Fright Night coming to Plains

The Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) plans to celebrate Halloween a little earlier this year with their annual fall fundraiser “Fright Night” on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion.

The event will include a dinner, music, dancing, an auction, and a costume contest with prizes, said Shelley Bertrand, president of the CNSC.

“The fall fundraiser is always a great event. We have wonderful food, great donations to auction off, Kevin Hill is awesome, and country music and dancing,” said Bertrand, president of the nonprofit organization for three years. “Everyone always loves it,” she added.

The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner an hour later. Dinner will be smoked pork, corn on the cob, corn bread, and barbecue baked beans. The cost of a ticket is $25 a head. The event will include a silent auction and a live auction hosted by auctioneer Kevin Hill of Trout Creek. Tickets can be purchased at First Security Bank in Thompson Falls and Plains, Garden Gift & Floral in Plains, Rocky Mountain Bank in Plains, and M&M Liquor in Thompson Falls.

There will be live music and a costume contest and prizes for scariest, funniest and most original, said Bertrand. “This is always a fun evening with dinner and dancing. We try to make every year fun and exciting,” said Bertrand.

This is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year and all money made from any of its fundraisers go to help Sanders County residents who have been diagnosed with cancer. The CNSC began 21 years ago and has given away $853,100 to 1,450 people.

“We have to raise money often to keep up with the growing demand. Cancer diagnosis increases every year; it goes up with the population,” said Bertrand. The group’s other fundraisers include a lantern launch, luminaries and raffles, but the fall fundraiser is its biggest one, according to Bertrand, who noted that it has already given $54,000 to cancer patients this year. Board members are all volunteer and the organization’s office and storage space is donated by various people and businesses of Sanders County.