Kingston Days and the Kingston Volunteer Fire Department's annual picnic saw a turnout of around 300 people Aug. 1 - 3.
There were 302 meals served at the picnic, not counting free meals to children 7 and under. Event organizer Bradley Ward, who is the assistant fire chief and corporate president of KVFD, said volunteers also served over 100 hotdogs (free), though not all of those went to children.
"People raved about the quality and taste of the BBQ tri tip, even folks who hail from the South," Ward said. "We count that as high praise indeed."
This year the department tried something new and offered and sold 87 barbecued tri-tip sandwiches and chip combos for $5 each. Sandwiches were sold from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. when weather cut things short. Root Beer ice cream floats were also a hit for $5.
Ward anticipates the net from the event will be over $5,000.
While they received most of the food and numerous prizes as donations, the KVFD did have expenses related to prizes, beverages, advertising, graphic design, a disc jockey, T-shirts, three firearms, tables/chairs, credit card processing and a new receipt system, Ward said.
The new receipt system allows for superior tracking and provides folks with a tax-deductible form for their records. Alcohol purchases were not tax deductible, but most other donations were.
Beside Mother Nature forcing the event to shut down early at 6 p.m., everything went smoothly. Ward wants to thank the Kingston Baptist Church for allowing the KVFD to use their facility for food prep and storage.
"We are still working on perfecting the timing of certain activities, but are fortunate to enjoy a patient customer base," Ward said.
According to Susan Hoffman, Kid's Zone coordinator, there were more children at this year's event than have been seen in the past five years.
The free Watermelon Eating Contest was a huge hit this year, while both the Tomahawk Toss and Horseshoe Tournament each had 18 contestants.
Bingo continues to be a crowd favorite, though the KVFD is discussing increasing the card fee from $5 to $10 for 20 games. They will add $100 to the blackout bingo prize next year as weather prevented that final game from happening.
They awarded about twice as much in prizes as was generated in raffle sales and thank those who generously donated. Gun and general raffle tickets were available in advance from retail partners: Zach's Lucky Spur (Kingston), Pony Canyon Stop n' Go (Austin), Carver's Bar (Carvers), and the Half Moon Saloon (Round Mountain).
The winners of the gold/silver coins donated by RMGC were drawn after the event due to the weather. They were Mary Darough of Carvers and Wayne Larsen of Round Mountain. Kingston resident and event volunteer June Manhire won the Pelican Guide Cooler.
Volunteers tried something new this year by having DJ Jonn Scovil provide music instead of a band(s). Feedback was overwhemingly great for Jonn. He also conducted several improvised rounds of musical chairs that were a big hit. They plan on inviting him back in the future.
The KVFD ultimately had three outside vendors, losing some folks to Goldfield Days which was moved to the same weekend this year. Neal Stephens of Fallon again sold fresh produce while assorted crafts and goods were sold by Karen's Krafts of Tonopah and The Pink Zebra of Round Mountain. The vendors said they all did well and want to be invited back.
Our single auction item was a custom coat rack provided by Karen's Krafts. It was first won for $350 by Reese Schoorl. He donated it back and local resident Randy Smith bid $150 to take it home.
The vendors said they all did well and want to be invited back. The single auction item was a custom coat rack provided by Karen's Krafts.
For the second year in a row, they relied upon manpower from the USFS to serve food and could not have pulled it off without them. For this and other reasons, they are seeking to outsource the food concession next year.
Qualified parties who are interested can contact Ward directly for bid instructions. By having a qualified food vendor, he feels they will be freed up to add more activities like a fishing derby and/or poker run. The KVFD also wants to keep the food prices modest.
They really want to express their appreciation to all of the people who came from outside Kingston to help out this year. These included folks from Las Vegas, Round Mountain, Carvers, Battle Mountain, Austin, Fallon, Carson City and Reno.
"You really cannot get a bigger endorsement for your cause than people driving hundreds of miles and giving freely of their time to help you out," Ward said.
Commissioner Patsy Waits from Gilman Springs helped sell tickets too. The KVFD genuinely thanks the six residents of Kingston who helped out.
A bit of foul weather prevented the KVFD from announcing its big news this year. It recently acquired 1.62 acres of land on the Kingston airstrip.
The land is comprised of two adjacent parcels located one parcel away from the new clinic being put in by Battle Mountain General Hospital. The new KVFD land is located at 105 and 107 Toiyabe Road, adjacent to the large Kingston hangar and directly across from the new helipad.
The purchase was entirely paid for with fundraising dollars raised last year and the department intends to pursue county and federal assistance to construct a public safety facility there to service the southern end of Lander County and Smoky Valley at large.
Kinross/Round Mountain Gold Corporation was the main event sponsor again this year for Kingston Days. RMGC employs over 20 percent of Kingston residents and 50 percent of KVFD members.
They donated over $1,000 in food, $1,000 in gift cards, and two limited-edition silver/gold coins for the event. The mine has been a great partner for them and they appreciate their generous support of Kingston Days and the volunteer fire department.
"I think we had a really great event again this year and people have responded very favorably to the Kingston Days theme and family-oriented activities," Ward said. "It is our pleasure to give back to the community that supports us and we strive to keep things affordable and accessible. We apologize for the last-minute cancellation of the fireworks show and the difficulty people who tried to camp experienced. We will pursue permitting from BLM to conduct fireworks outside of town limits in the future."
Camping will likely be available next year on the land purchased by KVFD. "Our sincere thanks to everyone who supports our fire department and especially to the Lander County Board of Commissioners for providing an unprecedented $35,000 plus in operating and equipment funds this year," Ward said. "A portion of the funds raised at this year's event will be used to purchase extrication equipment for KVFD. We could not do what we do without you. Thank you."
The Kingston Volunteer Fire Department was formed as a non-profit, charitable corporation in February 1975. It is a federally recognized non-profit 501c4 entity and presently has eight members who train monthly.
Persons wishing to donate are asked to make checks payable to "KVFD" or "Kingston Volunteer Fire Department." Credit card donations are also accepted.
Please contact Bradley Ward, KVFD president, with any questions/comments at (775) 964-1034, via email to bward@kingstonfire.org, or via mail to KVFD HC 65 Box 120 Austin, NV 89310.
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