TCCIA hosts paddlin' fundraiser

Lots of boats fill the Clark Fork River daily, but this past Saturday, the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association (TCCIA) held its annual Paddlin' Poker Run fundraiser, so kayaks, paddle boards, and drift boats were the focused participants on the water. The number of paddlers increased over last year's total of 101, as this year 113 people paddled their way on the river trying to draw the lucky hand. Folks from Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington were on the river paddling for the cause.

There were five stops to get cards from. The first and last stop was at the Trout Creek boat launch. From the launch, paddlers headed toward the Highway 200 bridge and stopped at the islands along the main channel. From there, paddlers headed under the highway and railroad bridges, to the cove that leads to Trout Creek to get their third card. Then participants headed back out of the cove, under the railroad bridge, and across the main channel to a volunteer's boat dock to draw their fourth card.

"I got a text from a couple of friends saying to come on," Susan McFarland said. "So here I am." The weather was perfect for the event, too. "It's a beautiful day to be on the water," said Sharon Galligan.

The last card had to be drawn by 4 p.m. and the winners were announced at 5 p.m. at Wayside. The top two winners this year donated their winnings back to the TCCIA. A luau themed evening followed with live music. The TCCIA funds many projects and holds many events in the Trout Creek community. They have been busy coordinating park improvements this year including irrigation, fence repair, and booth improvements. TCCIA also holds Shakespeare in the Park, which will be the Friday following the Huckleberry Festival in August. Their fundraisers are quite the draw and the Paddlin' Fundraiser is becoming a summer favorite. "This is an awesome fundraiser," said Carmel Babich. The TCCIA would like to give a shout out to Crowder Designs for the work on this year's logo as well. "He took my general idea and turned it into the cool final product we had on shirts," said TCCIA President Liz Stender. This fundraiser is not the biggest for TCCIA and is done more for fun than anything. There were about 10 volunteers helping with the event and even they had fun while not paddling.

"It's fun seeing people you know in a fun environment and meeting new people through this event is always a great bonus to help out," said volunteer Alicia Wenz of Trout Creek.