Members of the Anarchist Mountain Community Society are shown with members of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department during this past Saturday’s annual fundraising BBQ and silent auction, which raises money for the fire department. (Keith Lacey photo)
The residents who call Anarchist Mountain home never turn down the opportunity to support a worthy cause, says Mark McKenney, the president of the Anarchist Mountain Community Society.
That’s why another large crowd of roughly 200 residents who live in homes on Anarchist Mountain east of Osoyoos showed up for the society’s annual fundraising barbecue and silent auction this past Saturday afternoon to help raise money for the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD).
The fire department used to organize its own fundraising event, but the community society became involved two years later and has taken over most of the responsibility for organizing the annual fundraiser, said McKenney.
“Our volunteer firefighters put in enough long hours and do enough good work in the community and we thought this was something the community society could help them out with,” said McKenney, himself a longtime volunteer firefighter with the AMFD.
Saturday’s event not only included a silent auction, but a pot luck dinner, music and a dance.
It was expected that this year’s fundraising barbecue and silent auction would raise close to $7,000 for the AMFD, said McKenney.
The AMFD was formed over a decade ago after a wildfire destroyed three homes, forced the evacuation of several other properties and destroyed more than 1,200 acres of property on Anarchist Mountain, said McKenney.
“The fire department was created in 2005 and has been doing great work on the mountain ever since,” he said.
The community society was formed two years later in 2007 and has close to 200 active members.
“We have a very active society that not only hosts regular community meetings, but a popular lecture series in the winter months,” said McKenney.
Businesses from across the region have shown great support by donating items for the silent auction and have played a big role in assuring the annual event is a huge success, said McKenney.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
