Community gives back at 51st annual Creston Auction

From a few bales of hay and a hog to speedboats and automobiles, the annual Creston Auction has grown from its humble beginning in 1966 into one of the valley’s biggest and most anticipated events.

Volunteers will be taking items for auction this Friday, with bidding beginning on Saturday at 9 a.m. for smaller garage sale items and Sunday at 11 a.m. for larger items like vehicles and farm equipment.

This weekend will mark the 51st year of the Creston Volunteer Fire Department’s annual fundraiser, and stakes are high after last year’s record-breaking turn out.

Last year’s auction raised about $50,000 for the department, nearly double the amount normally raised.

According to Bob Kun, a Creston Fire Department trustee and the former assistant chief, the auction pays for firefighter training and supplements the cost of maintenance on the department’s eight fire engines and any needed equipment upgrades not covered by a $200,000 mill levy.

“When you’re charged with saving peoples’ lives and property, you’d think there would be plenty of money available, but that’s not the case,” Kun said. “When you talk emergency care, whether it’s police or fire department, the prices always go up.”

According to Kun, these expenses include $600 to equip medical personnel with one set of Epinephrine injectors, $3,500 to equip a firefighter with one breathing apparatus, $85,000 to refurbish old fire engines and upward of $250,000 for new trucks.

“It’s just a constant outflow of money,” Kun said.

For the firefighters who risk their lives and sacrifice their time for Creston, there is no compensation.

The department is comprised solely of volunteers, members of the community who are required to attend a minimum of 36 hours of fire medical training each year on their own time.

Fortunately, according to Kun, the community is not shy about giving back.

Each year around 7,000 people show up for the two-day auction to bid on items donated or consigned by local businesses and individuals, typically bringing in between $20,000 and $25,000.

The event takes almost four months of planning and around 400 volunteers sometimes putting in 12 hour days.

Attendees pay a bid fee of $5 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday, which covers the cost of security for the event, but entrance is free.

Vendors will also be selling smaller items, food and beverages.

Volunteers and donations are welcome, and those interested in either can visit www.crestonfire.org or call the auction hotline at 406-250-7396.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.