain Community Society, in conjunction with the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department, organized its ninth annual fundraising barbecue and picnic this past Saturday afternoon. Helping organize the event were (from left) Wendy Barlow, Candy Anders, Fire Chief Urs Grob, Art Harfman and society president Mark McKenney. (Keith Lacey photo)
The volunteer members with the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD) are very proud of how far the organization has come in just over a decade.
Formed in 2004 after a large forest fire destroyed a couple of homes in the Anarchist Mountain area, the AMFD continues to grow and prosper.
This past Saturday, the Anarchist Mountain Community Society, in conjunction with the AMFD, held its ninth annual fundraising barbecue and picnic, with all proceeds going to the AMFD.
“We’re now up to 28 members, which is quite impressive when you consider Osoyoos has just over 30 and we’re just a tiny little community in the middle of nowhere,” said Mark McKenney, president of the community society and a longtime volunteer firefighter.
Once again, the society held a silent auction as part of its annual fundraising barbecue and was hoping to raise close to $20,000 for the AMFD in the process, said McKenney.
“Over the last four years, we’ve been around the $18,000 mark and we’re hoping to maybe break $20,000 this year,” he said. “This has become a very popular event with between 100 to 120 people showing up every year. We get a lot of people who live up on the mountain dropping in for the silent auction and barbecue and it’s turned into a great little fundraising event.”
Business owners from all over the South Okanagan donate items for the silent auction, he said.
“Most of our support comes from the business owners in Osoyoos, but we get stuff donated from as far away as Penticton and Kelowna and all over the valley,” he said. “We get great support from the business community and it’s really appreciated,” he said.
Current AMFD Fire Chief Urs Grob once again showed up at the fundraising barbecue as did the majority of more than two dozen volunteer members.
The only other fundraising event sponsored by the AMFD is an annual Christmas Party, so the summer fundraising barbecue every July is important as the money raised goes directly towards purchasing new equipment for the department, said McKenney.
The community society currently has more than 80 members, which is more than half of the Anarchist Mountain population, he said.
The annual fundraising barbecue will continue for many years to come, he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
